These pics of a burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are terrifying
Samsung is to issue a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 after finding batteries in some of the flagship phones have exploded while charging.
In a statement sent to Mashable, the tech giant said 35 such cases had been reported globally.
Customers who have already bought the gadget will be able to swap them for new smartphones in coming weeks.
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An investigation by the company found that a battery cell produced by one of Samsung's two battery suppliers was responsible for the phone catching fire, Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business, told The Associated Press.
"There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process so it was very difficult to find out," Koh told reporters at a news conference.
Reports of exploding batteries have marred the launch of the well-reviewed Galaxy Note 7 in the past few days.
YouTube user Ariel Gonzalez posted a video of the smartphone with burnt rubber casing and a damaged screen on August 29.
“Came home from work, put it to charge for a little bit before I had class,” he said. “Went to put it on my waist and it caught fire. Yup. Brand new phone, not even two weeks old. Be careful out there, everyone rocking the new Note 7, might catch fire.”
South Korean news agency Yonhap News has reported that at least five other claims of phones "exploding" were made on Aug. 24.
Other users posted pictures on community forums of Note 7s with USB-port sides having melted away.
A South Korean school teacher, Park Soo-Jung, told The Associated Press her brand-new Galaxy Note 7 burst into flames, filling her bedroom with smoke. Park, 34, said she was bruised but otherwise unhurt following the incident.
An employee of a Samsung service centre in Busan confirmed that the Galaxy Note 7 caught fire and said the sample was sent to the company’s headquarters.
Park said Samsung offered her a full refund and compensation of 300,000 won (£203).
“If the exploded phone in flame was near my head, I would not have been able to write this post,” she said in an online forum on Thursday, where she shared a photo of her damaged Note 7 and described dousing the burning phone with water.
Rechargeable batteries are the chief cause of explosions and overheating issues in a variety of devices, from smartphones to hoverboards.
The Associated Press contributed to reporting.
