Samsung silent on further Galaxy Note 7 explosions in China
The number of exploding batteries in Galaxy Note 7 handsets in China reached five on Tuesday, but the Korean tech giant is remaining silent on the matter since it issued a statement on the first reported case.
According to a NetEase news report on Wednesday, a Note 7 user claimed he was about to make a call before the handset suddenly vibrated and started to combust whilst in an uncharged state.
The consumer later contacted a Samsung local sales principle, who agreed to replace his burnt handset with a brand new one but refused to compensate as he needed to file the case to the company first, said the report.
It is the fifth such incident in the country. Samsung released a statement in response to the first reported incident on September 19, saying the handset was "damaged by external heating" rather than due to a battery defect. The company hasn't issued further statements regarding the subsequent claims.
All five Note 7 handsets said to have exploded in China were sold after its official launch in the country and were not eligible for recall, on Samsung's basis that Note 7 batteries for the Chinese market were from a different supplier.
Samsung China only announced the recall of 1,858 Note 7 units in China -- all of which were pre-orders from Samsung's official Chinese website ahead of its September 1 release -- after the interference of China's top quality watchdog, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
In an ongoing online survey conducted by Sina.com, about 87 percent of respondents believe these Note 7 incidents in China are a result of either poor handset quality or poor battery quality.
Another survey published in a Sohu report indicated that the perception of Samsung deteriorated in China for 54 percent of Note 7 users, 57 percent of non-Note 7 Samsung users, and 70 percent of users of other brands.