Do YOU own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7? What owners can do as Samsung axes the handset after more reports they catch fire

  • Regulators ordered a recall of the original Note 7 in late September
  • Now replacement versions have also overheated or caught fire
  • Samsung has urged costumers to turn the product off and return it 

Following the announcement Samsung has axed its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, consumers are fretting about what to do with their faulty products.

And they're getting little guidance from the company.

The original huge phone-bordering-on-tablet with a huge battery was found to have an unwelcome tendency to catch fire.

Now, following reports that the company's replacement versions have also overheated or caught fire, Samsung has axed the product altogether. 

The four major U.S. mobile carriers, meanwhile, have all suspended trade-ins for the replacement phones; so have major retailers such as Best Buy. 

Instead, these companies are offering to swap Note 7s out for any other smartphone of the customer's choice. 

A visitor tries out a Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphone at the company's shop in Seoul in Seoul, South Korea

A visitor tries out a Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphone at the company's shop in Seoul in Seoul, South Korea

Here's a look at the options for Note 7 owners. 

GET A REFUND

Samsung in the U.S. is offering to refund customers for their Note 7 purchases. Remember to take your receipt along to the store where you purchased the phone.  

SWAP FOR A DIFFERENT SAMSUNG MODEL

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone 

Pros: It is slightly smaller and cheaper than the Note.

Cons: It lacks a styles and the Note 7's iris scanner.   

Older version of the Note  

Pros: It's the best Android phone with a large screen and a stylus.

Cons: The Note 5 (there was no Note 6) launched more than a year ago. Many Note 7 owners may already own one, or recently traded theirs in to get the Note 7.

For Note 7 users who have chosen to get a refund rather than a Samsung replacement, the iPhone 7 is a viable option 

For Note 7 users who have chosen to get a refund rather than a Samsung replacement, the iPhone 7 is a viable option 

SWAP FOR A PHONE MADE BY SOMEONE ELSE

Google Pixel 

Pros: It is fractionally smaller than the Note 7, meaning it actually has a higher pixel density (of 534ppi). It is also the first phone to be compatible with Daydream, Google's new virtual reality system.

Cons: It doesn't have the attractive curved edge design of the Note 7.   

Huawei P9 Plus 

Pros: At around $600 it's more than £200 cheaper than its rivals.

Cons: Some reviews have lamented the product's 'industrial' design. 

The new LG V20 

Pros: A removable Li-ion 3,200 mAh battery battery - no fears of explosions here.

Cons:  It's not waterproof and the unlocked version might not work outside the U.S. and Korea. 

iPhone 7 

Pros: A great camera and a huge array of apps. 

Cons: It no longer features the standard headphone jack. That means Note 7 owners would need adapters for their old earbuds; it might also be jarring to switch from an Android phone to the iPhone.

One Note 7 forced the evacuation of a SouthWest plane when it set fire on Wednesday  

One Note 7 forced the evacuation of a SouthWest plane when it set fire on Wednesday  

WHY WERE THE BATTERIES EXPLODING?  

Lithium batteries are use in a range of consumer electronic devices, favored by manufacturers because they are lightweight and pack much more energy into a small space than other power cells.

But storing so much energy in a tiny space, with combustible components separated by ultra-thin walls, makes them susceptible to overheating if exposed to high temperatures, damage or flaws in manufacturing. 

If the separators fail, a chemical reaction can quickly escalate out of control. 

Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president told reporters in Seoul: 'The flaw in the manufacturing process resulted in the negative electrodes and the positive electrodes coming together.'

It is unclear how Samsung failed to discover the battery problem before launching the Note 7.  

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