Mobile phones have been prominent in the news lately. Apple and Samsung are two of the major players and both have made recent headlines for very different reasons. Apple is releasing a new iPhone and Samsung has recalled it’s Galaxy Note 7 phones due the fault causing them to explode.
Apple is releasing the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus this month. The phone was available for pre-order from September 9th and will be available for sale on September 16th. The new features include longer battery life, a dual lens higher resolution camera and a controversial move to wireless earphones.
Apple stated their decision to move away from earphone jacks was a move of “courage”. This is more reflective of marketing speak than courage, but it will create more room on the device for a bigger processor and and battery. The replacements for the traditional earphones have been replaced by earpods. The earpods operate via a Bluetooth connection to a dongle connected to the lightening port on the phone. This has angered some users as the earphones will plug into the lightening port instead of the traditional analogue headphones jack. This means that without an additional adaptor it will no longer be possible to charge your phone and listen to headphones at the same time.
Samsung has also made the news when a Galaxy Note 7 exploded while charging in a Florida man’s car. He left it connected to his charger on his dashboard while unpacking his boot. He was inside his house when he noticed flames shooting out the sides of the car. The fire was caused by a fault in the phone.
Last week Samsung ordered a recall of 2.5 million Note 7 devices after reports emerged of the phones catching fire while charging. If you have purchased the Galaxy 7, Samsung advises that the phone should be powered down and returned to the place of purchase as soon as possible.
Samsung Australia has released a statement that they will replace all phones that are affected by the recall.
If you have any questions about this recall please visit the Samsung website for more information.
