On Oct. 15, the FAA banned Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 from all flights because of an incident where a replacement phone caught fire, forcing all passengers to evacuate the plane. Since then, Samsung has discontinued the Galaxy Note 7.

On Aug. 30, less than two weeks after its debut, the first report of a Galaxy catching fire was released in a video by a consumer. After more cases emerged, Samsung issued a recall of all Galaxy Note 7 phones, saying the company would replace the phones with safer ones. Three weeks later, Samsung released the replacements only to discover that the replacement phones also catch fire. This prompted Samsung to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 permanently. 

Both the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Samsung have investigated the incidents. They have yet to release a statement, but many other tech companies have shared their views on the topic. These companies believe the cause of the fires is due to the size of the Galaxy Note 7. When Samsung packed all of their new features into this phone without changing the size, the battery pack became too cramped inside the phone. This caused the flammable fluid inside to leak out through punctures in the pack and interact with parts of the phone it should not, causing the phone to catch fire.

Mt. Hebron Junior Mac Cumiskey, a devoted Samsung user, defended the company, saying, “It’s not their fault. It’s the supplier of their batteries’ fault.”

Although many Samsung users have switched companies, others have chosen to stick with them.  

Unlike Cumiskey, consumers are wary to go back and buy another Samsung phone, leading to a rise in the sale of Apple products and a decrease in Samsung’s stock. With the release of Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, consumers switching sides are given a broader range of phones to choose from.

Sophomore Caroline Siedlecki, a long-time Apple user, said, “These defects make me dislike [Samsung] even more.”

Samsung’s issues have caused many Apple users, just like Siedlecki, to be reassured in their choice of phone company.

The defects in the Galaxy Note 7 were mistakes that Samsung promises to fix in the future. Although those problems might be fixed soon enough, it will be a while until Samsung gains back the trust of its consumers.