Samsung has urged customers to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones immediately and return them for exchange as soon as possible, after more reports of the handsets catching fire emerged.

"We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7's and exchange them as soon as possible," said Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president. "We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as conveniently as possible."

Samsung Note 7

A Note 7 caught fire after its charger was unplugged (Image: Ariel Gonzalez)

The advice comes after U.S. aviation safety officials warned airline passengers not to turn on or charge Note 7 model handsets during flights.

In the unprecedented move, the Federal Aviation Administration also warned passengers not to store the phones in checked bags, citing "recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung" about the recalled devices.

Last week, Samsung initiated a global recall of the 5.5-inch handsets after faulty batteries were blamed for 35 reports of exploding handsets and devices catching fire. In one case, a family in St Petersburg, Florida, described how a Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

On Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, a six-year-old boy was left with burns after the Note 7 he was using to watch videos exploded in his hands. The boy's family called 911 and he was taken to hospital. The boy has returned home following treatment and the family has been in contact with Samsung, but declined to comment further.

In another incident last week in Perth, Australia, a man's Note 7 exploded while it was charging overnight in his hotel room, causing $1,382 worth of property damage and leaving the handset "completely fried", said the owner. Samsung offered a replacement device, and the company confirmed that it was arranging to cover the bill for damages to the hotel room.

Samsung shares fell to their lowest level in two months on Monday, wiping $14.3 billion off the South Korean firm's market capitalisation. "Some said initially the Galaxy Note 7 could be the best smartphone ever, but now it’s possible the phone will go down as the worst ever," IBK Securities analyst Lee Seung-woo told Fortune, predicting weak sales in the fourth quarter.

Some analysts estimate the firm might lose up to $5 billion worth of revenue after accounting for recall costs – a huge blow to a company that was just starting to reclaim market share on strong sales of its Galaxy S7 smartphones launched in March.

Some commentators have blamed the flaw in the device on a rush to manufacture, given that Samsung launched the $900 Note 7 about a month ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 announcement in an attempt to pre-empt Cupertino.

Tag: Samsung

Top Rated Comments

keysofanxiety Avatar
107 months ago

On Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, a six-year-old boy was left with burns ('http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/recalled-samsung-phone-explodes-in-little-boys-hands/') after the Note 7 he was using to watch videos exploded in his hands.
Stuff like this is properly tragic. It just goes to show why appropriate quality assurance is so important.

To all the haters here whining about Apple's incompetence, prematurely selling exploding phones to undercut a competitor's release is another level.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwlondonlad Avatar
107 months ago
Introducing the new Samsung Note "C-4"
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SMIDG3T Avatar
107 months ago
Luckily it's water-resistant...
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jjjlevin Avatar
107 months ago
thats what happens when you try to beat the iPhone
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SMIDG3T Avatar
107 months ago
thats what happens when you try to beat the iPhone
Yep, they certainly rushed this to market and now they'll pay the price.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Boomish69 Avatar
107 months ago
I still don't see much major news covering this, if it had happened to an iPhone it would be running non-stop in the headlines..
Is it the fast charging or the battery that is the problem?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

mac mini thermal architecture feature

New Mac Mini Has Modular Storage, 256GB Model Will Have Faster SSD

Friday November 8, 2024 7:06 am PST by
Apple has returned to using two 128GB storage chips in the new Mac mini with 256GB of storage, according to a partial teardown video shared on social media today. This means the base-model Mac mini with the M4 chip will not have significantly slower SSD speeds compared to higher-end configurations of the computer with 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage, as multiple NAND chips allows for faster SSD...
best buy holiday

Best Buy Reveals Black Friday Plans With Sitewide Sales Available Now

Friday November 8, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Black Friday sales are continuing today with Best Buy kicking off early Black Friday deals that will last for the next few days. Similar to other retailers, Best Buy's early Black Friday event includes sitewide savings on Apple products, headphones, TVs, monitors, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...
iphone passcode green

Cops Suspect iOS 18 iPhones Are Communicating to Force Reboots, Making Unlocking Harder

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20 pm PST by
Law enforcement officials in Detroit, Michigan are warning other police officers about an alleged iPhone change that causes Apple devices stored for forensic examination to spontaneously restart, reports 404 Media. iPhones that are undergoing examination have apparently been rebooting, which makes them harder to unlock with brute force methods, and Michigan police think that it's due to a...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 2

Monday November 4, 2024 12:34 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about. Find My Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced....
M4 MacBook Pros Thumb

M4 MacBook Pro Reviews: Processor Benchmarks Impress, New Nano-Texture Option Worth the Extra $150

Thursday November 7, 2024 6:14 am PST by
The first wave of reviews of Apple's new M4-powered MacBook Pro models were published this morning. We've collected some of the latest impressions from YouTube channels and select media outlets below. Apple last month announced the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding next-generation M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, with Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display and camera ...
High Power Mode Feature 2

Apple Expands High Power Mode to MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Models With M4 Pro Chip

Thursday November 7, 2024 12:15 pm PST by
High Power Mode is available on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini models with the M4 Pro chip, according to Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham. The feature was previously limited to Macs with Apple's highest-end "Max" chip, so this is the first time it is available on Macs with a "Pro" chip. This is the second time that Apple has expanded availability of High Power...
early apple watch black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Watch Deals

Wednesday November 6, 2024 6:33 am PST by
Black Friday is just around the corner, and Apple Watch deals have begun appearing ahead of the shopping holiday on November 29. In this article, we'll take a look at all of the best early Black Friday Apple Watch deals, including the new Series 10 models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small...
iOS 18 Notes Feature

How to Fix iPhone Notes Disappearing After Accepting New iCloud Terms

Thursday November 7, 2024 7:57 am PST by
Apple in September updated its iCloud terms and conditions with some minor changes, and this week it has been notifying iPhone users that they must accept the revised terms in order to continue using iCloud. Unfortunately, after accepting the new terms, some iPhone users have seen all of their notes disappear in the Notes app. While some users have turned to social media to justifiably panic ...