Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are exploding — here’s why

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are exploding, and the images being published across the internet are terrifying. In response to such danger, Samsung Electronics has decided to recall its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, claiming that battery problems were behind the phones catching fire. 

The decision follows reports in the U.S. and South Korea of the phones exploding during or after charging. Luckily, the company stated that customers who already purchased the phone would be able to swap it for a new one.

As Ars Technica notes, the Galaxy Note 7 is the first Samsung device to carry a USB Type-C socket, and comes with a micro-USB to USB Type-C adapter. This makes pinpointing the cause of the explosion complicated, since explosions might be caused by faulty batteries, faulty chargers, faulty adapters, or any form of misuse, such as charging the phone with an unofficial third party cord.

According to Samsung, it’s been difficult to work out which phones were affected among the 2.6 million Note 7s sold. “There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process, so it was very difficult to figure out,'' the president of Samsung's mobile business, Koh Dong-jin, said.  “It will cost us so much it makes my heart ache. Nevertheless, the reason we made this decision is because what is most important is customer safety.”

An investigation by the tech giant found that a battery cell produced by one of its two battery suppliers was responsible for the phones catching fire. South Korean news agency Yonhap News reported that at least five claims of phones “exploding” were made on August 24. One customer posted a picture on community forms of Note 7s with USB-port sides having melted away, which can be seen below.

For Samsung, the timing of its combusting phones couldn’t have been worse, as it threatens to reverse the company’s recent up-trend. After suffering a decline in sales due to competition from Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo, the company recently logged its most profitable quarter in two years for the three-month period ending in June, thanks to strong sales of the Galaxy S7.

If you’re the owner of a Galaxy Note 7 that’s caught fire, Samsung said it will take about two weeks to prepare replacement devices.