On Friday morning, Samsung announced that it will recall every Galaxy Note 7 produced to date. According to reports, 1 million Note 7 handsets have been built at this point. The device has been on sale worldwide for just two weeks and is currently available in 20 countries. For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, the company will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.
The news comes just one day after Samsung halted production of the devices. Production was halted after the company received a handful reports of faulty units exploding. Widely covered incidents sparked an investigation by Samsung. According to Samsung, there have been 35 separate reports of incidents relating to the battery problem worldwide.
News reports recently emerged of a Galaxy Note 7 that had allegedly exploded while it was charging. The phone’s owner said he heard a “sudden bang” and found the phone engulfed in flames. The user posted photos of the burnt device on Baidu, a popular Chinese forum.
The obvious safety risks gave the company no choice but to recall all of the Galaxy Note 7 devices shipped to date. Note 7 owners could be at risk if they continue to use their smartphones in the coming weeks. It is unknown whether Samsung has begun to contact device owners directly to inform them of the potential hazard.
According to its statement, Samsung is “working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.” The company also said that it is working with its suppliers to root out other “affected batteries” in the market. Further details on the recall and on the replacement program are not yet known. Samsung will provide more instructions on the replacement process next week.
The recall is expected to impact the company’s bottom line. The level of damage will depend on how quickly Samsung addresses the issue and solves the problem. Samsung also had trouble with its Note line last year. A design flaw in the Note 5 created issues when the phone’s stylus was inserted into the phone incorrectly.
