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Durban - Samsung's controversial Note 7 smartphone, which has become synonymous with dangerous explosions across the globe, is still going on sale in South Africa later this year.
Samsung Electronics South Africa announced on Tuesday that its Galaxy Note 7 will be available in South Africa from November.
This comes after the company previously postponed its September 23 Note 7 launch in South Africa amid complaints of exploding batteries in other parts of the world.
Samsung has had to undergo a recall in places such as the US where the handset had already been launched.
“As the Galaxy Note 7 had not been officially launched in the South African market at the time the battery cell challenges were identified, we took the decision not to release the handset into the South African market until these challenges are overcome," said Craige Fleischer, a director at Samsung Electronics South Africa.
"As such, the Galaxy Note 7 will be available in South Africa in November,” said Fleischer.
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The launch of the Note 7 was marred by reports of exploding batteries with several airlines around the world - including South African Airways (SAA) - banning the charging and usage of the device on board flights.
READ: SAA bans charging of 'exploding' Samsung Note 7
On September 14, the company announced that it would be releasing a software update to help reduce the risk of incidents relating to the battery cell issues by limiting the maximum battery charge to 60%.
But Samsung Electronics South Africa has promised that local versions of the Note 7 will have safe batteries and that the software update won't be necessary.
“As the Galaxy Note 7 has not yet officially been launched in South Africa, this will not be applicable to the South African market. South African customers will receive Galaxy Note 7’s that offers full battery usage,” Fleischer said.
However Fleischer believes that while the delay in the launch of the Galaxy Note 7 in South Africa is disappointing, it will be worth the wait for consumers.
“The Galaxy Note 7 will take the smartphone to the next level in terms of design, power and performance, providing users with a seamless transition between work and play,” he said.
“Moreover, the new phone offers additional features, such as water resistance and upgraded security features, including the latest iris scanning technology, the first of its kind to be available in South Africa,” Fleischer added.
Initial reports suggested that charging the device without the original charger led to the risk of exploding batteries.
Numerous reports of devices exploding while charging, including car and house fires, were blamed on the Note 7.
