Samsung still has more Galaxy Note 7 units in use than LG V20 and OnePlus 3T combined

The burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in an aircraft

By tech2 News Staff /  20 Dec 2016 , 18:13

Samsung’s mobile division had a good start this year with the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge. However, their flagship phablet, the Note 7 turned to be a disaster as it faulty batteries that started blowing up. The Note 7 was recalled and killed about two months back. Samsung also took further action by pushing updates to all the Note 7s which restricted the smartphone to a certain amount of battery charge.

While the company had recently confirmed that about 90 percent of the units have been taken off the market, a research firm called Apteligent has reported that as of last week, the number of Galaxy Note 7 units in use were more than the LG V20 and OnePlus 3T combined, which also a few units less than the Moto Z. This means that the 10 percent that Samsung has not managed to pull out, is definitely a large number.

Samsung still has a lot to do if it wants to completely clean up the mess caused by the Note 7.  There is obviously a big difference between how many units were on the market compared to now, but there is also the factor of units sold in the grey markets and through other illegal means. Hopefully Samsung will fully clean up all the Note 7 units by pushing an update that would brick the device.

Another Samsung smartphone explodes, this time it’s the Galaxy S7

By tech2 News Staff /  16 Nov 2016 , 10:44

Just when you thought the exploding smartphones (Galaxy Note 7) were taken care of, a new smartphone has been reported to blow up. According to Amarjit Mann, he felt his Galaxy S7 phone getting warm in his pocket while he was driving. As soon as he took it out, it exploded in his hand causing second degree burns on his hands and third-degree burns on his wrist.

The owner of the smartphone added that the burning handset was stuck to his hand before he was able to throw it out of his car’s window, “This is a nightmare for me, I’ve never seen anything like this. I should’ve lost my eyes, or my cheeks or anything could have happened. I luckily threw it outside. It should have damaged my whole car. I just saw smoke and nothing else.”

Now before you panic, let us tell you that not all Galaxy S7 smartphone are exploding. It was probably one of the few unlucky units that faced an unprecedented battery failure. For that matter, even a few iPhone devices have been reported to explode.

However the news is something that the company should worry about as it recently issues a worldwide recall and halted production of the Galaxy Note 7 as the smartphone was catching on fire as well as exploding. Samsung also had reportedly recalled 2.8 million washing machines in the US as they were falling apart and hurting consumers during usage. If the exploding cases continue, Samsung is going to have a rough time.

Samsung engineers still working to find Note 7 fault; to delay Galaxy S8 by two weeks: Report

Image: Hui Renjie

By tech2 News Staff /  24 Oct 2016 , 17:10

The Note 7, once destined to be the top selling high-end device from Samsung, will definitely go down go into the company’s history as the most talked about device, but for all the wrong reasons . The company probably rushed into decisions without concrete evidence about what had gone wrong with the device. A WSJ report points out how the Galaxy S8 could be delayed by two weeks, citing a person from the S8 development team, as its engineers still scramble to get to the bottom of the whole Note 7 fiasco.

According to the report, the newly appointed mobile chief DJ Koh thought the company knew enough to recall and replace 2.5 million units, and was backed by Lee Jae-yong. Probably, it’s this decision, without getting into the depth of the matter that is causing the company all this grief. It was only weeks after the recall and the replaced batch bursting into flames that Samsung realised it hadn’t reached the root cause of the problem.

A Samsung spokesperson told the news site, “The company worked quickly with regulators and took immediate action when problems arose with the phone. We recognised that we did not correctly identify the issue the first time and remain committed to finding the root cause. Our top priority remains the safety of our customers and retrieving 100 percent of the Galaxy Note 7 devices in the market.”

The flammable Note 7, the big recall and then the decision to kill the device, has put the other high-end devices from the company to the forefront. For instance, Samsung is wooing audiences with alternatives like the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, while trying to combat competitor such as Pixel and iPhone 7, among others. This may not go on for long as the  company will have to dish out something new and is said to be working on the flagship that is most likely to be launched in February dubbed Galaxy S8, which is also delayed due to the Note 7 issues. Now, all we can say is a slight delay is better than shipping devices with safety issues.

Meanwhile, the recall is believed to cost Samsung $5 billion or even more, which including the lost sales.

Galaxy Note 7 troubles worsen as 527 South Koreans to sue Samsung

Image Credit: REUTERS

  24 Oct 2016 , 14:14

Hundreds of South Korean Galaxy Note 7 smartphone owners were preparing Monday to file a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics over the fire-prone device. Attorney Peter Young-Yeel Ko, head of the Harvest Law Firm said Monday that 527 consumers want Samsung to compensate them for the costs to visit shops to exchange their phones, for the hours they had to wait while transferring data and for psychological harm from using a hazardous product.

