Samsung stops Note 7 sales after exploding battery reports, offers replacements

Samsung has stopped sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after it found “battery cell issues” in the device, the company said on Friday.

Reports surfaced over the past few days in the U.S. and South Korea that Note 7 handsets were “exploding” during or after charging.

Samsung did not go into detail about the problem with the battery but said it did find a problem after “thorough investigation”. The South Korean electronics giant said it had identified 35 cases globally where battery problems were found and that it was “conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market.”

For those that already own a Note 7, Samsung said it would “voluntarily” replace it over the coming weeks. Samsung also said it had stopped sales of the Note 7.

A spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that anyone who had pre-ordered the devices would receive them once the battery issue is resolved.

Last week, Samsung announced that it had seen unprecedented demand for the phone and that it had to push back delivery of the product in certain markets. The latest news has the potential to dampen what has been a strong recovery in Samsung’s smartphone business over the past year.

The announcement was made after Samsung shares closed in Korea. Shares of the electronics giant closed up 0.63 percent.

Source: CNBC