While 2017 has generally been kind to Samsung, it ended on a not so good note for owners of the latest Galaxy Note 8. And while reports of practically useless devices have started growing, so did Samsung’s silence. And when the company finally did speak out, it leaves much to be desired and wondered, almost echoing the response Samsung gave in 2016’s Galaxy Note 7 exploding battery fiasco.
To be fair, the Galaxy Note 8’s new battery problem isn’t as life-threatening as its predecessor. The end result, however, is the same. Galaxy Note 8 owners are left without a phone to use and, in the worst case scenario, no way of recovering their precious data.
In the Galaxy Note 8’s case, it is the odd result of fully draining the phablet’s battery, intentionally or not. After that, the phone no longer charges and, therefore no longer turns on. Some owners have resorted to having their phones replaced, which means files stored on the device are lost to them.
After a period of silence, Samsung had this to say to PC World’s German publication (translated):
“Samsung takes all reports of this kind, of course, seriously. We have received only a very small number of customer inquiries that can be linked to charge management. Unfortunately, we can only comment on the matter further if we have more detailed information about the affected devices.”
And so Samsung implies that the issue isn’t as widespread and only affects a small number of devices. It also doesn’t respond to reports that it is replacing affected units with refurbished models. Without much to go on, users and watchers alike have suggested various theories regarding the cause of the problem, from a faulty firmware update, to the inability to operate in cold weather.
