Some people are still using the Galaxy Note 7

[midian182]

WTF?! Back in 2016, before they started catching fire, the Galaxy Note 7 won rave reviews and was hailed as the best Android phone on the market. They’re now a part of Samsung’s history that it would rather forget, but, despite all its efforts to stop them, some people are still using the handsets.

The Note 7 saga was easily one of the biggest tech fails of the last decade. Because of the then-unknown battery defects, the handsets started causing fires everywhere from planes to hotel rooms. Wisely, Samsung said it would recall and replace the units with new devices guaranteed not to explode. Sadly for the company, they also started to go up in flames, prompting a second recall and the end of the Note 7.

Some thought the disaster could spell the end of the Note line, but the company redeemed itself with the excellent and non-explosive Note 8. But throughout all of this chaos, there were a number of Note 7 buyers who refused to hand back their phones, regardless of the dangers they posed.

When asking didn’t work, Samsung tried a few more tricks to get holdouts to return their Note 7s. Software updates limited the amount of charge the batteries could hold, carriers started blocking Note 7 SIMs, and the Korean firm eventually pushed out an update that prohibited charging altogether.

Android Central reports that after everything, there are still some people using Note 7s. They’ve managed to avoid Samsung’s updates and have rooted or modded their handsets to keep them barely working. There’s even a Galaxy Note 7 subreddit still active, and Samsung's recall page states that "nearly" all devices have been returned.

With superior phones now on the market, and a Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition available, why are people putting themselves at risk by keeping the recalled Notes? Probably because of their rarity, though the danger they pose and their limited functionality mean it's hardly worth it.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/75679-people-using-galaxy-note-7.html

 

[johnehoffman]

The Note 7 batteries had a high failure rate because of manufacturing problems, but probably only a small percentage were actually defective. They use the same chemistry as the batteries in other cell phones, so the Note 7 batteries are no more dangerous than the batteries in other cell phones, so long as the Note 7 batteries were not manufactured with a defect.

The Note 7s still in use have been used for some time now. If the batteries have not failed yet, they have been "tested" and will probably function properly until end of life non-catastrophic failure.

All that being said, it probably would be wise for Note 7 users to move on to new phones, especially since the Note 7s are no longer the most technologically advanced cell phones available.

On the other hand, I am still using my Note 4 after a $10 battery replacement. I bought it just before the Note 5 was released specifically to have the benefit of a replaceable battery. How many billions of dollars would Samsung have saved if the Note 7 had been made with a user-replaceable battery? Manufacturing an expensive device with a difficult to replace battery is insane. And for what? So one can have a prettier back to the device--a back that is hardly ever seen since most people keep their cell phones in cases.

 

[Kibaruk]

Mmmm maybe those are devices "acquired" by less than conventional methods, maybe stolen devices from the factory, who knows, bragging rights? People who like playing Russian roulette? Lack of common sense?

 

[ForgottenLegion]

The Note 7 batteries had a high failure rate because of manufacturing problems, but probably only a small percentage were actually defective. They use the same chemistry as the batteries in other cell phones, so the Note 7 batteries are no more dangerous than the batteries in other cell phones, so long as the Note 7 batteries were not manufactured with a defect.

The Note 7s still in use have been used for some time now. If the batteries have not failed yet, they have been "tested" and will probably function properly until end of life non-catastrophic failure.

All that being said, it probably would be wise for Note 7 users to move on to new phones, especially since the Note 7s are no longer the most technologically advanced cell phones available.

On the other hand, I am still using my Note 4 after a $10 battery replacement. I bought it just before the Note 5 was released specifically to have the benefit of a replaceable battery. How many billions of dollars would Samsung have saved if the Note 7 had been made with a user-replaceable battery? Manufacturing an expensive device with a difficult to replace battery is insane. And for what? So one can have a prettier back to the device--a back that is hardly ever seen since most people keep their cell phones in cases.

From what I've read the batteries were fine, the chassis design was not. There wasn't enough room internally to allow the battery to naturally swell and contract resulting in self destruction.

That's why when Samsung did the initial recall they thought it was faulty batteries so simply replaced them but the same thing kept happening as the chassis was just too small for that cell.

If manufacturers weren't so concerned about making the thinnest phone on the planet we'd have decent handsets with 1 real days use without topup.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Mmmm maybe those are devices "acquired" by less than conventional methods, maybe stolen devices from the factory, who knows, bragging rights? People who like playing Russian roulette? Lack of common sense?

Most likely reason would be people who either stubbornly refuse to give up their precious samsung, or bought it outright and are unable to afford a replacement.

I know a coworker that still uses a galaxy S3, which has a bug (because of course) making it fill the internal storage and SD card with gibberish data. He refuses to replace it with a newer phone because he "loves his samsung and doesnt want an apple". The majority of consumers are about as bright as a rock.

 

[Kibaruk]

Most likely reason would be people who either .... or bought it outright and are unable to afford a replacement.

That was part of Samsung's recall campaign, it's not like they requested the phone back and left everyone with empty hands and an empty bank account.