A CHINESE owner of
the Samsung Note 7 has claimed his device exploded while charging,
raising fears of fresh battery issues hitting the South Korean company’s
phones after a massive recall.
The news comes after Samsung was forced to recall 2.5 million Note 7 handsets shipped to the US, South Korea and other markets, following complaints that faulty batteries caused the phones to explode while charging.
Samsung currently sources batteries from a number of companies. The
electronics giant has not named the maker behind the faulty battery but
uses a different supplier for the Chinese market, where sales were not
suspended.
Earlier this month, the company investigated two claims
that Note 7 phones bought online in China had exploded, but found that
the problem was caused by an external heat source, Bloomberg News
reported.
In the latest incident on Sunday morning, a Chinese customer who goes
by the name Hui complained that his Note 7 "phablet" - purchased on
Saturday - exploded and scorched his Macbook nearby.
Samsung representatives offered to refund Hui's money and compensate
him for the ruined laptop if he turns in the phone, he said, but he has
refused to hand it over because he wants the company "to make a
statement about the issue".
A Samsung statement said it was "in contact with the customer and
will conduct a thorough examination of the device in question once we
receive it".
The Note 7 was meant to kick start growth this year as Samsung
struggles to boost sales, squeezed by Apple in the high-end sector and
Chinese rivals in the low-end market.
With images of charred phones flooding social media, the
unprecedented recall has been a humiliation for Samsung and could cost
the firm $3 billion in the long run, analysts say.
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