Samsung Australia offers courtesy phones to Galaxy Note 7 owners starting Sep. 7

As Samsung recalls all Galaxy Note 7 devices it has sold worldwide, Samsung Electronics Australia is offering customers the option to get a replacement unit or to seek a full refund.

Richard Fink, Vice President IT & Mobile of Samsung Electronics Australia, said courtesy devices will be available starting Wednesday for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 owners who opt to get a replacement unit. The delivery of replacement units, however, is expected to arrive in Australia within three to four weeks.

“We are asking customers to contact Samsung or their place of purchase to arrange a suitable courtesy smartphone or refund. Courtesy devices will become available from this Wednesday (September 7, 2016),” Fink said in a statement.

Samsung stopped the worldwide shipment of Galaxy Note 7 devices early last week after 35 units in Korea, Taiwan and the United States were reported to have exploded while charging. After discovering “isolated battery cell issues,” the South Korean smartphone maker has decided to recall all Galaxy Note 7 devices it has sold since the Aug. 2 global launch.

There was no reported incident in Australia, but at least 51,060 Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have been sold in the country. The iris-scanning Android phone retailed at $1,349 apiece in Australia since Aug. 19. Customers were advised to power off their Samsung Note 7 devices, return to its original packaging and turn over the device to its place of purchase.

“We know our Galaxy Note 7 customers are our most loyal customers and we are taking a proactive approach to support them.

“The safety and ongoing satisfaction of our customers is our top priority,” Fink added.

Galaxy Note 7 specs

Built on a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 boasts of a 3500mAh battery, which is now the cause of the global recall. Roughly 65 percent of the batteries of the latest Samsung flagship phone were manufactured by Samsung SDI Co., a sister company of Seoul-based smartphone maker. The remaining 35 percent were made by Hong-Kong based Amperex Technology Ltd.

Equipped with 64GB internal storage, Samsung Galaxy Note 7also has a S Pen stylus, a 12-megapixel f/1.7 dual pixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. The water-resistant handset also uses scratch- and shatter-resistant Gorilla Glass 5 and runs on 6.0.1 Marshmallow version of Android.

The first smartphone that employs iris-scanning cameras for additional biometric security, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes in four colour variants – Dark Onyx Black, Chrome Titanium Silver, Shiny Gold Platinum and Blue Coral.

Customers were advised to visit the place where they purchased their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices to discuss their options or call Samsung Customer Service at 1300 362 603.