When Samsung started handing out “safe” Galaxy Note 7 phones last month, it was expected that we would be putting the stories of overheating Note 7s behind us. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.
In the days after a report said that a replacement Note 7 overheated on an airplane, three more “safe” Note 7s have reportedly caught fire. First, a man in Kentucky woke up at 4:00 am last Tuesday to discover that his replacement Note 7 had caught fire and was smoking.
The owner, Michael Klering, got into contact with Samsung and refused to give them the phone, but they did pay to have it x-rayed. What’s interesting is that Klering says that he got a text message from a Samsung rep that was meant for someone else that said “Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it.” Samsung never made any official announcement about this Note 7 catching fire.
Moving to Friday, a 13-year-old in Minnesota says that she was burned by a a replacement Note 7 while using the device. Abby Zuis felt a “weird, burning sensation” when holding the phone, and while she escaped with a minor burn, the phone had been damaged by smoke and fire and also melted its protective case.
Finally, a fourth replacement Note 7 is said to have caught fire today, Sunday. Shawn Minter says that his Note 7 caught fire overnight and filled his bedroom with smoke.
Following these reports of replacement Note 7s catching fire, AT&T has decided to stop handing out new Galaxy Note 7s. “Based on recent reports, we’re no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents,” AT&T said in an official statement. “We still encourage customers with a recalled Note 7 to visit and AT&T location to exchange that device for another Samsung smartphone or another smartphone of their choice.”
T-Mobile is still offering replacement Galaxy Note 7 units to customers. If you’ve already got a Note 7 but want a different phone following these reports, T-Mo is allowing Note 7 owners to exchange their phone for a different device if they’ve got concerns about their safety.
If you’ve got a Note 7, are you thinking about swapping it for another device?
Sources: WKYT, KSTP, The Verge (1), (2)