Samsung Electronics has reportedly temporarily ceased production of its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, as it continues to investigate issues related to the phones catching fire, according to the Wall Street Journal and South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Samsung is now working with authorities in the US and China as it investigates incidents of “safe” replacement Note 7 devices spontaneously combusting despite not using battery cells sourced from the affected supplier.
(Image: The Verge)
To date, there are now five reported cases of the replacement devices catching fire, with the past three happening just over the weekend. Two major carriers in the US, T Mobile and AT&T, have now suspended sales of the product, and the exchange program has also been halted as Samsung continues investigations.
In separate statements, Samsung says that it is “taking every report very seriously”, and is “moving quickly to investigate the reported case to determine the cause and will share findings as soon as possible.”
(Update) Samsung has issued a global statement:
“We are temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters.”
Meanwhile, some sections are calling out for Samsung to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 entirely. The Verge opined that the bad press Samsung is receiving will tarnish the brand far longer than any short-term losses the company stands to make by removing the Note 7 entirely. Android Police issued a PSA for consumers to not buy a Note 7, regardless if it is a replacement unit. The popular tech blog states that among other reasons, should the device hit a premature EOL (end of life), software support for the product may cease to exist, too.
In any case, this is slowly turning out to be a nightmare for Samsung – and it’s a real pity for what is an otherwise excellent smartphone.
