It looks as though Samsung could have something of a public relations nightmare on its hands. After halting shipments of its new Galaxy Note 7 to local telecom companies earlier in the week due to a number of high profile battery explosion accidents, it’s now being reported that the electronics giant could be planning on a device recall to replace affected Galaxy Note 7 devices sold in both South Korea and abroad.
It’s worth pointing out that Samsung is yet to make an official announcement on this matter and stipulate a date when the recall will start at both home and worldwide. However, a spokesperson from Samsung has reportedly told one Korean publication that while it will be difficult to start the recall process this Friday, it will probably kick off in the next week.
Samsung initially said to have considered replacing batteries in all handsets sold, but it is now being reported that the company plans to either offer a full refund or a total device replacement service in the coming weeks.
The common denominator in the reported explosions – at least the ones that we know about – was the use of a microUSB to USB Type-C converter, which was initially considered to be the root cause of the problem. However it now seems that after investigations, the battery within the device has been found as the real cause of the issue. The battery packs within the Korean Galaxy Note 7 are provided by ITM Semiconductor, but only for devices sold in that market.
As you might imagine, it’s not exactly great news for any company to have a new flagship device on the market that could potentially be harmful to owners. Because of this news, Samsung’s stock has already dropped over 2-percent. We now await Samsung’s official word on the matter.
Update: Samsung has now issued following statement. Still no official word yet on the recall though.
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.
(Source: Yonhap)
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