Samsung Recalls New Galaxy Note7 Due to Exploding Batteries [Updated]

[Glideslope]

Where are y'all getting 1% from?

Samsung claimed less than 0.1% ( < 2,500) could be affected, and that so far, 24 out of a million (0.0024%) have had the problem.



All the stories I've seen, said the person was using a micro-USB connector when it happened.

Got any links? Thanks!

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Maybe someone like iFixit should keep an original model to compare against the replacements.

If the replacements have a different circuit board design/chips or USB connector, then perhaps it was a deeper problem, or they decided to add protection against rogue batteries.

If nothing changes, then it would point to it being solely a battery issue, and likely nobody had kept track of what phone got what batch, so they could do a smaller recall. (I bet factory paperwork compliance gets really tightened up now!)

Yes, my error. You are correct. It was 0.1%. If nobody was tracking what battery lots went into what serial numbers then double shame on Samsung. Such logistical malice demonstrates how willing they are in rushing a product to market. I'm still with the opinion this is more than bad batteries. Only time will produce a just accounting of events.

 

[AdonisSMU]

i wonder if the Note 7 will be banned on Airplanes....

 

[kdarling]

Nothing like carefully wording your post. A more accurate assessment would be:

"Up to 2500 devices have the problem, but only 24 have exploded yet."

True. I originally had a comment pointing that out, but then removed it to make the sentence more readable.

I also figured that readers were smart enough to figure out something so obvious.

Plus, the potential to have a problem does not mean the problem will happen.

BTW, Samsung has done something they haven't done since the S5 failure - they've given us actual real-world sales figures. 2.4 million. Hardly a blockbuster figure for what people have declared is God's gift to the smartphone world.

Reuters (among others) said the supply output was constrained, possibly because of the edge displays.

 

[5105973]

• Samsung exploding batteries - recalls phones

• iPhone touch disease - does nothing...

Do the right thing Apple...

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I'm a big fan of my Note7. And my iPhone SE. So I'm brand neutral at this point. I just have to say in fairness to Apple, Samsung is completely snubbing S7 Active owners whose phones have a known and acknowledged manufacturing defect that makes their ruggedized Active line more prone to leakage and now screen cracks.

They did fix the defect and will honor warranty repairs but the problem is neither they nor AT&T will help identify and pull defective stock from the shelves. It's up to the customer to find out if they got a defective phone and go through the warranty replacement process or general replacement process.

 

[johnnygee]

Samsung needed a phone to compete with the Amazon Fire.

 

[Technarchy]

I'm certainly glad I waited for the iPhone 7 reveal before making a purchase decision.

I'm willing to wager many people are waiting on the iPhone reveal before picking up the Note 7 and it's going to be impossible for Samsung to have significant global availability in the near future.

If the Note 7 is in short supply I fully expect a good portion of customers to go with Apple for something new.

 

[lazard]

Samsung needed a phone to compete with the Amazon Fire.

thanks for repeating the same joke for the 50th time this thread.

 

[5105973]

Tim Cook should add in his event next week for the iPhone 7 that it includes a "non-exploding" battery. (Since Samsung made fun of the Note 7 having an audio jack still)

I would hope Tim would have more class and professionalism than to poke fun at an issue that is both potentially lethal and could happen to any manufacturer that uses lithium ion battery technology. iPhones have been known to have batteries swell and become dangerous, too. Especially ones in old iPhones.

 

[maxsix]

Facts reveal Apple selling defective iPhones that caught fire and exploded since way back in 2010!

YouTube videos abound.

Apple Devotees seem to have amnesia...

 

[5105973]

a) every rule has an exception
b) graphics artifacts never maimed anyone
[doublepost=1472754922][/doublepost]Found the perfect accessory for every Note 7 owner

https://www.amazon.com/BlueFire-Resistant-Accessories-Protection-Resistance/dp/B011VLLUQ4

(I am not affiliated with the seller yadda yadda)

Those gloves are incredible. If they really work every household should have a pair. Nearly everyone at some point in their lives, if they cook, has a kitchen disaster where these gloves would be useful. I'm saving that link and buying a pair when I get home.

