Samsung said today that it will permanently discontinue production and sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone over defective batteries — including ones in replacement handsets the company had subsequently sent to customers following a recall of original devices.
A spokeswomen for Samsung confirmed it is ending production of the device, telling TechCrunch: “We can confirm the report that Samsung has permanently discontinued the production of Galaxy Note7.” The company didn’t provide any additional statement explaining its decision but in a filing about ending production with South Korean regulators it cites “customer safety” as the reason.
According to analysts, the Note 7 recall could cost Samsung as many as 19 million lost unit sales, or as much as $17 billion, if it permanently stops selling the smartphone for a second time, following multiple reports of replacement handsets setting on fire.
