Galaxy Note 7 battery issue: Samsung promises thorough inspection [Update: Samsung recalls Note 7 units]

Samsung might recall the shipped Galaxy Note 7 units and delay the smartphone units yet to be shipped due to reports of the faulty battery. Some units were reported to have a battery heating issue resulting in fire and explosion. There have been no estimates about how many phones were recalled or any timeline. How much delay in delivery will this result in, is also not known.

South Korea’s Yonhap News cited a source saying that the cause of this problem is the faulty battery, and the phones will be recalled by this weekend, if they haven’t been, already.

The company at first refused to make any comments at first, but later it said that they will share the findings soon and that they are committed to providing the best quality products. Here’s the official statement by the company –

In response to questions on Galaxy Note 7, we are conducting a thorough inspection with our partners. We will share the findings as soon as possible. Samsung is fully committed to providing the highest quality products to our consumers.

Several users of the device had reported that it went into flames while it was being used. It also revealed that the shipments to three operators in South Korea were paused. Whether or not other markets have been affected, hasn’t been revealed. These kinds of faults in the flagship could inflict a massive blow to the giant in the share market.

Analysts say that all the curiosity and enthusiasm created by such flagships can be killed by issues like these. They can also create a negative image among users, as there are so many alternatives nowadays. Now, the Apple launch is right around the corner. Such news is bound to drive high-end smartphone buyers in the opposite direction, much to the benefit of the upcoming iPhones.

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The Galaxy Note 7 has been launched in ten countries until now. It has helped the company to bounce back from a rough start to the fiscal year. Therefore this is not only a blow to their reputation, but also affects their financial condition and market share almost directly.

As far as the Indian market is concerned, Samsung’s long collaboration with Reliance Jio has kept paying off and at an increasing rate lately. This is mostly owing to the recent 4G services launched by the telecom company. This launch has initiated an irreversible change in the industry for the country, and as the two first riders, Reliance and Samsung are said to benefit the most from it. What the final quarter has in store for Samsung, is not known, but surely it will be interesting to see how the company comes back from this.

Update: Samsung has recalled all Galaxy Note 7 units. The official statement says, “As of Sept. 1, a total of 35 claims were registered with Samsung’s service centers at home and abroad. Only 24 units on a scale of 1 million were affected by the battery problem. By putting our top priority on customer safety, we’ve decided to halt sales [of Galaxy Note 7] and offer new replacement handsets to all customers.”

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Nitin Agarwal

Nitin started PC-Tablet because of his keen interest in space research, technology, and gadgets. He is an avid reader, technology enthusiast, and like to explore new places. His passion for knowledge keeps him running all the time.