South Korean smartphone maker Samsung Electronics on Thursday deferred the sales of its latest handset, Galaxy Note 7, in India after its parent company was forced to issue a global recall following a faulty battery issue. The Galaxy Note 7 was to go on commercial sale in India from Thursday.
Until now, there have been about 35 cases across various countries, where consumers had complained about battery explosion of the new smartphone. Samsung has acknowledged the fault and issued a global recall following a thorough investigation, the company said in a statement to FE query.
“Because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have delayed sales of the Galaxy Note7 in India,” a spokesman for Samsung in India said.
“We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers.”
In India, Samsung was to make the 5.7-inch screen phone at its facilities and sell within the country. It could not be immediately verified about the handsets already made and stocked for sale and whether Samsung had suspended the making of Galaxy Note 7 at its units.
Moreover, the development is likely to hurt Samsung, the country’s largest smartphone maker by shipments as it comes amidst festive season when consumers prefer to buy smartphones.
