Oh no, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 batteries recalled due to fire risk

It's not every day that a 3-year-old phone surprises us with cutting-edge features, but the Galaxy Note 4 just revealed that it packs a punch we thought limited to the 2016 Note 7.

Specifically, that would be a proclivity toward overheating and catching fire.

News of the smoke-filled facepalm is brought to us by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which explains in an Aug. 16 alert that around 10,200 Note 4 batteries are being recalled due to fire risk.

"The cellphone battery can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards," reads the warning — later adding that "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled battery and power down their smartphone."

Importantly, this recall is not on the scale of the infamous 2016 Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco that affected millions of devices, but it should still make you sit up and take note (just don't take any notes home). After all, fire is fire. Thankfully, however, we already know the cause of this latest billowing shitstorm: Counterfeit batteries.

"This recall involves batteries placed into refurbished AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 4 cellphones by FedEx Supply Chain and distributed as replacement phones through AT&T’s Insurance program only," the alert clarifies. "FedEx and Samsung have determined that some of the recalled batteries are counterfeit and show anomalies that can lead the batteries to overheat. The batteries are non-OEM, which means they were not supplied as original equipment by the phone’s manufacturer, Samsung."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Basically, some replacement batteries handled by AT&T's insurance program ended up being fakes, and those are the trouble makers. Which, and let's be totally real here, has to be a monumental relief for the execs over at Samsung who we're sure had a minor meltdown before determining that the cause of the potential smoke bombs resided in counterfeit parts.

But still. This doesn't exactly look good for Samsung, either. Perhaps its higher ups can console themselves with the knowledge that there has been only one reported incident of a counterfeit Note 4 battery catching fire and that there are (as of yet) no reported injuries.

That's a silver lining on a toxic-smoke cloud, right?

Anyway, those same executives have more important things to worry about — like deciding whether or not to include a complimentary fire extinguisher with every Galaxy Note 8.