Just 85 percent of Galaxy Note 7 units in Korea have been returned, around 140K still in use

With network discontinuation moves in full swing across markets like New Zealand, Australia and Canada, US carriers restricting device charges altogether, and lower and lower battery limits imposed on the old continent, you might be wondering what exactly is up with the hazardous Galaxy Note 7 on Korean shores.

The answer, in short, seems to be… nothing. At least as far as a discouragingly high 15 percent of original owners in Samsung’s homeland are concerned, the potentially explosive phablet remains a perfectly acceptable daily driver.

Less than a couple of weeks away from the end of a challenging year the smartphone king would soon like to forget, it’s still hard to anticipate the precise timing of the already protracted global recall program’s conclusion.

Samsung is apparently hesitant to shut off Galaxy Note 7 cellular services in South Korea or further reduce the energy cap below the present 60 percent, seeing as how only 85 percent of the local 950,000 users have so far been persuaded to return their fickle but stylish and powerful S Pen-wielding phones.

That means roughly 140,000 people in Korea are not yet ready to part ways with the Note 7, and you don’t want to enrage such a large group of presumably super-devoted fans. Still, something must be done to quickly reach at least a 95 percent retrieval rate, and so battery loading may get restricted to as little as 15 percent sooner or later. It’s probably the only way besides remotely disabling the ill-fated handheld.

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Samsung now also partners with Australian carriers for Note 7 network discontinuation

Samsung will not rest until every single faulty and hazardous Galaxy Note 7 finds its way back to the original place of purchase, and eventually, the chaebol’s warehouses for safe destruction.

After cutting the explosive phablet off from nationwide New Zealand carrier support a little while ago, the unchallenged leader of global smartphone sales has earlier today announced a similar network discontinuation move in neighboring Australia.

Although Note 7 users down under are said to “have responded well to the recent recall, with only a small number of affected devices still in customers’ hands”, December 15 will apparently see the latest (and last) “safety measure” employed to ensure the recovery of all “affected devices.”

Of course, one could wonder what’s taking Samsung so long to enact the most drastic measures of eradicating these ticking time bombs. More importantly, why mobile operators in other countries, including the US, aren’t following Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Australia’s example. Has Samsung managed to expand the “nearly” 85 percent American return rate to 100 percent in the past few weeks?

Probably not, but at the same time, Note 7 fire reports have long stopped, so something must be working. Maybe the battery charge-limiting software update that rolled out in Australia earlier this month.

In any event, you have two more weeks to give back the dangerous phone around those parts before you’re denied cellular service, and get a refund for the difference between Note 7 and S7 or S7 Edge’s prices, plus a $250 freebie. If you’re willing to stick with Samsung, that is.

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Samsung isn’t done apologizing for Galaxy Note 7 snafu, taking out full-page US newspaper ads

We all know you have to spend money to make money. But apparently, you also have to spend money to stop losing money. Yes, if there’s one thing Samsung deserves praise for in the wake of the Galaxy Note 7 double recall and unprecedented discontinuation, it’s how the chaebol genuinely seems to regret its quality control errors, looking to make amends and not just sweep them under the rug.

Granted, it could all be for show, and although we’ve been hearing time and time again that Galaxy S8 development comes after ongoing probes of Note 7 fires and explosions, work on the “next big thing” may have well started behind closed doors.

But even after Samsung Mobile’s President publicly atoned for all of the company’s recent failings in front of Korean press a while back, several customer-retaining moves costing the tech giant a small fortune, plus ever-growing efforts to take every single hazardous phone out of circulation, another hefty sum was presumably “invested” in a nationwide US apology marketing campaign.

Galaxy Note 7 apology ad

That’s commitment right there to sending a legitimately remorseful message to the masses, especially as Gregory Lee, President and CEO of the outfit’s North American division, didn’t try to plug any other product into full-page ads printed by the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Lee merely reminded readers of those three very reputable publications that a “careful Note 7 investigation is underway”, with its findings to be shared “when the analysis is complete”, and “we take our responsibility seriously to address concerns about safety and quality” at Samsung, “falling short” on the promise to “offer best-in-class safety and quality.” Ready to forgive and forget?

