As 2016 draws to a close, let¡¯s dwell on the most epic device failure of the year. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was billed to be the most awesome, best Android phone of 2016. As we all know, it turned out to be anything but that. From exploding batteries to being banned on commercial airliners, it¡¯s probably the only smartphone in history to be hazardous enough to warrant its own fireproof box.
Here¡¯s a look back at the timeline of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 disaster, and the consumer terror unleashed by a hotly-anticipated device that went completely bonkers after being pushed to extreme physical limits.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launched in early August and was made available for pre-order at a whopping Rs 59,990. It wasn¡¯t as flashy as past Samsung Galaxy Note smartphones but it had all the ingredients to pack a knockout punch to all of the year¡¯s flagship devices -- including the iPhone 7 Plus -- and be the pinnacle of Android smartphones in 2016. Some of the device¡¯s initial critic reviews praised the Galaxy Note 7 and highly recommended it to consumers. But little did the South Korean consumer electronics company know that trouble was brewing in paradise, and it was all going to go horribly wrong for the Galaxy Note 7 in the blink of an eye.
That was as good as it got for the ill-fated Samsung phone. It wasn¡¯t long before reports started surfacing from all over the world about a number of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone¡¯s mysteriously exploding. Within the US alone, there were over 90 reports of exploding Note 7s, and damage caused to property because of it emerged. A guy even posted a photo of his SUV engulfed in flames caused by an exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that he¡¯d left inside the car.
Spurred by reports of exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7s in the US and around the world, the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) issued a clear advisory to passengers to not charge the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard any aircraft in the US. Similar announcements were made by individual airlines, too, as a precautionary measure. But nothing too severe. Passengers were still being allowed to carry their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 onboard their respective flights. They were just being discouraged from charging the phone, because the initial explosion reports of the Note 7 blamed the device¡¯s fault onto its misfiring battery.
After a lot of damning press reports and airline travel advisories putting the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in extremely negative light, pressure started growing on the South Korean giant to do some sort of damage control. While the company reaffirmed that this was an issue found on some Galaxy Note 7 devices, Samsung officially in early September started recalling the damaged Galaxy Note 7s for exchange. Within a week or so, the company started recalling not just affected Galaxy Note 7 smartphones but all devices that were sold in the US. Similar steps were taken in other affected markets, too.
No kidding. They actually did that - sent fireproof boxes with instructions on how to safely turn off and pack their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 for safe return. In total, Samsung recalled over 25 lakh Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from around the world, and even released a software update which would allow Note 7 owners to find out if their device was affected or not. The company ended up replacing almost 90% of the affected Galaxy Note 7 devices in key markets like the US and South Korea.
This was just too much for Samsung. Now, even replaced Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices were exploding. Not just exploding in isolation, but also damaging property. This was also the time when a lot of speculation was rife on just exactly what was causing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to explode. Was it really a battery issue? Or was it something more fundamental that was wrong with the device? Well, we didn¡¯t have to wonder long, did we?
On October 11, less than two months after its initial launch, the ill-fated saga of the exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was finally complete, as Samsung stopped production of the Note 7. The company claimed it wanted to safeguard consumers from any further damage from the device which seemed to have a mind of its own.
Following its official death, the FAA and DGCA (in India) wasted no time in putting the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 as a banned substance, not allowed it to be even carried on an aircraft -- even when it¡¯s switched off. In the US, it¡¯s a criminal offence to carry or stow away a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 even now, and in India, airline companies make Samsung Galaxy Note 7-related announcements before take-off -- yes, the device is still banned.
RIP Samsung Galaxy Note 7. As 2016 draws to a close, you will always be remembered as one of the most ill-fated devices in technology. No single tech gadget has managed to have such a tremendous impact (for all the wrong reasons, of course) in its short 2-month lifespan. From humorous pranks to causing over US $3 billion of losses to Samsung¡¯s annual bottom line, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is our most epic gadget failure of the year!