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According to a new announcement from Samsung, the Korean manufacturer will change the color of the battery indicator on new Galaxy Note 7 handsets so consumers can differentiate from devices that are part of the faulty batch that has been recalled. The battery indicator will be green on newly produced devices, instead of white.
This comes after the FAA recommended consumers not fly with their Galaxy Note 7 devices and some airlines have banned the phone until Samsung’s recall is complete. Devices are expected to be available starting September 19th.
According to sources close to Samsung, the company produced around 2.5 million handsets, but only sold about 400,000 before issuing the recall. Analysts in South Korea are calling for more than just a change of battery indicator color for consumer safety. Analyst Lee Sae-cheol is calling for Samsung to rename the new device the Samsung Galaxy Note 7S. The S is supposed to stand for safety and to avoid consumer confusion around newly replaced devices.
Despite warnings, app data from analytics firm Apteligent has determined that most Note 7 users are still using their handset despite the safety concerns.
UPDATE: We’re seeing reports that replacement units in Canada still have the white battery icon. Someone on Reddit also pointed out that it’s against Google’s requirements to use anything but a white battery icon in the status bar. So either Google is giving Samsung a pass (this does seem like a very special circumstance), or someone got their wires crossed.
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