SEOUL”•Samsung said Thursday it would resume sales of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea this week, hoping to turn the page on the troubled device after an ongoing global recall prompted by battery explosions.
The company on September 2 suspended sales of the oversized “phablet” and recalled 2.5 million units shipped worldwide after faulty batteries caused the phones to explode while charging.
With the recall underway in 10 nations where the device had been launched, 60 percent of users in Samsung’s key market, the US, had swapped their handsets for replacements provided by the company, as of Tuesday.
Eighty percent of Note 7 customers are expected to complete the exchange this week in South Korea, where sales of new phones equipped with fault-free batteries will resume on Saturday, Samsung said in a statement.
The new Note 7 will gradually hit stores in other markets, including some European countries on October 28, the company said.
The unprecedented recall, the first involving Samsung’s flagship smartphone, has dealt a blow to the reputation of the South Korean electronics giant”•also the world’s largest smartphone maker.