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Despite explosions, 33% of Galaxy Note 7 owners in Europe haven’t returned their device

Published Oct 25th, 2016 3:06PM EDT
Galaxy Note 7 Fires
Image: Imgur

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It’s hard to assess what’s crazier: the fact that Samsung still can’t figure out the root cause behind exploding Note 7 phablets or the fact that 1/3 of Note 7 owners in Europe still haven’t returned or exchanged their device.

Without exaggeration, Samsung’s Note 7 is a ticking time-bomb. Over the past few months, we’ve seen no shortage of stories involving Note 7 devices spontaneously catching fire and exploding, causing property damage and, at times, serious burns to owners. In turn, Samsung not only recalled the device but discontinued it completely. Additionally, multiple airlines across the globe have issued bans on the device, not allowing passengers to bring it on board even if it’s turned off.

DON’T MISS: The difference between iPhone users and Android users

And yet still, a sizeable percentage of Note 7 owners still haven’t heeded the call to either return the device for a refund of exchange it for another smartphone model. Looking to persuade this subset of owners to do the right thing, Business Insider reports that “Samsung is pushing out an update to all European customers that still have a Note 7 that will cap the recalled device’s battery charge at 60% of its full capacity.”

The stated goal of the software update is to convince owners to stop using the device as well as to “reduce customer risk.”

On a related note, Samsung is also taking steps to prevent current and previous Note 7 owners from leaving the company’s ecosystem. Specifically, Samsung has a new program wherein Note 7 owners who swap out their device for either a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge will be able to upgrade to a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note 8 for 50% off.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.