There's finally a bit of good news for Samsung. The Korean manufacturer has revealed that "about half" of all potentially defective Galaxy Note 7s in the US have been handed in. Approximately 500,000 people have now exchanged the smartphone. Just six days ago, 90 percent of the problem handsets had still not been replaced.

Samsung has said that those who choose to receive another Note 7 will get a new handset along with a brand-new battery that comes from a different supplier. Not everyone has opted to do this, though; 10 percent of people returning the phones - around 50,000 customers - have taken either a full refund or a partial refund together with a different Samsung device.

There have been over 90 incidents in US of the Note 7 catching fire when charging, including one where a Jeep Grand Cherokee burst into flames on Labor Day. Outside the states, a man caused $1400 worth of damages to a hotel room in Australia due to a flaming handset.

Half a million potentially dangerous Note 7s still being actively used in the wild will be a concern for Samsung, but at least the number of owners returning them is increasing. The first lot of what will undoubtedly be a slew of Note 7 lawsuits have started to arrive at the company's doorstep; getting the rest of the flawed devices off the streets before any more injuries occur will be a priority.

It's unclear what the long-term effects of the Note 7 saga will have on Samsung. Before the overheating reports came in, critics hailed it as the best Android phone - or even the best smartphone, in some cases - that you could buy.

Here is Samsung's full statement.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced today that about half of all recalled Galaxy Note7 phones sold in the U.S. have been exchanged through Samsung's voluntary recall. Additionally, 90 percent of Galaxy Note7 owners have been opting to receive the new Galaxy Note7 since the phones became widely available on Wednesday, September 2