Samsung posts strong domestic Galaxy Note 7 sales after recall

Smartphone giant Samsung posted strong sales of its Galaxy Note 7 at the weekend, after reintroducing the device in South Korea following a global recall due to safety issues.

Two-and-a-half million Note 7s were recalled after a battery issue led to complaints of explosions and the phone catching fire while charging.

But Samsung said that sales of the phone were strong over the weekend in South Korea, where it was relaunching for the first time.

The company claims that 15,000 units of the new phones were sold on the 1 October relaunch, with a total of 45,000 reached over the weekend as a whole.

Despite a short delay in the reintroduction of the Note 7, Samsung ensured that the device would go back on the shelves before rival Apple's iPhone 7 becomes available in Korea next week.

Samsung is reportedly losing ground in the US, as fewer than 1 in 5 people who bought the phone originally will stick with it after the re-release.