His clients include a consumer who claims to have lost thousands of pictures from a family vacation and another who drove eight hours round-trip to return the phone. Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note 7 phone because it tends to overheat. It recalled replacement Note 7s after finding they also were prone to catch fire, the company stopped making or selling them.

The company did not immediately respond to called and emailed requests for comment. Ko, a longtime Samsung phone user, said he had to visit a mobile shop three times after buying the Note 7 in August, first to get the battery checked when reports of the devices catching fire first surfaced. He went back to get a replacement phone after Samsung’s first recall and again after the company’s second Note 7 recall.

Apparently in response to criticism over its handling of the recalls, Samsung announced Monday that Note 7 owners who switch to Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge smartphones can get 50 percent discounts on upgrades to Galaxy S8 or Note 8 smartphones next year if they return the S7 or S7 Edges.

Samsung earlier offered 30,000 won ($26) worth of coupons for the Samsung mobile shopping mall to all Note 7 users. Those switching to other Samsung phones were offered 70,000 won ($62) worth of coupons.

Kim Chae Yong, who joined the lawsuit, said he spent nearly $100 on gas and highway fees to return a Note 7 phone after the first recall. Kim drove about 300 kilometres (185 miles) from his home in Cheonan to Busan, where he had bought the Note 7. “I feel betrayed,” the 26-year-old plant engineer said. “I am angry and I don’t ever want to use it again.”

Associated Press

Apple iPhone 7 hits South Korean stores in Note 7’s absence

  21 Oct 2016 , 14:24

The Apple iPhone 7 went on sale in South Korea, seeking to fill a void left by arch-rival Samsung on its home turf following a damaging recall fiasco over the Note 7 smartphone.

The South Korean electronics giant discontinued the Note 7 — one of its key iPhone challengers — on October 11 following reports that replacements for combustible models were also catching fire.

The decision is set to cost Samsung billions in lost profits, and there are already signs that Apple is reaping some of the benefits.

An official at mobile carrier Korea Telecom (KT) said the first batch of 50,000 iPhone 7s they put up for pre-order a week ago sold out in 15 minutes. “I would attribute part of that to the Note 7 effect,” said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Customer defection is one of Samsung’s biggest concerns, especially as the Note 7 was specifically aimed at taking on the iPhone in the premium handset market. In the hope of retaining customer loyalty, Samsung had offered Note 7 users a 70,000 won ($60) phone bill credit if they swapped their faulty phones with another Samsung handset.

The half-dozen customers buying the new iPhone at a KT store in central Seoul on Friday were all long-time Apple users who had pre-ordered their handsets. Office worker Lee Kyung-Hee, 34, said she had moved fast when the pre-order service opened, fearing a surge of interest from unhappy Note 7 owners.

“I set an alarm and was very quick,” Lee said. In South Korea, retail prices for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus start from 869,000 won and 1.02 million won respectively, for their basic 32GB models.

AFP

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 woes continue; 5-7 million users may switch to iPhone 7

A burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in an aircraft

By tech2 News Staff /  18 Oct 2016 , 16:42

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is dead! The new replacement devices began catching fire, and finally the company decided on a recall and provide users refund or other device options. This conundrum is believed to be beneficial to arch-rival Apple.

With slowing smartphone markets, everyone knew how important the new device was for Samsung. But, as luck would have it, Apple will be eating into Samsung’s share as prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI (via 9To5Mac) says atleast 5-7 million ex-Note 7 users will switch to the iPhone 7, and majorly to the larger iPhone 7 Plus.

Kuo explains the new dual camera would prove to be an attractive feature for users. Moreover, the report adds that the intersection of users has shown very little loyalty to any particular manufacture, and many may choose to switch to iOS, who may have previously used the iPhone devices.

However, the analyst does add that the impact of Note 7 will not last for too long. But, Kuo does warn that repetition of such an event may destroy the Samsung brand. However, iPhone 7 isn’t the only alternative, and there are others in the queue too, such as the all-new Google Pixel and Galaxy S7 edge. In fact, Samsung is already known to be offeringalternatives like Galaxy S7, S7 Edge to appease India customers.

T-Mobile and AT&T to stall exchanges of Samsung Galaxy Note 7, pending investigations

  18 Oct 2016 , 11:31

US telecommunications firm AT&T and German rival T-Mobile announced Sunday they would halt exchanges of recalled Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones pending investigations into reports of fire-prone batteries.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall on September 15 of the Galaxy Note 7, the newest smartphone by Samsung Electronics, and said they could be exchanged for a new version of the Galaxy Note 7 with a battery modified to prevent serious fires and burns.

Since then, there have been reports that the batteries in the new Galaxy Note 7 devices have overheated and been involved in fires.

“Based upon recent customer reports and ongoing investigations by Samsung, AT&T is no longer exchanging customers into new Galaxy Note 7s at this time while we wait for the outcome of the investigations,” AT&T said in a statement.

AT&T said it would still offer customers the option to exchange that device for another Samsung smartphone or other device of their choice.

T-Mobile said that it too was halting the exchanges, as well as sales.

“While Samsung investigates multiple reports of issues, T-Mobile is temporarily suspending all sales of the new Galaxy Note 7 and exchanges for replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices,” the company said in a statement.

AT&T said it had not been selling Galaxy Note 7s since Samsung and the CPSC instructed the company to stop selling Galaxy Note 7 devices purchased before September 15.

Samsung decided on September 2 to halt the sale of the Galaxy Note 7 and

Samsung Electronics to compensate component suppliers for Galaxy Note 7 parts

  18 Oct 2016 , 11:11

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it will compensate component suppliers for the discontinued Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and consider giving them orders for other models to cushion the blow.

The world’s top smartphone maker said it would fully pay for unused Note 7 parts that have already been manufactured, compensate suppliers for unfinished components and pay for materials bought to make Note 7 parts.

“Samsung will determine the inventory levels for the partner companies and carry out compensation quickly,” the company said in a statement, without elaborating on how much it expected to pay.

The decision comes after some South Korean government and central bank officials voiced concerns about the potential impact of the Note 7 crisis on the domestic economy. A deputy finance minister said the fallout could hurt the economy during the third and fourth quarters of the year.

Though most of Samsung’s smartphones are manufactured overseas, the company is a key customer for many South Korean parts makers including Samsung Electronics affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd.

Samsung last week permanently ended sales of the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphone less than two months after launch, a decision the company expects will cost $5.5 billion in operating profit from the third quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017.

Reuters

US bans Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from air travel

  15 Oct 2016 , 12:24

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone devices will be banned from aircraft in the United States starting on Saturday at noon EDT (1600 GMT) under an emergency order, regulators said on Friday after numerous reports of the devices catching fire.

Samsung has scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on Tuesday because of incidents where the phones began smoking or caught fire, dealing a huge blow to its reputation. The decision came after reports of fires in replacement devices prompted a new round of warnings from regulators, phone carriers and airlines.

The order from the U.S. Transportation Department and other agencies bars owners from carrying on the devices or stowing them in checked baggage during flights.

“We recognise that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

“We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”

The Transportation Department warned that passengers who packed the

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Are faulty batteries really to blame for this whole fiasco?

By Anirudh Regidi /  11 Oct 2016 , 17:38

The mysterious case of the exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices is yet to be fully resolved, but that doesn’t stop us from taking a shot at a solution ourselves. If you’re so inclined, here are the facts and pointers that you need to pass judgement on the situation.

The case of the explosive Note 7

The short version of the whole story is as follows:

• Samsung sold 3.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.
• 35 Note 7 phones explode over a period of 3 weeks.
• Samsung issues a worldwide recall of 2.5 million phones, excludes China from recall.
• Battery maker Samsung SDI is blamed for the explosion as Samsung alleges manufacturing defects.
• Samsung claims Chinese battery maker ATL is safe, points to 1 million perfectly functional Chinese Note 7 phones as proof.
• China’s ATL is now the primary supplier of Galaxy Note 7 batteries.
• Replacement Note 7 phones with ATL batteries start to spontaneously combust.
• Samsung kills the Note 7.

If you want a detailed timeline of the whole Note 7 fiasco, head here.

Pointing fingers

Image: Hui Renjie

Samsung conducted an investigation and concluded that Samsung SDI, a Samsung affiliate that made 65 percent of the batteries used in the Note 7, was at fault. Samsung SDI made batteries for all Note 7 phones sold outside China. Note 7 devices sold in China used batteries made by Amperex Technologies Limited (ATL).

Samsung claimed that there was a

Samsung to lose $17 billion in sales as it permanently discontinues Galaxy Note 7

Image Credit: REUTERS

By tech2 News Staff /  11 Oct 2016 , 17:18

Samsung just announced that the company would permanently stop the production of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices. This is a massive blow to Samsung as it has decided to stop Galaxy Note 7 production despite doing a round of global recalls and replacements. The company had taken around three weeks to ship what it called ‘safe phones,’ after the first recall.

By ‘Safe’ the company meant that the new phones would not explode. But, within three weeks, we have heard about five cases of the ‘safe phones’ exploding. This is just the number that we know of through media reports. Samsung responded saying that the company is looking into the matter after the second case of replacement devices caught fire.

Soon after the report, the company announced that it will be halting the production of Note 7 to fix the matter. But, soon after the announcement the company issued a freshstatement to Al Jazeera stating that they will halt the production permanently:

“We recently readjusted the production volume for thorough investigation and quality control, but putting consumer safety as top priority, we have reached a final decision to halt production of Galaxy Note 7s.”

It is better for the company to move away from the Galaxy Note 7 and concentrate on Samsung Galaxy S8 next year. Earlier the company estimated a loss of $1 billion during the first recall but now the loss is estimated up to $17 billion in the sales as reported by Android Authority. According to the estimate by analysts, the company will lose $17 billion just in terms of sales, the loss related to the disposing the current Samsung Note 7 devices safely along with compensation.

The existing Note 7 users have been requested to switch off their devices and return them to the place of purchase. The company has instructed all the carriers to allow Note 7 users to switch the troubled device with any other device from Samsung or any other manufacturer.

😄😄😄 Samsung Galaxy note 7 used as a bomb in GTA 5 ...so funny "Video"

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: We could soon hear of a second recall

By tech2 News Staff /  07 Oct 2016 , 15:53

Samsung is in a pretty big mess and it’s all because of the battery module that seems to be causing issues with its latest flagship, the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung is already in the process of delivering its new batch of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, but it now seems that more trouble could be headed their way.

A recent incident saw a newly replaced Note 7 catching fire on board a plane. Thankfully the airplane had not taken off and was still docked so crew were able to evacuate passengers safely. But the incident messed things up even further for Samsung who was already trying to recover from the Note 7’s battery mess up.

This time however, it was the Federal Aviation Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) who took charge and things somehow don’t look too good. This is because the customer, Brain Green claims that he got his Note 7 replaced on 21 September at an AT&T store. It was supposed to be the “safe” Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and it still caught fire.

With that said  Pamela Gilbert, a former executive director of CPSC told Bloomberg that, “If it’s the fixed phone and it started to smoke in his pocket, I’m going to guess there’ll be another recall,”

And things will be moving a lot faster this time. “This is not something you want to leave hanging out there,” said Gilbert. So if the investigation reveals that it was in fact a replacement unit as Green claims it was, Samsung could face another recall of the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung in its earlier announcement did claim that customer safety was their priority. So if Green’s handset does turn out to be a safe and replaced Note 7 as he claims, Samsung may be forced to spend on another recall. The Korean smartphone maker could either be forced to deliver a fixed handset or refund the money paid for the device, which will turn out to be a bloody mess for its brand image.

Replacement Galaxy Note 7 catches fire on Southwest plane

By Jose Vilches on October 5, 2016, 5:32 PM



Samsung has been grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. The launch of its Galaxy Note 7 was marred by faulty (read: exploding) batteries, prompting the company to announce an unprecedented recall of about a million handsets that wiped a few billions from its market value — all this as Apple launched the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and now Google is going for a piece of the high end market with the new Pixel phones.

To its credit Samsung was quick to address the issue and set the replacement program in motion. However, new reports of an actual replacement unit catching fire while its owner was boarding an aircraft is not going to bode well for the company.

The incident occurred while boarding Southwest Airlines flight 944 from Louisville to Baltimore and resulted in all passengers being evacuated and the flight cancelled. Apparently the owner, Brian Green, had had picked up his replacement Galaxy Note 7 at an AT&T store on September 21st. The device was at about 80% of battery capacity and powered down at the moment it burst into flames, burning through the plane’s carpet and scorching the subfloor. All 75 people aboard the Boeing 737 were evacuated with no reported injuries.

As verified by The Verge, a photograph of the Note 7’s box shows the black square symbol that indicates a replacement Note 7 and Green said it had a green battery icon.

Samsung hasn’t issued an official comment about the incident yet. As for Green, he has already replaced it with an iPhone 7 according to The Verge. Ouch.

Samsung Galaxy S8 rumoured to skip the 3.5mm headphone jack

Shown above is the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

By Kunal Khullar /  06 Oct 2016 , 14:37

The legacy audio jack is disappearing. Well at least from smartphones. New reports are suggesting that the next big smartphone to ditch the port might be coming from Samsung, particularly the Galaxy S8. The smartphone is due next year and it is possible that the company will take the step to keep up with the modern design trends. And well the company doesn’t want be left behind.

Apple took the big step of removing the 3.5mm audio jack from its new iPhones this year as a move to progress into the future. The Android world started saying goodbye to the age-old port before Apple, for instance LeEco announced two smartphones earlier this year that utilise USB-C for audio. Lenovo’s new Moto Z is another example that ditches the audio jack allowing it go as thin as 5.2mm.

Samsung recently started adopting the new USB-C port on the Galaxy Note 7. Speaking of which, the smartphone has been a huge fiasco due to