The hype for the most anticipated Android device of 2016 hit a major speed hump this week after Samsung issued an unprecedented recall of the product. Several online postings from buyers of the new Galaxy Note 7, revealed the phone combusting while charging and in a surprising response, Samsung quickly took action to address the situation. Is it truly a surprise that a manufacturer is issuing a recall on this scale? Well to be quite frank, yes. Usually if reports filter in about problems with a product, the company in question would offer a refund, or offer to exchange the device with a brand new unit. Bloomberg reported that it will cost close to $1 billion to replace the over two million devices that have been shipped in the recent weeks.
That is a lot of money for many of us to fully grasp, but for Samsung, the damage to their reputation could be far worse. Issuing the recall certainly has made them look noble in their customers’ eyes, but combustion of a phone is never a good reputation to take on in light of increasing competition from other companies such as Apple and Huawei. Even after reading this, some of you may still believe that your Note 7 is good because it has yet to overheat correct? Well if you are planning to fly soon, it would be wise for you to also know that the U.S Federal Aviation Administration recently issued an advisory warning for passengers to not use their Note 7s on flights because of their known fire hazard. Not only them, but other agencies in Europe and other parts of the world have issued such warnings for the device on flights, so yes, this is indeed a serious matter of which Note users should take heed to.
The Galaxy Note 7 is arguably the best Android phone released this year, with glory reviews from multiple sites and individuals. It is surely Samsung’s hope that this incident does not totally overshadow what is still considered to be an A class product.
