Samsung is focusing on the big launch that's about to take place on August 23, drifting away from its painful association with the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. Just days ahead of Galaxy Note 8 release in New York, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled more than 10,000 Galaxy Note 4 units over safety concerns.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 batteries are found to be faulty in the refurbished units passed through AT&T refurbishing process and distributed by FedEx Supply Chain in the US. The USCPA discovered the Galaxy Note 4 batteries posed a threat to owner's safety, but no reports of injury were reported due to the malfunction except for one report of overheating.
The regulator found that some of the batteries in the refurbished Galaxy Note 4 units are counterfeit and had anomalies that can cause batteries to overheat. The batteries are not provided by Samsung, excluding the South Korean tech giant from this dud.
Samsung was severely marred by the recalled of Galaxy Note 7 over battery issues. The issue had gone out of hand, forcing the maker to recall all of its Galaxy Note 7 units from the market, which not only drilled billions in losses but also scarred the Galaxy Note as a brand.
To regain consumers' trust, the company is launching the Galaxy Note 8, but reports like Galaxy Note 4 recall doesn't bode well for Samsung so close to the launch of a new flagship. Samsung is not involved in the Galaxy Note 4 debacle, except for the company's brand name sitting on the faulty phones, but it helped determine the root cause of the problem.
"FedEx and Samsung have determined that some of the recalled batteries are counterfeit and show anomalies that can lead the batteries to overheat. The batteries are non-OEM, which means they were not supplied as original equipment by the phone's manufacturer, Samsung," CPSC recall details read.
If you own one of the refurbished AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 4, it is recommended to immediately stop using the battery. Owners of recalled handsets will receive a free replacement battery along with a postage paid box to return the faulty one. Swap the batteries and you're good to go.
In order to identify the replacement battery, look for a green dot affixed on it. FedEx will contact affected customers directly, but customers can get an update by calling 800-338-0163 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