However...realize some of us on this forum have bought these Note 7's. Our family has two. There are children in our home. I've got a sense of humor and a sense of proportion. I understand the jokes and some make me laugh. I understand the likelihood that either of our Notes will explode is minuscule.

But having a friend whose family lost everything in a house fire while they were home and barely escaped with their lives (cause was never determined) I am not too comfortable with jokes that imply my house and my family could be next and that the prospect is amusing just because we decided to try out something that wasn't made by Apple.

So please folks, as much as you all hate Samsung, try not to be so gleeful that some owners could be in real danger of something nasty happening to them.

 

[vahdyx]

I find it funny how a lot of people pick a side and go to war. It's like religion to some people. My buddy is a huge Apple fan, and has owned everyone iPhone since day one. He talks so much crap about my Android phone and gives me so much **** when I go back to Android from iPhone.

I'm like, "it's a computer man... a computer with a phone app... I like both Android and iPhone and hate them both as well"

There's no such thing as a perfect phone. Flaws in manufacturing, design, etc. pop up everywhere. There's pros and cons to everything; Fords, Chevy, Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, Broncos, Raiders, etc.

Why do people fight about these things.

Anyway on topic.

I returned my Note 7, 7 days after owning it. I just wasn't too fond of it. I'm currently using a Nexus 6P until the iPhone 6SE (7) comes out. Or may hold out for the Pixel XL. We'll see. But after seeing all this news about battery, I'm glad I returned it when I did.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Yep, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that if someone got hurt, or died, they'd have criminal liabilities up the wazoo. They absolutely acted out of some sense of right and wrong. I mean they steal ideas from competitors like there's no tomorrow, but in this one particular instance they did the right thing because they care.

Well they sure didn't steal the styling and design from Apple because the iPhone 6s Plus (and likely 7) look old fashioned and bulky compared to the Note 7.

 

[vahdyx]

I disagree with the whole "stealing from Apple, stealing from Android" debate. In college I did a whole presentation about a Ted speech I saw regarding the mobile industry.

My speech was about how grabbing "inspiration" from a trend setter isn't stealing and went on to how the styles people wear aren't thought up from nothing, they're pulled from another design, Day time running LEDs, you don't see auto manufactures suing each other because they're using LEDs instead of halogen bulbs for day time running lights, etc.

It's because the mobile industry is so new that they are suing because the market was so unstable on it's inception. Now that it's matured, Apple isn't as sue happy and neither are other companies that are proving successful. For example notice how Motorola is struggling and is now sue happy. Suing is a defense mechanism because of the fear of failure. They notice similarities and try to make it work in their favor. Granted there are obvious cases of theft and blatant infringements, but rounded corners.... an always on display... or using glass on the rear of the phone... seriously is that sue worthy? Take a look at HTCs iPhone clone, Apple doesn't care anymore, they know their place in the industry, the HTC clone isn't a threat. It doesn't incite any fear.

For me, I think we all draw inspiration and build off another idea. If I see a dude walking down the street and I'm like, that shirt is pretty damn cool, I'll find one similar to it and try and mimic his style with my own spin. Perhaps someone will see mine and do the same. When it comes to modding a car, same thing, building my PC and it's design, if I see someone with an AIO water cooler, I'm like, hell that's way easier than building a water cooler myself, I'll add that idea to my build.

Not once will you hear someone go... "you stole that from computerdude19874 on reddit"

Just my thoughts on the whole "stealing" thing.

I let all my Note 7 buddies know, they're all scared now haha. They're calling the carriers now to see if they can either return it for another phone or how they go about getting a recall exchange.

 

[pcg6461]

great if you can't find your lighter

Do you control it in settings (detonate) ? Or do you need to use a "lighter" app ?

 

[igorsky]

Well they sure didn't steal the styling and design from Apple because the iPhone 6s Plus (and likely 7) look old fashioned and bulky compared to the Note 7.

I'll take the old fashioned, bulky, non-exploding phone, thanks.

