ZICTA speaks on Samsung Galaxy Note7 in Zambia

ZICTA has given a statement on the yet-to-be-officially-released in Zambia Samsung Galaxy Note7 through a Facebook post:

Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) is notifying the general public that SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 has a factory defect as the affected device can overheat and pose a safety risk. Samsung Electronics Corporation has announced a recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in countries where the device has been launched.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has not yet been officially launched in Zambia, ZICTA has written officially to Samsung Electronics SA (PTY) LTD- Zambia Branch requesting them to come up with interventions and indicate to the Authority how best the device will be withdrawn from the Zambian market, bearing in mind that some Zambian consumers may have purchased the device from other markets where the product had been launched.

In order to ensure safety of the consumers, ZICTA is urging all consumers with Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to visit the authorised Samsung Electronic Service Partner outlets in Zambia.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 has been recalled by Samsung worldwide after cases of the phone ‘exploding’ or melting were reported by some users, which Samsung acknowledged earlier this month:

Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.

For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.

How do you tell if the Note7 you have is the fixed one?

Samsung announced the features to look for in the fixed Note7 devices:

To help users easily understand if they have a new device and  use their new Galaxy Note7 with confidence, the company has introduced a Green battery icon that has been included in three specific software changes.The new green battery icon will be visible on: 1) the Status Bar; 2) the Always On Display screen; and 3) the Power Off prompt screen, which can be accessed by long-pressing the power key.

Additionally, users can easily check if they are using the new Galaxy Note7 by looking for a square symbol on the label of the packaging box as below: