Replacement Galaxy Note 7 exploded before the Southwest Airlines incident
A Note 7 spent the night outside alone.
I am done with the Note 7.
After reading this report from Kentucky while lying in bed last night, I ran downstairs and took my Galaxy Note 7 outside and left it on the concrete patio. It's not allowed back in the house until I pack it up to return to T-Mobile for a refund later today.
According to WKYT News, on Oct. 4, a Kentucky man was sleeping when he woke up to see his bedroom filled with smoke. He later went to the hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation. His Note 7 was reportedly a replacement device and was not charging at the time the battery exploded.
A disturbing part of this story is that the man stated he received a text message from a Samsung representative that appears to have been intended for someone else. It read, "Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it."
Galaxy Note 10
This incident occurred before the Southwest Airlines evacuation, so Samsung may have known about the possibility of replacement devices failing before an airplane full of people was put at risk.
I just spent the week in Florida with my iPhone 7 Plus and Note 7, planning to take photos during my trip to compare the cameras. Delta was very specific with its Note 7 warnings, and I felt a bit like a criminal even knowing it was off and stored in my carry-on bag below the seat.
You should never be scared to carry your phone and use it wherever you wish. However, I can't leave it alone charging in my office or bedroom, am not comfortable taking it on a plane or using it during my daily train commute, and am not willing to risk the safety of myself, my family, or the general public.
While there are currently only a few reported incidents, the circumstances are alarming. It didn't seem right that Samsung could tool up and fix the issue so quickly with replacement devices hitting shelves just within a couple weeks of reports. It may not be the battery, but the circuitry and design that leads to these battery explosions. I'm not waiting to find out though and will be visiting my T-Mobile store to return it. I just hope they put these returned devices in some kind of fireproof enclosure, as I would hate for my local T-Mobile store to burn down.
The CPSC and Samsung should hopefully post updates on current investigations this week, but it seems the damage may be done to the Galaxy Note 7 name and it may be time for Samsung to recall them all and wipe the phone from history.