Samsung pulls Note7 from UK launch over safety fears

Manufacturer is investigating issues with the battery after several reports of devices catching fire

Samsung has pulled all stock of the Galaxy Note7 in the UK as it investigates reports of the device catching fire.

It was due to go on sale in the UK today but the manufacturer has confirmed that all sales are being stopped while it conducts further investigations.

Pictures below taken from Reuters show a very badly burnt Note7 after customers alleged the battery overheated.

Samsung said in a statement said it had found a “battery cell issue” after a thorough investigation, with 35 cases reported globally.

It is conducting further investigations with its suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market and has therefore decided to stop sales of the device.

In the UK, the manufacturer said it will voluntarily replace a customer’s device with a new one “over the coming weeks”.

Stopping sales

“Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

“To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.

“For UK customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks. For more information customers need to contact the customer service team on 0330 7261000.

“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. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.”

Battle heating up

This comes as a major blow to Samsung, especially as its main rival, Apple, is due to unveil the iPhone 7 at its annual launch event in San Francisco on Wednesday, with the device rumoured to go on sale as early as September 16.

The Galaxy Note7 was unveiled last month, with Strategy Analytics forecasting sales of 13 million units by the end of this year. Additional reports have claimed that combined sales of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have hit 25 million since launch in March.

On August 25, Samsung admitted its entire pre-order allocation of the Note7 had sold out, with registrations for the phablet on its digital channels exceeding that of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

This led to a limit being imposed on the total number of European pre-order allocation for it, with this specifically designed to ensure that as much of the anticipated public demand as possible could be satisfied when it went on general sale.

As a result, availability in Europe was being phased. Countries were due launch on either September 2, 9 or 16, but the UK was to be among the first markets to launch across all channels.