A Samsung Galaxy Note 9 unit burst into flames inside a woman's purse, bringing back memories of the Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery fiasco that stretched from 2016 to 2017.
It is too early to say that the Galaxy Note 9 is suffering from the same quality issues that plagued the Galaxy Note 7, but it should be very concerning for Samsung to have its latest flagship device linked with the failed smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Bursts Into Flames
Real estate agent Diane Chung from Long Island, New York claimed in a lawsuit against Samsung that she suffered a "traumatic" experience when her Galaxy Note 9 suddenly burst into flames inside her purse.
Chung was riding in an elevator just after midnight last Sept. 3 when she felt her brand new Galaxy Note 9 getting "extremely hot" while using it. She placed it in her purse, but then heard a "whistling and screeching sound," followed by thick smoke. Chung placed her bag on the elevator floor and tried to remove its contents, burning her fingers as she grabbed the smoking Galaxy Note 9.
The woman started to become "extremely panicked," as she was alone in the elevator. She pressed the elevator buttons while the thick smoke was making it hard for her to see. Fortunately, the elevator reached the lobby, where she kicked the Galaxy Note 9 out of the lift. The smartphone kept burning, until a helpful man wrapped it around a piece of cloth and dropped it in water.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Batteries
A Samsung spokesman said that the company has not received any reports of similar incidents involving the Galaxy Note 9, which should be good news for now. The company certainly does not want a repeat of the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, which plagued the company for a year starting in 2016.
Samsung lost billions of dollars due to the Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery issue, with the company's investigation revealing that two different battery manufacturers came with two different flaws. Samsung implemented new safety standards to make sure that the debacle will never happen again, and started working on developing solid-state batteries to replace the problematic lithium-ion batteries.
Record-breaking Galaxy Note 8 preorders revealed that Samsung fans already forgot about the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco after a year. However, apparently, all it takes is one Samsung smartphone catching fire to bring up all these memories.
Hopefully, the Galaxy Note 9 that caught fire was a fluke, and that the situation will not devolve into the smartphone following the flaming footsteps of the Galaxy Note 7.
