Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 7 product recall, blames battery cell issue

2 Sep 2016

Samsung is suspending sales of its latest flagship smartphone the Galaxy Note 7 following reports of exploding batteries

Korean tech giant Samsung has confirmed that it is suspending sales of its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, following reports of exploding batteries. It has confirmed 35 cases have been reported globally and that a battery cell issue is to blame.

For customers who have already bought the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung said that it will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one in the coming weeks. In Ireland, customers are urged to contact the customer service team on 01-6950367.

‘Because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7’
– SAMSUNG

We reported yesterday that Samsung had delayed shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 to conduct additional quality control testing after reports emerged that the battery on the device had exploded during charging.

Battery cell issue is the cause of faulty Galaxy Note 7 devices

Some reports indicate that the use of third party USB-C charging cables may have been to blame for the faults.

However, Samsung has revealed that, after a thorough investigation, a battery cell problem is to blame.

The Galaxy Note 7 is Samsung’s latest flagship device and features a new symmetrical-edge design, a water-resistant body and a new S Pen that has a smaller tip (0.7mm) than its predecessor.

The device also comes with new biometric authentication features, including iris scanning.

“Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously,” Samsung said in a statement.

“In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note 7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

“To date (as of September 1), there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally, and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7,” Samsung said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com