If you thought the global recall of Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 due to exploding batteries might be turning around, that doesn’t seem to be the case. A few days ago, a replacement Galaxy Note7 forced the evacuation of Southwest Airlines flight 984, fortunately while the place was still at the gate. Then, in Minnesota, another replacement Galaxy Note7 melted in a teenager’s hands.
These are the replaced Galaxy Note7 devices, the new ones that are supposed to have cured the battery problems faced by the original Galaxy Note7. Even before these new fire reports, owners have reported various problems with overheating and charging issues on the new replacements. It was also reported in Singapore about two weeks ago that some owners had to swop their replacement devices a second time.
As reports are continuing concerning the replacement devices, major US carriers are already accepting exchanges for new devices. These carriers include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. It’s not clear if all the exchange programmes are the same, but specifically, AT&T and Sprint will allow customers to swop the Galaxy Note7 for any other device.
Galaxy Note7 seems severely jinxed. Some are already calling on Samsung to give up. The brand name has been severely damaged, and if Samsung isn’t careful, they may risk jeopardising their other product lines.
To be fair, other phones explode too. Apple ones too, even with the recent flagship. However, I think the world is going to continue associated exploding phones with the Galaxy Note7.
In other news, though, business at Samsung still seems to be doing great. According to a report in WSJ, third quarter profits are actually expected to rise, despite recall costs, though final results will only be known at the end of this month.
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