What was supposed to be one of the biggest releases of the year for Samsung has become something of a big hiccup for the firm. With reports of exploding batteries, damaged hotel rooms, ruined vehicles and a whole lot more, Samsung has a problem. That problem has of course been the exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices that continue to drag Samsung’s good name through the mud. Not one to take an issue like this lying down, Samsung has identified the problem, and has seemingly put a stop to it. It’s thought that the batteries Samsung SDI were to blame for the issues surrounding these exploding phones, and these will no longer be used in future Galaxy Note 7 devices. The question for those that have a replacement device on the way, or are planning to buy the Galaxy Note 7 once it goes back on sale, is how to find out whether or not their device is a “safe” device.
Anecdotal advice seems to be that batteries manufactured in South Korea weren’t allowed to be sold in China, and so devices that are marked as “Made in China” appear to be safe. However, Samsung have gone one step further, and explained to users exactly how to tell if their device is safe by looking at the box. This information comes from Samsung Australia, which means that different regions might see different evidence, but given that Samsung sells these all over the world, it’s a fair bet the system will be similar. New Galaxy Note 7 devices, those with “the fix” will have a small black square on the label on the bottom of the box, with a circle and a blue “S” inside of it. The below image is a neat example from Samsung themselves that should make it clear on what to look out for. On top of this, Samsung Australia is also detailing how users can check if their device needs to be replaced and then how to claim one by using their unique IMEI number. A database will soon be hosted by Samsung Australia for those down under to log their IMEI numbers and then claim a new device if needed.
This is great information for those in Australia that need to replace their device, but it’s also good news for the rest of us, as it’s likely that Samsung will follow a similar procedure around the rest of the world. Should other local Samsung outlets come out with different or even similar news, we’ll be sure to let you know.
