14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung announced its latest flagship, the Galaxy Note 7, a month ago and just days after the smartphone went on sale in certain countries, reports of units catching fire started to surface. What followed was a global recall to replace 2.5 million sold Note 7 units.
The company's replacement program is currently in full swing, with 60% of the units sold in the US and South Korea having already been replaced. Sales are expected to restart in South Korea in just a few days, while in Europe they will resume on October 28.
Samsung suffered a significant financial loss following the recall process, with some estimating that the total loss might reach $2 billion. However, the company did recently state that 90% of Note 7 owners registered for a replacement, which means that, overall, people continue to trust the brand. But things are different in China and the trend might expand to other countries as well.
Samsung says the issue doesn't pose safety concerns
A few days ago, a Note 7 owner from China reported that his smartphone caught fire while charging, less than 24 hours after it had been replaced. This might not be a good sign for Chinese and global Note 7 owners.
In fact, Samsung has stated for the Wall Street Journal that it is currently investigating cases of replaced Galaxy Note 7 overheating in the US and South Korea, but the company didn't say anything about China.
Apparently, some Note 7 owners complained that their units would get too hot to use during phone calls and Samsung already said that the owners of such units would receive a replacement. The phone maker admitted it received some reports, but said the issue didn't pose any safety concerns and that all smartphones experience temperature fluctuations.
The South Korean company intends to investigate such issues and resolve cases through the warranty process and customer service. It's difficult to say at this point if other Note 7 customers should be worried, but overheating batteries in replaced Note 7 units surely isn't a good sign. Samsung will most likely issue a statement on the matter soon.