In an email to Gizmodo, Samsung confirmed reports that it would recall its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, following several reports that the phone was overheating and exploding.
Earlier this week, the company delayed plans to ship the Galaxy Note 7 to many markets. The phone was announced in early August, and it received positive reviews. It went on sale in the United States on August 19th.
“In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue,” the company said in a statement. “To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market.”
Samsung says that it has halted sales of the phone globally. As for people who have already purchased the phone, the company says it “will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.” The company has yet to detail its “product exchange program,” but it says that it is working with carriers, and might provide information as early as today.
It’s unclear whether all of the reports of the “battery cell issue” actually led to the burnt-up phones that were reported by users, but apparently, the problems were alarming enough to warrant a recall.
The recall is a major setback for Samsung, which had recently bucked a trend of declining sales and profits with the success of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The Note 7 was expected to be similarly successful, but it may find its image irreparably damaged in the wake of the recalls. The full statement from Samsung is posted below.
Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously.
In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue. To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7. For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.
We are working with our carrier partners to announce the details of the U.S. product exchange program as soon as today.
We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.