Samsung considers Galaxy Note 7 recall as battery is found to be faulty
The launch of the Galaxy Note 7 appears to be going from bad to worse for Samsung. Despite some very strong early sales and considerable acclaim, there have been several reported cases of the device exploding whilst on charge. Having suspended shipment of the device in order to investigate the issue, the company is now reportedly considering a recall of the some 400,000 units sold throughout its native South Korea
Per the The Korea Herald, Samsung was initially going to replace batteries within the devices free of charge — no pun intended. As it continues to devise a contingency plan, the firm is now said to be considering full refunds or outright replacements as part of a recall.
The Note 7, with plenty of improvements to Samsung's recent fleet of top-spec handsets, looked a sure-fire winner from the start. With close to half a million sold in Korea in under two weeks and launches set to take place across other markets, the phablet was poised to smash the company's previous sales records.
According to The Herald, Samsung has 'tentatively concluded' that the battery is to blame. But while a recall is very much on the cards in Korea, the launch event in China later today will go ahead as planned. Apparently, while Samsung produces the battery cell in-house, the battery pack is outsourced to various manufacturing partners. Among them is a firm called Korean ITM Semiconductor, which is said to have produced the faulty packs for the Note 7.
For the China launch, a Chinese company called Amperex Technology is behind the battery packs. So provided that Samsung can fish out the existing devices packing the rogue ITM batteries, the Note 7 will hopefully be able to avoid becoming a long-term fire hazard.
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