Samsung Recalling Millions Of New Galaxy Note 7 Worldwide

[SPECIES]

Samsung is recalling the Galaxy Note 7 worldwide over battery problem

Samsung is recalling millions of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones worldwide after reports that the devices can catch fire while charging.


The massive recall of one of Samsung's flagship devices is an embarrassing setback for the world's biggest selling smartphone maker. The Note 7 was unveiled just a month ago, and big rival Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is expected to show off its new smartphone next week.


Samsung (SSNLF) said Friday it had found a problem with the battery in some of the phones and was halting sales in 10 countries, including South Korea and the U.S. It will offer customers a new product for free in the coming weeks to replace the 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s that have been sold.


Samsung said devices in China don't appear to be affected because it used another battery supplier. But it was unclear if models sold in China would nonetheless be recalled.


The company originally said it would take about two weeks to prepare the recall, but later announced Note 7 users in the U.S. can exchange their device for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge, starting next week. It will also refund the cost of Note 7-specific accessories.

Samsung is giving Note 7 users a $25 gift card or bill credit for the inconvenience.


More details about how the recall program will work will be announced shortly, the company said. In the meantime, people worried about their batteries should contact their nearest Samsung service center.


Target and Amazon said Friday that it has stopped selling the phone and is working with Samsung to replace the devices already sold in stores and online. Amazon and Best Buy have also said they are no longer selling the Note 7. Best Buy customers can return or exchange the phone if they already bought one.


U.S. mobile carriers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have suspended sales. Meanwhile, Sprint is offering up similar devices for customers to use during the recall process.


South Korean news agency Yonhap had previously reported that there have been five claims around the world of Note 7s catching fire while charging. Unverified photos posted on social media showed charred devices.


A Galaxy Note 7 owner in South Korea, who asked that he not be identified, told CNNMoney he was awoken in the middle of the night when he "smelled something burning." His phone had melted and he used his older model Samsung, Galaxy Note 2, to take photos that he posted online.


"I saw small flames on the phone where it was melted," he told CNNMoney. "It disappeared soon after."


Samsung, a giant South Korean company, said it had been alerted to 35 claims of faulty phones worldwide. It said it had so far found 24 devices with problems for every million sold.


U.S. mobile networks sell the Galaxy Note 7 for at least $850. At a news conference, company executives declined to comment on exactly how much replacing all the devices would cost.


"It is a big amount that is heartbreaking," said Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile communications business.


Samsung had the biggest share (22%) of the global smartphone market in the three-month period ending June 30, according to research firm IDC. By comparison, Apple held 12%.


Samsung benefited from the popularity of the Galaxy S7, IDC said, and the Galaxy Note 7 was expected to keep that momentum going into the second half of the year.


The phone was well received by reviewers, drawing attention for several unique features such as an iris scanner, which allows users to unlock the phone with their eyes.


http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/02/technology/samsung-galaxy-note-7-recall/

 

[SPECIES]

Samsung's exploding phones are causing a nightmare for the company in China

Samsung's problems with the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone didn't stop at a global recall after several models of the phone exploded.

The company is facing a growing backlash from Chinese customers and even the country's government after it refused to recall the phone there.

China is a lucrative market for smartphone manufacturers, and Apple is doing all it can to gain market share there. There was a time last year when Apple was opening a new Apple Store in China every week.

But Samsung is struggling to gain a foothold in China, with one estimate pegging its share of the Chinese smartphone market at 7.7%, down from 12.8% a year ago.

So Samsung really needed to get the launch of its latest phone right in China. Leaks hinted that the Chinese release of the Galaxy Note 7 would come with 6GB of RAM, not the 4GB that would be made available elsewhere. There were even photos of the alleged box that appeared to show it. However, when Samsung released the phone in China, the 6GB version was nowhere to be seen.

That's not a major problem. Some Chinese tech fans were excited by the idea of a better phone, but in the end it didn't pan out. No big deal.

Then the phones started exploding

But that wasn't the biggest issue with the Galaxy Note 7, of course. Soon after its release in the US, customers started complaining that the phone would overheat or even explode after being charged. A six-year-old boy was reportedly injured by one device exploding, and a man in Florida claimed his Jeep Grand Cherokee was destroyed in a fire caused by his Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung collected the damaged phones for testing and delayed shipments of the device, but it eventually decided to issue a global recall for the Galaxy Note 7 to prevent further incidents. That's an incredibly costly move, and a last resort for the company.

But the global recall wasn't quite as global as you might think. Samsung insists that Galaxy Note 7 phones sold in China aren't affected by the battery issue. It uses several suppliers, it says, and the issue was only caused by one of the suppliers' components that isn't included in smartphones shipped to China.

It looks like it's happening in China too

If that was the end of the exploding phones then Samsung's drama in China would have stopped at teasing an upgraded phone and then failing to release it. But there have been reports of Galaxy Note 7 phones exploding in China as well — even though Samsung said they're unaffected by the battery issue.

