Samsung has urged customers to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones immediately and return them for exchange as soon as possible, after more reports of the handsets catching fire emerged.
"We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7's and exchange them as soon as possible," said Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president. "We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible."
A Note 7 caught fire after its charger was unplugged (Image: Ariel Gonzalez)
The advice comes after U.S. aviation safety officials warned airline passengers not to turn on or charge Note 7 model handsets during flights.
In the unprecedented move, the Federal Aviation Administration also warned passengers not to store the phones in checked bags, citing "recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung" about the recalled devices.
Last week, Samsung initiated a global recall of the 5.5-inch handsets after faulty batteries were blamed for 35 reports of exploding handsets and devices catching fire. In one case, a family in St Petersburg, Florida, described how a Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
On Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, a six-year-old boy was left with burns after the Note 7 he was using to watch videos exploded in his hands. The boy's family called 911 and he was taken to hospital. The boy has returned home following treatment and the family has been in contact with Samsung, but declined to comment further.
In another incident last week in Perth, Australia, a man's Note 7 exploded while it was charging overnight in his hotel room, causing $1,382 worth of property damage and leaving the handset "completely fried", said the owner. Samsung offered a replacement device, and the company confirmed that it was arranging to cover the bill for damages to the hotel room.
Samsung shares fell to their lowest level in two months on Monday, wiping $14.3 billion off the South Korean firm's market capitalisation. "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 told Fortune, predicting weak sales in the fourth quarter.
Some analysts estimate the firm might lose up to $5 billion worth of revenue after accounting for recall costs – a huge blow to a company that was just starting to reclaim market share on strong sales of its Galaxy S7 smartphones launched in March.
Some commentators have blamed the flaw in the device on a rush to manufacture, given that Samsung launched the $900 Note 7 about a month ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 announcement in an attempt to pre-empt Cupertino.
"We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7's and exchange them as soon as possible," said Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president. "We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible."
The advice comes after U.S. aviation safety officials warned airline passengers not to turn on or charge Note 7 model handsets during flights.
In the unprecedented move, the Federal Aviation Administration also warned passengers not to store the phones in checked bags, citing "recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung" about the recalled devices.
Last week, Samsung initiated a global recall of the 5.5-inch handsets after faulty batteries were blamed for 35 reports of exploding handsets and devices catching fire. In one case, a family in St Petersburg, Florida, described how a Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
On Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, a six-year-old boy was left with burns after the Note 7 he was using to watch videos exploded in his hands. The boy's family called 911 and he was taken to hospital. The boy has returned home following treatment and the family has been in contact with Samsung, but declined to comment further.
In another incident last week in Perth, Australia, a man's Note 7 exploded while it was charging overnight in his hotel room, causing $1,382 worth of property damage and leaving the handset "completely fried", said the owner. Samsung offered a replacement device, and the company confirmed that it was arranging to cover the bill for damages to the hotel room.
Samsung shares fell to their lowest level in two months on Monday, wiping $14.3 billion off the South Korean firm's market capitalisation. "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 told Fortune, predicting weak sales in the fourth quarter.
Some analysts estimate the firm might lose up to $5 billion worth of revenue after accounting for recall costs – a huge blow to a company that was just starting to reclaim market share on strong sales of its Galaxy S7 smartphones launched in March.
Some commentators have blamed the flaw in the device on a rush to manufacture, given that Samsung launched the $900 Note 7 about a month ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 announcement in an attempt to pre-empt Cupertino.
Tag: Samsung
232 comments
Apple is today sending out notifications to Apple Music subscribers that, when tapped, allows them to send a referral to friend to sign up for a free one-month subscription to Apple Music.
...
Apple recently purchased PullString, a San Francisco startup that enables the design and publishing of voice apps through its PullString Converse platform, reports Axios.
PullString could be...
Apple is planning to release AirPods that feature a new surface coating, wireless charging, and a black color option, according to a report from Taiwanese Economic Daily News.
Apple supplier...
Apple today shared a new "Bokeh'd" video on its YouTube channel, which highlights the Depth Control feature on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.
In the spot, a group of mothers are...
If you've deleted your DMs, they may be unavailable on your phone and on the web, but Twitter is still saving them, according to data from security researcher Karan Saini that was shared today by...
iPhone XS Max users experience more than two times faster real-world LTE data speeds as iPhone 5s users on average in the United States, according to OpenSignal, although there are caveats to...
Last August, Apple Music was updated with a new section in Browse curated by Deutsche Grammophon, one of the biggest classical music labels in the world. While classical music fans welcomed the...
Samsung has leaked its upcoming wearables lineup through its Galaxy Wearable app for Android ahead of its February 20 event.
Image credit: SamCentralTech
As spotted by Twitter account...
