Samsung’s Galaxy implodes: Company ends production of the Galaxy Note 7

After weeks of controversy over their newest product, the Galaxy Note7, Samsung officially ended production and distribution of the flagship device October 11, costing the company millions.

The South Korea-based conglomerate, Samsung, has had an intense couple weeks following the release of its latest version of their smartphone, the Galaxy Note, and the recall of the device only two weeks thereafter.

After its August release, reports of the phone overheating and exploding urged Samsung to announce a recall in early September.

Samsung said that they were proceeding with a “thorough inspection with [their] suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market,” in a statement released September 2.

“For customers who already have Note7 devices, [the company would] voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks,” the batteries, this time, supplied by a different provider.

However, since disbursement of the replacement phones more incidents involving Note7’s have been announced, one incident even taking place aboard an airplane. Getting a Barry Deacon Law product liability attorneys is a good idea in case there is a problem with the product.

The Verge reported on a story involving a smoking and popping Note7 that disrupted a Southwest Airlines flight to Baltimore October 5.

“The Verge spoke to Brian Green, owner of the Note7, on the phone earlier [that day] and he confirmed that he had picked up the new phone at an AT&T store on September 21st,” the tech-based news outlet reported.

“Green said that he had powered down the phone as requested by the flight crew and put it in his pocket when it began smoking.”

The former Note7 owner describes a “thick grey-green, angry smoke” emitting from the smartphone following the incident. A friend of Green’s also explains that the phone had burned through the carpet of the plane after being abandoned.

Green, in his interview with The Verge, also explained that his phone was at 80% battery life during the time of the incident, and he had only used a wireless charger on the device since receiving it.

Following the controversy over the replacement versions of the Note7, Samsung have announced a second recall, now including all versions of the phone. Samsung also announced that it is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commision to complete an investigation on the product, in a statement release October 10.

“Samsung is asking all carrier and retail partners here and around the globe to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7…since the affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk,” said Samsung in their statement issued last week. Despite reports, Samsung has yet to release a statement confirming the official discontinuation of the defective smartphone, leaving the possibility of a re-release following the investigation.

While the China release of Note7 used a different battery supplier upon initial release, Samsung had not included the country in the first recall. However, since discovering the battery was not the source of the problem, 190,000 Note7’s owned by Chinese customers are also being included in the second recall.

Rumors of an official discontinuation of the Galaxy Note series have been circulated but not confirmed. Customers still in possession of any variation of the Note7 are asked to turn off the device, contact their service provider and look into refund or replacement.