Samsung is replacing every single Galaxy Note 7 it’s shipped

Ian Betteridge September 2, 2016

If you got a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 delivered to you today, you won’t have it for long. The company has announced it is recalling and replacing every single device after cases of what it’s calling “a battery cell issue” and others have called “phones melting and catching fire”.

There’s no details of how the replacement programme will be implemented yet, apart from a statement from Samsung saying it is “working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.”

Videos of melted Galaxy Note 7s have already appeared on YouTube, with users claiming the damage happened while they charged their phones. Images of melted Note 7s are also doing the rounds on Chinese social media, although some of the reported explosions came after people had used third-party chargers with the phone.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Samsung official earlier told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency that the issue affects very few phones. “Products installed with the problematic battery account for less than 0.1% of the entire volume sold. The problem can be simply resolved by changing the battery, but we’ll come up with convincing measures for our consumers,” he said. Samsung’s statement claimed there have been 35 cases of “battery issues” so far.

In the meantime, the company has stopped sales of the Note 7 – so don’t expect to be able to pick one up in store today.