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Electronics giant urges customers with an original or replacement device to stop using it, turn it off.
Samsung on Tuesday again halted Galaxy Note 7 sales, and told customers to switch off their handset, following reports that new devices issued under its global exchange programme have also been catching fire.
The Korean electronics giant is in the midst of a global recall of its flagship smartphone, prompted by multiple reports of the battery smouldering, or catching fire. It has since emerged that some newly-replaced Galaxy Note 7s are also suffering from the same problem.
In a statement on Tuesday, Samsung said it is working with regulators to investigate these new cases.
"Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking place," the company said. "Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device."
Many operators the world over have already taken action, with U.S. telcos AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, acting quickly to halt their sales and exchange programmes. Customers have been told to swap their Note 7s for a different model of smartphone altogether.
"This is the first time that I have seen a product recall go this badly wrong and when it comes to the damage that it will do to Samsung’s brand we are in uncharted territory," said Radio Free Mobile founder Richard Windsor, in a research note.
The original recall was expected to cost Samsung upwards of $1 billion. Windsor said issuing another recall could more than double that figure.
Even worse though is the potential damage inflicted on Samsung’s reputation, he said.
"The fact that Samsung appears to still be shipping defective devices could trigger a large loss of faith in Samsung products," he suggested, adding that other Samsung products will also come under intense scrutiny by the media.
Windsor said unhappy customers are likely to switch to another Android phone maker – such as Google, LG, or Huawei – rather than to another platform altogether, like Apple.
Tuesday’s development comes a day after a Yonhap report claimed Samsung is temporarily halting production of the troubled device.
Officially, the company said it is "adjusting" the Galaxy Note 7 production schedule while it looks into the latest battery problem.
The decision was taken after reports in the U.S. that replacement devices have been catching fire.
On Sunday, 5 Eyewitness News reported that a replacement Note 7 melted in a teenager’s hand while she was holding it. She had swapped her original Note 7 for a new one in September.
WKYT reported a day earlier that a man awoke to find his Note 7 on fire and his bedroom full of smoke. He had taken possession of the replacement handset a week earlier.
Meanwhile, last week, a flight had to be evacuated after a passenger’s replacement Galaxy Note 7 started smoking and crackling, according to a USA Today report.
"We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation," Samsung said on Tuesday.
