“We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them as soon as possible”, Koh Dong-jin, head of Samsung’s smartphone business, said in a statement.
Advertisement
The Note 7 problems are a major blow to Samsung’s efforts to build on the strong sales of its Galaxy S7 smartphones launched in March.
“Some said initially the Galaxy Note 7 could be the best smartphone ever, but now it’s possible the phone will go down as the worst ever”, IBK Securities analyst Lee Seung-woo said, predicting weak sales in the fourth quarter.
Aviation authorities in several other countries and individual airlines have since then also banned the use of the devices on their flights, the BBC reported.
Earlier this month, Samsung announced an unprecedented recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s worldwide just two weeks after the phone was launched.
It advised consumers to use replacement phones which would be temporarily loaned by the firm until a new Galaxy Note 7 equipped with fault-free batteries is provided. The move came after several reports of the phones exploding while charging. So we reached out to the USA call center and a representative said Note 7 users should power off the phone and bring it back to the retail location where it was purchased.
In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission urged users to power down their phones and said it would be providing guidance about an official recall “as soon as possible”.
Pratana Patanasiri, THAI vice-president of aviation safety, said the ban was due to global recalls and sale suspensions of the Note 7 device after a number of batteries exploded. Companies ranging from Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways to Air France KLM have instituted similar bans on the device. A Reuters’ dispatch on Saturday said top airlines globally had banned their use during flights, which included carriers from the GCC region.
The phones should be carried onto the plane and not stowed in checked luggage, according to guidance from airlines around the world.
Advertisement
Samsung said it had confirmed 35 cases of the Galaxy Note 7 catching fire as of September 1, a lot of them occurring while the battery was being charged. The Galaxy Note series is one of the most expensive lineups made by Samsung.
