Samsung announced Monday evening it’s officially halting sales of its troubled Galaxy Note 7 device. The company said it’s instructing carriers and stores around the world to stop selling the handset after receiving multiple reports of replacement devices also catching fire.
“We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note 7,” the South Korean company said in a statement released at around 7 p.m. ET on Monday, adding, “Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking place.”
Samsung said it remains “committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation,” and urged anyone still with an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 to “power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.” These include returning it to the store for a refund, or exchanging it for another phone.
The original Note 7, which launched in August, was recalled by Samsung after a fault caused some units to overheat and in some cases suddenly combust. Believing a battery issue to be the cause, the company released what it thought were safe Note 7 phones as replacements, but some of these handsets have also been going up in flames.
Reported incidents regarding the replacement handset include a Kentucky resident suffering lung damage after his Note 7 filled his bedroom with smoke, a fire on a Southwest Airlines flight on October 5, and an overheating unit causing burns to a 13-year-old Minnesota girl.
Samsung sold around 2.5 million Note 7 phones in the first few weeks of its release. While some carriers and stores around the world had recently stopped selling the phone, Samsung’s announcement on Monday evening makes it official.
For more information on the Note 7’s troubled existence and the subsequent recall, check out DT’s dedicated page here.
