As Apple prepares for the launch of the much-awaited-but-perhaps-not-that-stunning iPhone 7, Samsung may have just given them an extra edge on sales. Reports have been flooding in about the new Samsung Note 7 overheating, and the company has announced a worldwide product recall in addition to promising a replacement for units that have already been sold.
In several cases, the phone has been heating up to extreme temperatures, and in a few reported incidents the phones actually caught fire. Although no reports were seen of any injuries, I’m sure people don’t want their smartphone setting stuff on fire. Samsung obviously doesn’t want that either, and hence the global recall.
Samsung and Apple are two of the biggest smartphone brands in the world, and high-end Samsung phones like the Note 7 was already known to be more powerful than any of the current iPhone 6 variants. There is now speculation that iPhone 7 sales may get a boost as consumer sentiment softens towards Samsung. The recall is the first of its kind for any smartphone maker in recent times, and it will hurt Samsung’s image as a maker of advanced smartphones.
This could definitely be a big windfall for Apple because several media reports have suggested that even the iPhone 7 would struggle to compete against the performance of the Note 7. With their competitor’s most premium model now out of the race, we can expect at least a few thousand Samsung fans to switch camps and possibly try out the new iPhone 7.
No word has been received about how long Samsung will take to rectify the situation, but considering the scale of the recall, it could be several weeks before they’re ready to re-launch the Note 7.
The Note 7 comes with a 5.7-inch dual-edge Super AMOLED display, a lightning-fast Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor, a 12 MP Dual Pixel camera in the rear and other really cool features such as wired and wireless fast charging, finger print sensor, heart rate monitor and an IP68 waterproof/dust-proof rating.
It’s Apple’s good fortune that this happened less than a week before the launch of the iPhone 7, but for Samsung it’s a nightmare of gargantuan proportions. Fortunately for the Korean smartphone maker, they’ve reacted quickly to ensure the safety of users. It’s still a PR horror story, but let’s hope they can reduce the negative impact and keep moving with their innovative product line.
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