A Samsung Galaxy Note7 caught fire on a US plane shortly before take-off today (October 5 in the US and October 6 in Australia).
The Verge reports that the phone was a replacement picked up at an AT&T store on 21 September. But therein lies the conundrum.
According to Samsung sources close to the matter, the replacement programme only started in the US today (5 October) and it is highly unlikely that it was a replacement.
That said the Verge says the phone's box had the new black square symbol on it and the IMEI recall checker stated that the Note7 in question was not affected by the recall.
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Samsung immediately issued a formal statement.
“Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device we will have more information to share.”
iTWire reported this morning that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 was on the way back following its release for sale in South Korea on 1 October and the US on 5 October. We will be following this issue closely.
In the meantime, please, if you have a Note7 stop using it and contact Samsung for a replacement or refund.