Over the past month, Samsung was, literally, on the hot seat after a series of reports about the Galaxy Note 7 overheating to the point of exploding. Their investigation has led to the assumption that the device's lithium-ion battery, when operated "under such high power that they tend to combust". While there have only been 35 reported cases out of the 2.5 million produced Samsung Galaxy Note 7, a recent report has added a notch to the rather re-ignited issue.
According to USA Today, a Southwest Airline bound for Baltimore was evacuated when a passenger's Galaxy Note 7 "began popping" and emitting smoke. Flight 994 passenger and Samsung Note 7 owner Brian Green said via tech site The Verge, that he had "powered down the phone for takeoff" and apparently overheated. His wife, Sarah, told reporters that right after shutting the device down, "it made a popping noise and started smoking". As a result of quick thinking, Brian "took it out of his pocket and threw it on the ground."
Fortunately, the unwanted incident happened when the plane was on the ground. Phys.org quoted a written statement that "all customers and crew deplaned calmly and safely via the main door." Nobody was injured and the flight was canceled by the management. The not so good news, on the other hand, was the condition of the Samsung "phablet": ABC News stated that "the heat damage" caused by the explosion "was so severe that a fire official could not independently verify the model of the phone."
For their part, Samsung remained calm, although they promptly questioned if the concerned device was indeed one of their own. In their press statement, the South Korean tech titan said that "until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7." Samsung added that they are working with the proper authorities and Southwest Airlines "to recover the device and confirm the cause."
To make matters worse, Green told sources that the overheated Samsung Smartphone was a replacement unit after the company rolled out a worldwide recall last month due to "serious fire and burn hazards." The issue left Samsung with the decision to recall 1 million Galaxy Note 7s sold before September 15. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency that delegated the Samsung recall in the United States, is also lending a hand in the ongoing investigation.
This is certainly a big blow for Samsung. Beside the fact that the supposed "safe" issue was untowardly resurrected, Samsung is now on a standstill in the middle of a controversy while Google, with its new Pixel and Pixel XL grabbing the entire spotlight. Not to mention Samsung's first line competitor, Apple, who is rumored to release a plethora of devices, including a secretive "iPhone X" next year.