 

[mdelvecchio]

I give props to Samsung for not hiding it and getting the problem solved.

props? for selling exploding phones? you're a funny fellar, aint ya?

you can't really hide it when the phone with your name printed on it is blowing up. if it happened on an airplane there would be massive liabilities.
[doublepost=1472832428][/doublepost]

At least the problem was discovered quickly and being addressed immediately. Can't ask for a better response.

hmm i wonder if the response would be so supportive if this were a story about Apple and exploding phones? nah. i think this site would be flooded w/ peopling going ape-**** over it.

 

[CarlJ]

Judging by their statements they are actually re-manufacturing all the devices so it will take two weeks before those are ready to replace the one already sold, ...

An interesting ramification of this is, there will be a point at which pretty much every Note 7 in consumers' hands (especially those of early adopters) will be a "refurb".

 

[macuserpl]

This phone I LITERALLY on fire!

 

[CarlJ]

The point that I made and am continuing to make is that no company, IN THE HISTORY OF MAN KIND, waits until ALL OF THEIR product has failed until they decide to recall.

Citation needed.

 

[doboy]

They missed out on the opportunity for new tag line. Note 7, it's the bomb.

 

[CarlJ]

There were 23 exploding batteries. Not exploding phones.

"Sorry you nearly died in the crash sir, but you should be relieved to know that your car wasn't defective. It was just the manufacturer supplied, factory installed brakes that were defective."
[doublepost=1472833986][/doublepost]

On the bright side I'll soon be getting a brand new phone... That's always a good thing.

If you mean an N7 replacement, if what others have reported here is true, it won't be a brand new phone, it'll be a refurb - someone else's phone that has either had the battery replaced or been found to not need a battery replacement, but they will have had to open it up to check (if they could tell just from the outside or by serial number, you wouldn't have had to send your's in). Hopefully the previous owner won't have made too many minor scrapes/scratches (above a certain threshold surely they'd replace the external bits, of course).

 

[1041958]

An interesting ramification of this is, there will be a point at which pretty much every Note 7 in consumers' hands (especially those of early adopters) will be a "refurb".

That's OK. Samsung refurbs are of the highest quality and anyone should be glad to get one. Apple refurbs are low quality junk and you'll need to go through 2 or 3 before you get one that works. This is what everyone online is telling me, so it must be true.

 

[dampfnudel]

Do you think Samsung would have had a recall for a small amount of phones becoming unresponsive to touch or bending? Samsung recalled because the flaw is quite literally deadly.

We've had batteries in iPhones catch on fire. Maybe not as serious a situation as the Note 7, but the risk is there with iPhone batteries or any other lithium ion battery. Moving on to the "touch disease" that is an issue, particularly with the 6 Plus, not a word from Apple so far. It's a serious issue that will most likely become even more widespread than now, meanwhile Apple continues to buy their time like usual. A little more willingness on Apple's part to address it as opposed to trying to keep it hush hush as long as possible would go a long way to show Apple's good will toward customers who pay a high premium to obtain their products.

Instead you have inconsistent experiences among affected customers, some/most having to struggle to get the proper resolution like getting a new/refurbished 6s/6s Plus as opposed to refurbished (with the same ticking time bomb defect) iPhone 6/6 Plus units. Apple was very aware of the defect, probably only months after the 2014 release, but continued to sell them that way without any modifications until the 6s/6s Plus.

 

[CarlJ]

My old unibody C2D MBP had a swollen battery after 2 years. Apple would do nothing about it. Had to go and buy a new one.

Interesting, I had a similar situation with a very different outcome; I believe it was with my then-several-year-old 2008 Unibody MBP - battery swelled up (over time), took it in and the Genius Bar folks agreed it should absolutely not do that and replaced the battery.

 

[kdarling]

If you mean an N7 replacement, if what others have reported here is true, it won't be a brand new phone, it'll be a refurb -

That was just forum speculation. Samsung's official announcement said:

"For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks."

It takes a few weeks to make that many new replacements. However, yes, it's possible that once they get back millions of returned units and replace their batteries, there'll soon be an ample supply of very young refurbs for sale. Heck, if so, I might even get one if it's a good price.