SEOUL–Samsung stood by its new Galaxy S10 5 G model on Tuesday after a South Korean smartphone owner posted online photos of a charred handset claiming it was mysteriously “burnt.”
The tech giant, who was forced into a costly and embarrassing global reminder of his Galaxy Note 7 devices over exploding batteries three years ago, told AFP that the damage had been caused by an “external impact” rather than an internal crash.
But the user of the smartphone, who asked for his surname Lee to be identified, claimed that his Galaxy S10 5 G phone had been burned “without reason.”
“My phone was on the table when it started to smell burnt and smoke soon swallowed up the phone,” Lee told AFP, adding: “I had to drop it to the ground when I touched it because it was so hot.” He said he hadn’t done anything on the phone that was left unrepaired because “everything was burnt inside.”
Samsung declined to pay the $1,200 telephone, Lee added.
The electronics giant has touted its new Galaxy phones as the world´s first available smartphones with built-in 5G communications.
The model was released on April 5 as South Korea aims to take the lead for millions of people in new technologies that experts say will transform their way of life.
The claim came after the South Korean company posted a 56.9 percent drop in year-on-year net profit on Tuesday in the midst of a weakening chip market and rising competition.
Last week, Samsung delayed the release of its $2,000 foldable phone — Galaxy Fold — over screen issues, saying it “needs additional improvements.”
The 2016 recall cost billions of dollars from Samsung Electronics — the world’s largest smartphone and memory chip maker — and broke its global image.
