Samsung halting some Galaxy Note 7 shipments following multiple user device explosions

It’s only been a couple of weeks since the Galaxy Note 7 released to glowing reviews, but reports are now claiming that the company is pressing pause on shipments of the device. Why? Over the past several days we’ve seen multiple reports of user devices exploding while charging, so Samsung is suspending shipments as a safety concern for its customers.

The exact cause of these explosions is unclear, but it obviously presents a concern for customers who own the device. Last week one user reported that his device had burst into flames while charging, and just last night another user had a similar, although somewhat less gruesome issue with their device. These incidents both have one thing in common, both users were apparently using a microUSB to USB C converter while charging, however, we don’t know if it was Samsung’s official adapter included in the box, or a 3rd-party adapter. As seen in one of the images below, it does seem possible that the official adapter may be involved.

After both of these reports, and apparently other similar incidents, hit the web, Samsung has allegedly stopped shipments of the device (via The Korea Herald). It’s unclear if shipments have been halted only in Korea, but seeing that reports have been seen in other regions, we would hope that Samsung has ceased them entirely to determine the cause of this issue.

Considering that both of the major reports we’ve seen involved microUSB to USB C converters, it’s easy to draw a conclusion that this is the reason why Note 7 units are having this problem. If Samsung’s official adapter is the one causing the issue, it would be simple for the company to fix that by recalling those adapters. However, if this is an issue involving third-party adapters, it could be a bit more of a headache to fix.

The Korea Herald further reports that Samsung has been gathering the damaged devices from consumers and is investigating the cause of the problem, so if they do determine that it is an issue with the phone or adapter, we should find out soon. In the meantime, it’s probably a good idea to stop using microUSB to USB C adapters with the Galaxy Note 7 and just stick with standard USB chargers, like the one included in the box.