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The Galaxy Note 9 is almost here, but some morons are still using the exploding Galaxy Note 7

Published Jul 25th, 2018 5:29PM EDT
Galaxy Note 9 Release Date
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Almost two years ago, Samsung rushed the Galaxy Note 7 to market in what would become a massive disaster for Samsung. Soon after launch, dozens of reports emerged from around the world, detailing cases of explosions and fires. Samsung was forced to recall the device twice that year before killing the product for good.

Fast-forward to August 2018, and we’ll have a brand new Galaxy Note in stores, the Note 9, and don’t forget that right now, last year’s Note 8 is still available for cheaper prices. Because, it as it turns out, some irresponsible people out there think it’s perfectly okay to still use the Note 7 today, in spite of the phone being a known fire hazard.

Back in 2016, Samsung took various measures to deal with the Note 7 scandal. Not only did it offer refunds or replacements to affected buyers, but it also forced software updates that would cripple the Galaxy Note 7 units that were not returned but die-hard owners who thought they knew better than Samsung. The idea was to force everyone to turn in their devices, and to prevent additional explosions.

More importantly, the recall had a welcome adverse effect on Samsung’s business practices as it forced the company to rethink battery manufacturing and quality control for its smartphones. Since then, we’ve had no incidents involving Samsung smartphones.

Finally, Samsung rereleased the Galaxy Note 7 as the Note 7 FE, a limited edition phone that would not explode.

But rather than get a Samsung phone that has no known fire or explosion hazard, “there are still a few idiots left using the Galaxy Note 7,” as Android Central puts it. And I could not agree more.

Why some people think they know better than Samsung is beyond me? Why would you keep using a phone that could explode at any given moment rather than take advantage of Samsung’s offers and upgrade to something newer and safer?

Just because it didn’t happen in the two years that you’ve been holding on to the phone isn’t proof that your unit isn’t affected by the battery issues that caused those fires. It just shows that you’re incredibly ignorant.

As Android Central points out, there’s limited activity on Reddit and in other places that prove the phone is still in use. Like this Reddit post from about two months ago titled “Note 7 beginning to explode,” that has these images attached:

Note 7 - We Had a Good Run...

What if that happened during your sleep? What if it happened near your kid? What if it happened on an airplane?

The best question, of course, comes from the comments. “Dude, why the fuck do you still have that thing?”

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.