Product recall: Galaxy Note 7 battery problem could be global if rumors are true
It seems like with the launch of every flagship, some poor sap’s phone catches fire or explodes, often due to the use of crappy 3rd party chargers purchased online. That’s likely the reason that the Galaxy Note 7 has been exploding, but Samsung took measures to ensure the safety of their own product by halting sales in their home country. Now it appears the company may take precautions one step further by issuing a product recall on the device.
Sources close to Gizmodo Australia claim that a recall will be announced on Friday morning for the Australian markets while CNBC sources in South Korea are reporting similar possibilities that Samsung recalls “affected Note 7’s”. Rumor has it that the recall wouldn’t furnish customers with a new phone, but instead would allow the company to replace the battery found inside the phone.
This could pose serious logistical, financial, and brand problems for Samsung who count heavily on the Galaxy Note 7 to compete head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to announce new iPhone’s in early September, one of which will be a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The scoreboard of the Apple vs Samsung rivalry is counted in both pride and pesos, so whatever solution Samsung decides to offer, you can expect that they’ll be making it swiftly. We’ll expect to hear more tomorrow based on the aforementioned rumors, but it’s safe to say we hope these rumors fall absolutely flat, partly for the sake of Samsung but also for the safety of unsuspecting Galaxy Note 7 owners.
UPDATE: Samsung SDI, Samsung Mobile’s sister company and battery supplier for the Note 7, has said there is no indication that the batteries in the Galaxy Note 7 are faulty. We’ll follow up with any developments to this story.