Samsung was hoping to revive Chinese consumers' interest in Samsung with the Galaxy Note 7. And while most of the world had to deal with defective batteries that turned the handset into an unpredictable hand grenade, the Amperex Technology battery used in the Chinese version of the Note 7 is not fire prone, according to Sammy.
However, on Sunday and Monday images on Chinese social media showed several burnt-out Galaxy Note 7 units; users claimed that their phablet had caught on fire. As the images attracted attention in the country, Samsung stores were full of people returning their Galaxy Note 7 units.
Samsung disseminated a statement saying that internal investigation found that the burned units in China had exploded due to external heat. Since the company is apparently ruling out internal heat, which you'd see if the battery was involved, the issue with the Chinese Galaxy Note 7 is completely different than the problem that caused the explosions elsewhere.
Samsung has decided that a full recall in China is not warranted. Instead, it will call back 1,858 devices that were sold from July 20 to August 5 as "testing models." That is not enough for many in the country. According to Canalys research director Nicole Peng, Samsung could be headed toward a "trust crisis." Peng adds that "People have doubts about the Samsung brand." She sees Samsung dropping to eight place among smartphone manufacturers in the country, not moving higher until two flagship products have been successfully launched.
Picture of a burned out Samsung Galaxy Note 7 posted Monday on Chinese web site Baidu; Samsung blames external heating for the explosion of Galaxy Note 7 units inside China
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: