Despite the hype and praise surrounding the release of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, the multinational conglomerate announced Friday that it was in the beginning stages of a worldwide recall for the phone following reports of exploding batteries. The Note 7 was formally unveiled just weeks ago and features an impressive iris recognition system. However, thanks to the recall, all that hype has been effectively put on pause.
"Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously," Samsung said in an official press release on Friday. "In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note 7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue." The company states that, as of Sept. 1, they have counted 35 global cases of potentially faulty batteries and are currently conducting a thorough investigation alongside suppliers to learn more.
"I saw small flames on the phone where it was melted," an anonymous Note 7 owner in South Korea toldCNN Money after waking up to a burning phone. "It disappeared soon after." In addition to South Korea, the recall is believed to impact 10 countries. Though China used a different battery supplier than the rest of the market, its participation in the massive recall remains unconfirmed.
So what the hell are people who already have Galaxy Note 7 phones supposed to do? In its statement Friday, Samsung promised to "voluntarily replace" the device with a fresh one at some point in the coming weeks. "We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible," the company said.
Jonesing for a new phone? Here's a suggestion: try waiting until next week's presumably life-altering Apple keynote.
