T-Mobile is suspending sales of the ZTE Zmax phablet after only seven months since its launch as an exclusive device for the carrier, with the reason being the insistence of users in trying to remove the device's non-removable battery.
The news was posted by TMoNews, which tags itself as the unofficial T-Mobile blog, after it acquired a message from T-Mobile that told staff to pull out the entire inventory and all the related POS materials regarding the Zmax phablet from the respective sales floors of T-Mobile stores and MetroPCS. The message also instructs the employees to keep the devices and materials in the backroom safes of the stores until further notice.
The suspension of T-Mobile's selling of the Zmax phablet was effective April 15, until T-Mobile and MetroPCS come to an agreement with ZTE regarding how to proceed with the device in question.
PCMag reported that, according to some sources that are close to ZTE, T-Mobile decided to suspend the sales of the device because customers are trying to remove the non-removable battery of the Zmax, which is needless to say a dangerous thing to do.
Users are able to do this because the Zmax phablet's back cover is not glued on but rather just clipped on. This has created an opportunity for device owners to use tools, such as knives and screwdrivers, to pry open the back cover of the device, which could possibly puncture the battery and hurt the owners themselves while doing so.
The reason why so many users are trying to open their Zmax phablets, however, is a mystery. Perhaps it is to remove the battery to hard reset the device to try to fix a problem. ZTE, as it should, is recommending that users take their devices to official T-Mobile stores to have them fixed if there are any problems being encountered, instead of forcing open the device to take out the battery.
T-Mobile has issued a complaint to ZTE regarding the trend. ZTE is looking to find a way to prevent users from attempting to access the device's battery.
Perhaps ZTE should not have made the back cover of the device so easily removed. Or T-Mobile should not have approved the device if the easily removed back cover is an issue for the company. However, it is definitely not a good idea to try to open a device that is not meant to be opened in the first place.
PCMag's sources, however, reveal that the two companies are still intending to work together for collaborations in the future.
