Update: Samsung on Friday issued a statement in which it said they have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7 and will voluntarily replace all sold devices over the coming weeks.
Samsung earlier this week said it was delaying shipments of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in order to conduct additional product quality tests. Although the Samsung representative didn't specify the nature of the tests, scuttlebutt suggested it may be related to a potential battery defect.
Those tests have reportedly resulted in the discovery of a faulty battery that will trigger an unprecedented recall of all new Galaxy Note 7 handsets according to a report from Yonhap News Agency.
Citing a Samsung official that wished to remain anonymous, the South Korean electronics giant will announce the results of its investigation as early as this weekend or early next week. The official said products installed with the faulty battery account for less than 0.1 percent of the entire volume sold and that the issue can be resolved simply by swapping out the battery.
The most important thing, the official told the publication, is the safety of their customers and that they don't want to disappoint their loyal fans.
The recall likely won't happen Friday as Samsung is still talking with US-based wireless carriers and other business partners on the matter. That said, the official affirms that Samsung has no intentions of delaying the recall announcement or hiding the results of its investigation.
Industry watchers tell the publication that Samsung could use the recall to upgrade its credibility with customers, assuming of course that it handles things promptly and convincingly.
Keep in mind that as of writing, nothing has been confirmed by Samsung which puts this squarely in the rumor category.
Image courtesy TechRadar