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As reports flood in of replacement Galaxy Note 7s still catching fire, Samsung is temporarily halting the production of its flagship phablet

The Galaxy Note 7 was a beautiful device that could've secured Samsung's place at the top of the market. It has instead been a total disaster

Samsung has temporarily suspended production of the Galaxy Note 7 as reports begin to emerge of replacement handsets catching on fire. The company has been widely criticised for its mishandling of the recall at a critical time for the business.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported an anonymous official at Samsung as saying the company has temporarily put a stop to the production of the Galaxy Note 7. The halt is reportedly being made in cooperation with safety regulators from the US, South Korea and China.

This announcement follows reports of replacement Note 7s smoking and catching on fire, suggesting Samsung has failed to fix the battery issue plaguing the device.

The Galaxy Note 7 has been nothing short of a disaster for Samsung. The phone received glowing reviews when it launched, thanks to range of high-end features and an elegant design. However, as reports emerged that some devices were catching fire while charging, Samsung was forced to initiate a recall programme. The phone was even banned on some major airlines due to the safety risks it posed.

The Galaxy Note 7 has been nothing short of a disaster for Samsung

Samsung has also received heavy criticism for its handling of the recall. The company took several weeks before initiating the programme, and offered a halfway solution of limiting the phone’s battery capacity to 60 percent in some regions. Samsung had sold 2.5m Galaxy Note 7s before the crisis.

With reports that replacement phones are now suffering the same problem, US retailers AT&T and T-Mobile have announced they are no longer exchanging Note 7s and are instead offering alternative devices.

The crisis has come at a critical time for Samsung. Apple’s new iPhone 7 was met with a lukewarm reception, giving Samsung the opportunity to capture greater market share with its far more impressive device. Also, with the launch of Google’s Pixel phone, it is now facing renewed competition from within the Android device market.