Bloomberg reports that a customer named Hui Renjie bought a new Galaxy Note 7 online and it was delivered over the weekend. On Monday morning the device "exploded". Samsung has now collected the phone and taken it away for tests.

"We are currently contacting the customer and will conduct a thorough examination of the device in question once we receive it," Samsung told Business Insider in a statement. The refusal to recall Galaxy Note 7 phones in China has reportedly angered some Chinese social media users.

"Samsung doesn't dare raise a fuss overseas but in China as soon as explosions are mentioned they blame other people," one user said, according to BBC News.

Now the Chinese government has become involved

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has weighed in on the exploding phone scandal, accusing Samsung of "discrimination" and acting in a way that is "full of arrogance." The broadcaster is angry that Samsung publicly apologized to the US over the exploding phones, but it only issued a short statement in China explaining that any overheating phones in the country weren't its fault.

CCTV is one of the Chinese government's "big three" official mouthpieces that it uses to signal its policies to citizens. It's unlikely that any op-ed (like the one published regarding Samsung) would make it to CCTV's site without the company checking that it meets the government's line.

There's more evidence that the Chinese government is upset with Samsung. Asia News Network reports that a Chinese government office in Chengdu, Sichuan province, banned workers from even using Galaxy Note 7 phones in the office. The office also announced that it would not allow people to charge their Galaxy Note 7 outside in a dedicated recharging space for visitors. "If visitors are found recharging Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones, you should persuade them to stop," the office said (although it later walked back that policy).

This saga has been a nightmare for Samsung, which desperately needed the Galaxy Note 7 to be a hit in China. It's losing market share to Apple and other manufacturers, so it needed to make the new phone stick. The rumored upgraded version of the phone was a start (even if it didn't pan out). But its refusal to recall its phones in China has been seen as an insult to the country — even if it turns out that they're not actually faulty.

Samsung may not have done anything wrong in China, but it has spent so long panicking over its issues in the US that Chinese customers felt slighted. The company has now issued an apology for causing "confusion and unease" in China, but it's likely to have done lasting damage to its reputation in China.

http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-note-7-explosions-recall-nightmare-china-2016-9

 

[LadyDeath]

Thanks for the info. I really wanted to buy one seeing my S4 quit on me a few days ago. I am not a materialistic person and i never bought any phones for myself ever. I always got them as presents. With my recent job and so many work i have to do, i am considering buying one. I guess i'll wait until there are better reviews.

 

[SPECIES]

LOL!

 

[Saxman642]

I have a friend who is now stuck with a Note 7 as it has just been banned from nay type of transport into the US

No FedEx/UPS/DHL (they bluntly refusing to take it even in a bomb proof box), do NOT take it on a plane.

He needs to send to back for his refund and he just can't due to all the restrictions.

 

[SPECIES]

I have a friend who is now stuck with a Note 7 as it has just been banned from nay type of transport into the US

No FedEx/UPS/DHL (they bluntly refusing to take it even in a bomb proof box), do NOT take it on a plane.

He needs to send to back for his refund and he just can't due to all the restrictions.

I was going to also post that article here..

Imagine even if you returned your Note7 for a "Upgraded One" (that should not blow up) you are still banned from using it or even having it in your possession.

I find that this is very good!
These mega companies need to take a hit.
They need to start putting the consumers first and stop just trying to only fight each other on who launches what first.

Hopefully people will boycott Samsung to give them a wake up call.

 

[SPECIES]

Samsung 'blocks' exploding Note 7 parody videos

Samsung appears to have filed copyright claims against YouTube videos mocking its recalled Galaxy Note 7 handset.

Many gamers have showcased a modification to video game Grand Theft Auto V, in which sticky bombs were switched with exploding Samsung phones.

But some have reported that their videos have been blocked on YouTube following a copyright complaint.

Samsung has not yet responded to repeated BBC requests for comment.

Critics have warned that trying to remove gamers' videos will only draw more attention to them.

One US gamer - known as DoctorGTA - said restrictions had been put on his YouTube account as a result of Samsung's complaint.

"It's going to take three months to get the strike removed from my channel... I got my live stream taken away," he said in a video.

"If I submit a counter-notification to say 'sue me', I wonder what they will do. Will they sue me, the kid that has cancer and just makes money off YouTube playing a video game?"

"It really sucks, because I really worked hard on this channel."

Some viewers warned that Samsung was at risk of invoking the Streisand Effect - a term used to denotes increased publicity as a result of attempts to remove embarrassing online content.

It was first used in 2005 by Mike Masnick, founder of the website Techdirt, following a failed attempt by singer Barbra Streisand to sue a photographer who posted a picture of her seaside home.

The original download page for the Grand Theft Auto V modification, created by player HitmanNiko, has not been taken offline.


http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37713939