No suggestion of a wider Chinese recall yet, as a different battery supplier is said to have been used in the country.
The Chinese authorities have recalled 1,858 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones partly sold “through an official Samsung website before the Sept. 1 launch, as part of a testing scheme,” according to Reuters.
In the early days of the Note 7 recall, it was believed that a recall wouldn’t be necessary in China, as a different battery supplier was used in the country. (It’d been widely reported, but not confirmed, that Samsung SDI made the batteries in units which have been catching fire.) It’s still possible that’s the case; the “testing scheme” units may have been earlier handsets with a different battery, although we’re speculating here.
It’s also reported that China’s civil aviation authority will ban the use and charging of Galaxy Note 7s in-flight, as well as their carriage in checked luggage. It’s unclear how this changes anything, though. Under existing rules for air travel in China, Li-ion batteries may not be carried in the hold, and Chinese airlines already prohibit the use of any smartphones in-flight, even in airplane mode, while in Chinese airspace.
The move does however bring China in line with most other major aviation authorities and airlines, which have instituted similar rules over fears of Note 7-related fires or explosions.
More: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 7 recall
