Samsung has experienced quite the rollercoaster ride during this second half of the year. Samsung started off strong with the initial release of the Galaxy Note 7, and despite the fact that the Note 7 ultimately didn’t differ much from the Galaxy S7 apart from the S Pen experience and the new Iris Scanner, Samsung stood a good chance to snag converters who were unhappy that the iPhone 7 didn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, that’s just not how the scenario actually played out.
As most of you are well aware, some of the Note 7 models contained faulty batteries, which could combust when left on the charger. Samsung quickly acknowledged the issue once reports began surfacing, which is something that I have commended them for. Samsung also figured out the issue causing the explosions, which was apparently remedied by simply switching out the batteries. While it was great that Samsung figured out the problem in record time, many were quick to point out that this situation could have been handled much easier if Samsung had simply held onto removable batteries.
Still, Samsung did the right thing, and even had replacements available less than a month after the initial recall went out – that’s fast service! However, the status of the Note 7 remains shaky as new reports claim that even replacement Note 7’s are experiencing issues overheating. Samsung has responded again saying they are investigating the issue, but also claim that the issue “does not pose a safety concern”.
Despite this reassurance, I’m not sure that all users will be convinced, even if it is just a couple of initial reports. It’s also completely believable, as I have had overheating concerns with my past two Samsung devices (Galaxy S7, Galaxy S4). I didn’t keep the S4 long enough to figure out if it was a faulty device or not, but I have kept my Galaxy S7 long enough to know that the issue resolved itself after the first few days of use. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is an issue that people will take lightly with the Note 7.
At this point, I think it’s reasonably safe to predict that the reputation of the Note 7 will likely never recover from this PR mess.
That isn’t to say that Samsung won’t recover – I have a lot of faith that they’ll get along just fine in the long run, but the Note 7’s reputation specifically appears to be tainted beyond repair. Between the initial reports and the new issues with overheating in replacement units, one could easily be deterred from buying a Note this year. And who could blame them? The Note 7 is not a cheap phone by any means, and when you spend that much money on a phone you should reasonably expect for it to work without issue out of the box.
On the other hand, I don’t think that this will ruin things for future Note devices. If anything, I expect Samsung to be extra, extra careful regarding next year’s Note. I think it’s great how quickly they responded and reacted with the Note 7 fiasco, but I think that quick response was also met with skepticism at how well this disaster could be remedied with such swift turnaround. These new reports are the first thing to pop up when researching “Note 7 replacements”, which is bad news bears for Samsung. Again. It's like watching those cartoons where a raincloud constantly follows a character around.
Still, I find that I have to give props to Samsung once again for at least looking into the issue and not completely dismissing it. Not sure that it would convince me to buy a Note 7 at this point, but it’s nice to know that they continue to take the matter seriously.
Readers, what do you think about the recent overheating claims regarding the Note 7? Do you think that the Note 7’s reputation is completely ruined, or is there still a chance for redemption? Let us know in the comments below!
