Samsung has a date for those waiting for a replacement device for their Galaxy Note 7.
On Thursday, Samsung announced that the new Note 7 replacement devices will be available at retail locations in the US by September 21.
The recall of faulty Galaxy Note 7 affected 2.5 million devices
Despite several digital and print campaigns urging Note 7 owners to replace their handset, Samsung says only 13 percent of the flagship device sold in the US have been exchanged.
According to Samsung America president Tim Baxter, about 130,000 people in the US have exchanged their Note 7 units for other devices. That still is a microscopic figure considering over one million devices were sold in the country.
The Galaxy Note 7 was launched in August 2016 as the successor to the Note 5. Just weeks later, Samsung began to receive cases of Note 7 batteries exploding while charging.
“We are asking owners to act now by powering down their Galaxy Note 7 devices and receive a replacement devices or a refund through our exchange program,” Tim Baxter said.
Samsung reportedly received some 92 reports of the batteries overheating in the US. Upon confirming the battery flaw, the smartphone maker immediately issued a worldwide recall, urging Note 7 owners to return the device for a credit or temporary replacement.
The recall involved the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold before September 15, 2016. By then some 2.5 million handsets were already sold in some of Samsung’s top markets.
The recall was the largest the smartphone industry has ever witnessed. To minimize the risks of overheating, the Korean electronics giant this week released a software update that will cap battery recharging at 60 percent capacity.
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