Samsung said that it had conducted a thorough investigation and found an isolated battery cell problem. For safety reasons it has stopped sales of the phones until it is clear which ones have the dodgy batteries.

“For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we now ask that you power down your device and return to using your previous phone. We will voluntarily replace your Galaxy Note7 device with a new one, beginning on September 19th,” Samsung said.

Samsung said that it knows that this is an inconvenience but it was working closely with its "partners" to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.

Apparently UK customers will be contacted by the provider or operator from which they purchased the product to arrange their device exchange.

Until a replacement device is provided, Samsung asks all customers with a Galaxy Note7 smartphone to power down their devices and return it to its place of purchase at the earliest opportunity.

Those who pre-ordered their phones will have to wait a bit longer but they will have the correct batteries in them.