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Your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will soon lose all carrier support… in New Zealand

For whatever reason, while Samsung insists each and every hazardous Galaxy Note 7 unit in circulation be turned off and returned to its original place of purchase for a full refund or lucrative S7 replacement, the Korean tech giant is still not ready to simply deactivate the phablets in use over-the-air.

Remotely disabling the explosive S Pen-wielding phones some owners refuse to give back could be the only way such inexplicable stubbornness will subside, especially if the latest persuasion tactic in New Zealand fails to get all recalled devices off the streets.

Starting November 18, your already battery-plagued Galaxy Note 7 will no longer connect to any NZ mobile network for voice calling, text messaging or data consumption purposes. So, yeah, you’ll basically be left with a fancy brick, merely capable of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, snapping some of the world’s best photos, and running apps and games downloaded outside of 3G or 4G coverage.

That may not sound so very horrible, but please keep in mind you paid a small fortune for so many compromises, fortune you can have back or apply towards an S7 Edge exchange, in which case you’re also eligible for gifts and freebies. Now, if only Samsung would at least expand this carrier-banning move to other countries. Preferably, all of them.

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Galaxy Note 7 aftermath: lowest Samsung profits in two years, worst mobile quarter in nearly eight

The past few weeks have been all about damage control for Samsung in the wake of the shocking Galaxy Note 7 double recall, and now it’s time for a quick damage check. An official, final and painful Q3 2016 audit, previewed not long ago, but ...

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President Obama randomly jumps on Samsung Galaxy Note 7-mocking bandwagon

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Just when things looked like they couldn’t possibly get worse for Samsung in the wake of an unprecedented smartphone discontinuation, the world’s most powerful man went where Apple is still too gracious to go.During an Obacamare-focused speech in Miami on Thursday, the 44th and likely coolest ever President of the United States poked fun at the chaebol out of nowhere, equating his controversial Affordable Care …

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Samsung is ‘looking at diverse’ battery suppliers for Galaxy S8, including archrival LG

No one can build a high-end smartphone from scratch without outside help. No, not even Apple. But Samsung may have nonetheless taken too much upon itself in the R&D, quality control, and mass manufacturing Galaxy Note 7 processes.Not only was the phablet’s battery, initially believed to be causing random explosions, supplied by daughter company Samsung SDI, with its safety tests also carried out internally. ...

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Galaxy Note 7 component suppliers are due ‘quick’ compensation, solid Galaxy S8 revenue

Samsung might be closing in on its Galaxy Note 7 investigation resolution, looking just about ready to admit once and for all it cut corners in the pre-production quality control process. As such, parts suppliers will not need to suffer very much from

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Samsung could lose as much as 7 million customers to the iPhone 7 after Note 7 debacle

They say iFans are the most devoted and least likely to switch sides, even with Apple officially on a 36-month iPhone redesign cycle now. But in recent years, Samsung has managed to earn the trust of more and more mobile consumers who’ve quickly become faithful to S Pens, curved AMOLED screens, and the TouchWiz UI.The (many) billion-dollar question is will these stand by the world’s most popular smartphone vendor as it goes ...

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Apparently, Samsung conducted pre-release Galaxy Note 7 battery testing in-house

History has a bad habit of repeating itself, so before we cut Samsung some slack and forget all about the double Galaxy Note 7 recall fiasco, focusing instead on the next big thing and previous big thing, it’s important we learn exactly what went wrong in the phablet’s production, quality control and commercial approval processes.

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Samsung estimates direct and indirect Galaxy Note 7 losses at $5.3 billion through Q1 2017

A “measly” $1 billion? As much as $17 billion? Just the $2.3 billion shaved off Samsung’s estimated operating profits for Q3? How about a “middling” $5.3 billion spread out over three quarters, through March 2017?That’s probably a reasonable ...

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