It is nothing new for a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to explode, but it is something new for a Note 7 that is deemed by the company as safe to catch flames and destroy an Apple MacBook Pro as well as burn two fingers of the phone’s owner.
According to a new report, a Chinese customer who bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that was not part of the recent recall has experienced one of the worst scenarios ever. Apparently, while charging the phablet, it started smoking and in short while it was into flames. More interestingly, the victim, Hui Renjie, was visited by a Samsung official in a bid to try and find out what really happened. But for fears that the cause might not be disclosed fully, Renji declined to heed to the official’s request, with plans of making the incident public.
Renji has since then publicized the details of the faulty Galaxy Note 7, including the package he bought the phone with. From what it shows, the phone was safe. In fact, plugging the phone’s IMEI number into the company’s Note 7 recall checker brings back the message “your device is not on the list of affected devices and is not subject to this recall. If you have any other questions please contact us.”
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was launched at the beginning of last month and went on sale a couple of weeks later. However, the phone was recalled after dozens of reports emerged with cases of explosions and fires regarding the phone. Apparently, the tech giant recalled up to 2.5 million devices, with the U.S. alone accounting for about 1 million units. While the company has successfully replaced more than 60% units in the U.S. and Kore whereas Singapore has seen over 80% of recalled devices exchanged, the new trouble in China could add a huge dent into Samsung’s endeavors.
China was not part of the regions that Samsung issued a recall for the Galaxy Note 7 but now that four cases have now been reported, it is possible that things might get worse. Samsung has failed to elaborate further on the main cause of these fires, but it appears that they have something to do with the battery supplier. Given that the Galaxy Note 7 units sold in China are made in the country, with the battery supplier being the country’s Amperex Technology Limited, it is possible that this causal agent could be ruled out.
It is now unclear whether the incoming replacement units are safe, especially since the latest case involved a Galaxy Note 7 that was deemed safe by the manufacturer. If indeed the made-in-China Note 7 handsets are also in trouble, Samsung could be in a lot more danger than initially thought. Financially, of course.