Samsung Australia has confirmed that replacement stock for the Galaxy Note7 smartphone will land in Australia on 21 September, three weeks after the latest phablet was withdrawn over a fire risk.
Reports of the Note7's "isolated battery cell issues" first came to light on 2 September, followed by a full-scale Australian withdrawal on 5 September.
The fire risks forced Samsung Australia and its local resellers to cease sales of the highly anticipated device and recall more than 50,000 phones – although no cases of fire had been identified in Australia. At the time, Samsung expected replacement devices to start shipping in three to four weeks.
Richard Fink, vice president IT and mobile at Samsung Electronics Australia, said: “We would like to thank our loyal customers for their patience, and apologise for the inconvenience. We have been working hard to get the amazing Galaxy Note7 back in the hands of our customers to continue to enjoy.
“Our number one priority is the safety of our customers, which is why we’ve worked hard to provide new replacement Note7 devices as quickly as possible. We appreciate our customers’ continued support as we start to deliver this new stock to operators and retailers around the country from September 21," said Fink, who joined Samsung last month after a career spanning Coles and Telstra.
Customers are entitled to a courtesy device until they can get their hands on replacement Note7. Those with an affected device are reminded to backup their data, complete a factory reset to delete personal data, turn the device off and return it to the place of purchase.
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