“For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.”
It is believed that less than 0.1 per cent of devices are affected by the battery issue, but that the phone may not be back on sale until October or November.
The Galaxy Note 7, released in ten countries including the UK, had received positive reviews, with many praising its 64GB memory and bigger screen. However, various accounts of explosions led to questions being raised.
One user on Kakao Story, a social media network in Korea, posted: “There was another explosion of the Galaxy Note 7. It was my friend’s phone.
“A Samsung employee checked the site and he is currently in talks over the compensation with Samsung.
“You should use its original charger just in case and leave the phone far away from where you are while charging.”
Investors have not been not impressed and the shares dropped 2% in Korea before the announcement, wiping almost £4 billion off Samsung’s market value.
Shares in sister firm Samsung SDI, the main supplier of batteries for the Galaxy Note 7, also fell.
