The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has certainly proved to be a newsworthy device, although probably not for the reasons that Samsung had intended or hoped for. After a number of incidents being reported where the battery seems to have ignited or exploded, the device quickly entered a state of recall. In the US, that recall became official today with Samsung and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announcing a formal recall. In Canada however, that official recalled occurred earlier in the week.
A few days ago Health Canada, a Canadian Government agency along with Samsung announced the official recall for the Galaxy Note 7 in Canada. This was quickly followed by the news which came through yesterday that replacements for returned Galaxy Note 7 smartphones would begin shipping from September 19. Well, that seemed to have been an overstatement as according to user reports, some Galaxy Note 7 owners have already started receiving their replacements today.
While the owners are reporting they have received their new and presumably problem-free Galaxy Note 7, they are also reporting that the replacement devices are not arriving with the blue “S” sticker. Samsung had previously confirmed that all new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones would come with this sticker and this would be one of the clear and identifiable ways for consumers to know that they have a new batch Galaxy Note 7, compared to the old batch which doesn’t have the sticker – ones which could be still subject to the ongoing recall and battery issue. At the moment it is not clear how widespread the lack of a sticker is or whether some have received a Galaxy Note 7 with a sticker. All that is known is that from the early reports coming from those who have received their replacement device, no sticker is included. Although, some are noting that there is a “small black square” on the box.
So the takeaway here is that if you are currently in Canada (or now in the US) and are expecting to receive your replacement Galaxy Note 7 in the coming days, it seems the absence of the blue S sticker might not necessarily mean you do not have a fresh or problem-free Galaxy Note 7. For reference, the image below is said to be of one of the newly received replacement Galaxy Note 7s and sporting the small black square instead of the blue S.