Samsung suspends sales of Galaxy Note 7 after smartphones catch fire

Korean manufacturer confirms 35 cases of newly launched devices exploding while being charged, and offers exchanges but stops short of full recall

Samsung has suspended sales of its brand-new top-end Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and is offering replacements for anyone who has already purchased one, but has stopped short of a full recall.

Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business, said on Friday, two weeks after the Note 7's launch: "We have received several reports of battery explosions on the Note 7... and it has been confirmed that it was a battery cell problem. There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process so it was very difficult to find out."