Beijing: A Chinese user of the Samsung Note 7 said Tuesday his device exploded while charging, raising fears of fresh battery issues hitting the South Korean company’s phones after a massive recall.
The news comes after Samsung was forced to recall 2.5 million Note 7 handsets shipped to the US, South Korea and other markets, following complaints that faulty batteries caused the phones to explode while charging.
Samsung currently sources batteries from a number of companies. The electronics giant has not named the maker behind the faulty battery but uses a different supplier for the Chinese market, where sales were not suspended.
Earlier this month, the company investigated two claims that Note 7 phones bought online in China had exploded, but found that the problem was caused by an external heat source, Bloomberg News reported.
In the latest incident on Sunday morning, a Chinese customer who goes by the name Hui complained that his Note 7 ‘phablet’ — purchased on Saturday — exploded and scorched his MacBook nearby.
Footage provided to AFP by Hui shows the phone, attached to a USB charger, melting as smoke wafts off of it.
Samsung representatives offered to refund Hui’s money and compensate him for the ruined laptop if he turns in the phone, he said, but he has refused to hand it over because he wants the company “to make a statement about the issue”.
A Samsung statement said it was “in contact with the customer and will conduct a thorough examination of the device in question once we receive it”.
The Note 7 was meant to kick start growth this year as Samsung struggles to boost sales, squeezed by Apple in the high-end sector and Chinese rivals in the low-end market.
With images of charred phones flooding social media, the unprecedented recall has been a humiliation for Samsung and could cost the firm $3 billion in the long run, analysts say.
Samsung recovers over 60% recalled Note 7s in South Korea, US
Samsung Electronics Co said on Tuesday it has got back more than 60 per cent of recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold in South Korea and the United States, suggesting it is making progress in its attempts to recover from the crisis. In a statement, Samsung said it was focused on replacing all affected devices “as quickly and efficiently” as possible and reiterated its request that customers affected by the current recall should power off their device and turn them in. The company says replacement devices it began issuing in mid-September use safe batteries.
Samsung hopes to take the faulty products off the market as soon as possible in order to limit further damage to its reputation and resume sales of the flagship device ahead of the key holiday shopping season in major markets such as the United States.
