The Galaxy Note 7 devices have been recalled by Samsung as a result of catching fire while charging.
This is an embarrassing setback for Samsung because the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is one of its flagship product released just a month ago. With this unfortunate outcome, one of its toughest closest rival, Apple is set to release iPhone 7 by next week.
What countries are affected?
Samsung has halted sale of the phones in 10 countries, the U.S. and South Korea included. Customers will be given free products in the next few weeks to replace those that have been sold.
The Chinese devices seem to be okay because the battery supplier used was a different one. But the company nonetheless failed to clarify if it would recall the already sold devices.
Samsung will need about two weeks to finalize the recall. However, the U.S. users have the option of exchanging their devices for Galaxy S7 Edge or Galaxy S7. Also, the Note 7-specific accessories will be refunded. Due to this inconvenience, the Note 7 users are being given $25 gift card.
The company said it will shortly announce more details on how the recall program will be recalled. As at the moment, people afraid about their batteries can visit the closest Samsung service center.
Amazon stops the sale
Target, Best Buy and Amazon announced that they were no longer selling the phone and arrangements with Samsung were ongoing to replace the devices in store and those already sold.
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.
What may be causing the burn?
Just like many other rechargeable devices, mobile phone devices operate on lithium-ion cells. But their power at powering gadgets is their weakness in catching fire.
A rise in temperature causes overheating and that may result from environmental factors like hot summer or transfer of heat to the battery from a different component. Heating can also begin within a battery itself, which is what’s behind the “battery cell issue” in Samsung’s Note 7.
The battery management system can have problems that lead to combustion. This system’s job is to monitor the electrical current and notifies a chip after the battery gets fully charged.