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Korean electronics giant offers to swap device, says customer safety is ‘absolute priority’.
Samsung on Friday pulled its Galaxy Note 7 off the shelves, after reports emerged of phones catching fire.
In a statement, Samsung said the cause was traced back to a faulty battery. The company said 35 cases of fire had been reported as of Thursday, and that it was conducting an investigation with its suppliers to ascertain how many affected handsets are in the market.
"Because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7," said a Samsung spokeswoman.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 in early August and it went on sale in the U.S. on 19 August. It was made available in the U.K. via preorder on 16 August and was due to go on general sale today.
Samsung has offered to replace any customer’s Galaxy Note 7 over the coming weeks. Customers are advised to contact Samsung customer services.
"We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers," Samsung said. "We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible."
This ignominious turn of events comes at a particularly critical time for Samsung, with arch rival Apple preparing to unveil the iPhone 7 next week.
