Tech

Can I just ignore the recall and carry on using my Galaxy Note 7?

You really shouldn't carry on using the Galaxy Note 7. And here's why.

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor Sept. 6, 2016 at 6:04 a.m. PT

A few people have asked me whether I think the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall is overblown and whether it's just something that will blow over and can be ignored.

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In a word, no. Just don't do it. Don't risk your life or the life of those around you.

We're so used to being surrounded by high capacity batteries that it's easy to think that they are 100 percent safe. The fact that lithium ion batteries have such a good safety record is part of the reason why we're so willing to accept them into our homes and cars, and why we're happy to go to sleep with one busily charging next to our heads at night.

But make no mistake, a faulty lithium-ion battery is incredibly dangerous, and it can explode. And when I say explode, I don't mean a tiny pop along the lines of a party popper that makes adults jump and little kid shriek in delight. An angered battery pack goes off with a real bang, and it has enough energy to shatter the device wrapped around it, creating a shower of glass shrapnel.

But a bang and the resulting shrapnel isn't all you need to worry about, because chances are that at the same time you will also find yourself in the middle of a spray of molten lithium metal and a thick, acrid cloud of choking toxic fumes.

And this enthusiastic chemical reaction is probably not going to happen when you're in the well-ventilated outdoors, away from combustible materials. Oh no, it's going to happen when you least expect it. Maybe when the device is all snugged up in your pocket, or when it's on charge in the car and you're zipping down the highway. Or while you've got it strapped to your face as part of the VR Gear goggles so you can watch a Michael Bay movie.

Or when it's right there next to your head on your nightstand, while you dream of all the fun you're going to have when you finally get that Nougat update.

Now factor in that Samsung has identified at least 35 cases where faulty batteries could have caused explosions, and you can see why this is a serious issue.

There are some reports that claim you can identify faulty batteries, but I've got to admit that this information isn't something I'd be willing to bet my life on.

My ZDNet colleague Matthew Miller has outlined what Galaxy Note 7 owners should do in order to get their device fixed or get their money back. Yes, it's a hassle, I know. But fires are a bigger hassle.

It's also reassuring to read that the major carriers are taking this matter seriously.

In all honestly, at this stage I'd get my money back and either wait for the smoke to clear -- pun intended -- before picking up another Note 7, or buy something else, as I think it's a really bad deal to be lumbered with what is essentially a refurbished unit so soon after launch.

As for keeping the device safe in the interim, I'd turn it off, pop it into a fire retardant bag (which I keep for such circumstances), and store it in a safe location until I could get rid of it.