Samsung is officially retiring its Galaxy Note 7 after a series of massive losses and PR problems. The short yet colorful life of the Korean tech giant's phablet is going down in history as the most talked-about event, or disaster in 2016. It is high-time we look back at the rise and eventual fall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The Announcement - Skipping Note 6
In a New York media event, Samsung officially unveiled the 7th iteration (counting Note Edge) of its famous Note line dubbed the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung intentionally skipped the Note 6 name to get the phone in line with Samsung's other flagship, the Galaxy S7. It was Aug. 2, the start of the ill-fated journey of the smartphone.
The Specs, Waterproofing and Iris Scanner
The Note 7 took the smartphone industry by storm by incorporating the elements of the highly successful S7 line while adding an industry-first feature that got everyone talking. The Note 7 boasts a powerful, highly-capable spec sheet similar to that of the S7, water proofing and incorporated an iris scanner technology that works fast, secure and undeniably futuristic, CNET reported.
The Best Smartphone of 2016
As the units became available, great reviews of the Note 7 flooded the internet. The Telegraph called it "The Most Beautiful Phone of 2016." Samsung may have found the formula for the ultimate smartphone and was poised to take out every competition, released or unreleased, or so they thought.
The First Sign of Dark Clouds
It was Aug. 24 when news of a Note 7 battery explosion started surfacing and the first one happened in Samsung's own turf, South Korea. The issue then rapidly spread across the globe like wildfire and all blames the battery as the main culprit. However, it was business as usual for Samsung as they later unveiled the Samsung Gear S3.
The Worldwide Recall and Replacements
In Sept. 2, The Verge reported that Samsung is recalling all Galaxy Note 7s due to battery problems. The issue, as reported, is affecting 0.1 percent of the sold units, which at that time amounts to almost three million. Replacements or refunds were also offered to customers who bought the Note 7. Samsung also noted that they were able to find the problem, citing the battery installed by Samsung SDI as faulty.
After a few days, new shipments of Note 7 replacement started to arrive that Samsung assured are now complete fixed.
The Still Faulty Replacements
As Samsung was still healing from the recent case of the recall, which cost them around $1 billion loss in sales, news of battery explosions started circulating in more numbers. However, these devices are the replacement units that Samsung supposedly fixed, thereby casting doubts to the product's quality and caused most regulatory agencies to issue statements against the use of Note 7. Carriers that offered the phone started to stop selling the unit until Samsung addressed the issue.
The End of An Era
After almost two months in circulation, the Note 7's life has ended with Samsung halting the production permanently. The rise and fall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a huge event, no doubt. The fiasco had created so much damage to Samsung that it reportedly lost about $17 billion in market value. In the coming years, people may look back again to the disaster that is the Note 7, something that Samsung would have to work effortlessly to erase from people's perception.
