SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics has temporarily halted production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Monday, following reports that replacements for the fire-prone phones were also overheating.
Citing an unnamed official at a Samsung supplier, Yonhap said the tech giant took the unprecedented measure for the sake of consumer safety.
The move follows decisions by U.S. phone retailers AT&T and T-Mobile to stop giving new Note 7 smartphones to consumers to replace older models while investigations of the replacement devices are underway.
Samsung’s troubles with the Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled last month after reports of its batteries catching fire, appear not to be over.
Samsung Electronics did not respond to a request seeking confirmation of the Yonhap report.
The Note 7 recall is Samsung’s first smartphone recall and its biggest crisis in years.
The premium phone was hailed by critics as one of the best Android phones when it made its debut in August. Two months later, some consumers called the expensive device the “Death Note” after reports that dozens of the smartphones overheated or caught fire, in some cases damaging property or causing injuries.
Source: sanook.com / Yonhap news agency
