Another case of an exploding Samsung smartphone is tainting the company's reputation once again shortly after the messy affair it had to iron out with its exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices.
The maelstrom of Note 7 devices catching fire led to a series of recall programs, a federal violation and Samsung's eventual production halt for the devices, which all amounted to a disastrous operating profit dip for the company in Q3.
As Samsung hatches and pulls strings to keep customers eyeing its smartphones in light of its dented consumer loyalty, the company's exploding smartphone problem may be far from over.
An Exploding Samsung Galaxy J5
A woman's Galaxy J5 has reportedly exploded this past weekend in Pau, France, Associated Press reports.
Lamya Bouyirdane told the news agency that on Sunday, she noticed her phone was very hot after asking her 4-year-old son to pass the device over. Upon noticing that the device had unusually swollen up and was emitting smoke, she flung the phone away. Upon landing, the Galaxy J5 caught fire and its back panel blew off. Fortunately, her partner was there to extinguish the fire.
Bouyirdane's case marks the first time that a different Samsung smartphone behaved in such a way. She claimed that she purchased the Galaxy J5 from the internet in June. She said that she will sue Samsung for the incident.
"We are unable to comment on this specific incident until we obtain and thoroughly examine the device," a Samsung spokesperson told CNET, adding that safety remains the biggest priority for the company's consumers and it is prepared to work with any customer who experiences issues with a Samsung product.
The Continuation Of The Galaxy Note 7 Fiasco?
Unarguably, another exploding Samsung smartphone adds insult to the company's already appalling injury. It still hasn't quite recovered from the onslaught of bad press because of exploding Note 7 devices and now, if Bouyirdane's case is indicative of problematic Galaxy J5 devices, the company could position itself in dire straits once again.
Samsung is still on an ongoing attempt to recall Note 7 devices, offering a fairly reasonable refund and exchange program along with it.
Back in October, it's been reported that Samsung is ramping up production of its other flagship, the Galaxy S7, to offset the blow caused by Note 7's production halt. Does it have an imminent problem biding on the fringe? Can Samsung really handle another debacle after the Note 7, especially considering that it's already busy working on its next flagship and new smartphone chips?
Time will tell if the Galaxy J5 explosion was simply a freak case, but if it isn't, Samsung has another potentially huge problem on its hands.
