Note 7 discontinued | How to exchange Note 7 or get a refund on Note 7: Samsung stands to lose a further £2.5bn following Note 7 debacle

What to do with Note 7: Refund or exchange

If you have a Galaxy Note 7 in your possession, switch it off and do not charge it. Ideally, take your SIM card out and use another phone in the meantime if you have a spare. If you have photos or other documents on the device which you'd like to retrieve, you'll have to do this at your own risk.

If you've not been contacted by Samsung or the retailer you bought it from then don't wait around, contact them about a refund – which you are entitled to since the Note 7 is a faulty product. Some networks may offer you an alternative smartphone instead of a refund so ask if that's what you prefer.

Please follow these links for information from Samsung, EE, Three and Carphone Warehouse. If you're looking for Note 7 alternatives, check out our best phone 2016 chart.

Update 11 October (part 2): Just hours after the below news, Samsung has decided to kill the Galaxy Note 7 for good. "We can confirm the report that Samsung has permanently discontinued the production of Galaxy Note7," the firm said in a statement.

Update 11 October: Following the continued issues with Note 7 batteries, Samsung has finally decided to stop sales completely, and the exchange programme, while it investigates further. This could well be the end of the Note 7 for good but we'll be keeping an eye on the situation going forward. For now, power down and do not use the Note 7 if you have one. Take it back to the retailer for a refund or to exchange it for a different model.

Samsung said: "We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place."

"We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available."

Update 10 October: After seemingly replacing phones and batteries successfully, Samsung has halted production of the Note 7 due to more problems. Via The Verge, a total of three replacement device have caught fire. Two US mobile networks have stopped selling the phone. Until Samsung sorts out this major issue we don't advice purchasing a Note 7. Samsung said: "We are temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters."

Head to this Samsung page if you have a Note 7 which needs replacing or contact the retailer you purchased it from for a full refund.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: What you need to do now

The Note 7 should have gone on sale on 2 September, but Samsung instead took the decision to halt sales when faced with a battery cell issue, and began offering to replace handsets that had already shipped to customers.

According to an official statement from Samsung, "there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note 7."

A company statement on the Samsung Korea site appears to suggest this delay will push back the on sale date by a couple of weeks, and the latest reports suggest the Note 7 will be shipping once again in October (Samsung will be replacing Note 7 handsets in the UK from 19 September).

The Note 7 will begin shipping on 1 October in Korea, by which time the company expects the recall to be 80 percent complete, and in the US on 21 October and the UK and Europe on 28 October.

However, we're hearing reports that where the phone has gone back on sale customers have been finding issues with it overheating and quickly losing battery power, even while charging.

We've seen reports of faulty Note 7s setting fire and causing serious damage to their owner's belongings - for example, one faulty model destroyed its owner's Jeep when it set alight inside it:

Here's another Galaxy Note 7 that appears to have got a little warm:

We're now seeing reports that handsets bought in China (originally left out of the recall since their batteries were sourced elsewhere) are catching fire. According to CNN Money, a new Galaxy Note 7 bought in late September in China burst into flames while charging, and Samsung is said to be investigating the incident. Four incidents have now been reported in China, though two have been rebutted by Samsung.

Samsung Electronics USA's president has offered an apology, and urges customers to have their Note 7 handsets replaced no later than Wednesday 21 September.

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Google Pixel, Pixel XL: Five Features Only Pixel Phone Users Will Get

At its event in San Francisco, Google announced the launch of two new phones,the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL, as well as the starting price in India and other markets. The Pixel starts at Rs. 57,000 for the 32GB variant, and the Pixel XL will set you back by Rs. 67,000 for the 32GB variant. 

              The two phones are identical except or the screen size and resolution, apart from the battery capacity, and both are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with 4GB of RAM. They come with the same 8-megapixel front camera, and 12.3-megapixel rear camera, and in many ways live up to the premium pricing. You can see the full specifications of the Google Pixel andGoogle Pixel XL.

1) Unlimited photo and video storage for life

As a regular user of Google Photos, you can back up your images without having to pay a paisa. It's great, but Google compresses the images to a "high-quality" size. That's not really an issue if you're only going to be viewing the images on your phone's screen, but if you're taking printouts, or perhaps viewing them on a 4K monitor, then the compression starts to look bad. Google's Pixel phones will offer unlimited backups of photos and videos at full resolution - even videos recorded at 4K will be backed up for free on the cloud, with no limit.

2) Smart storage

You know what's better than having unlimited backups? Not having to worry about managing unlimited backups. Google calls this feature Smart Storage, and it automatically removes images and videos from your phone to the cloud when it decides that you're running short on space. It picks the files automatically so you're not wasting time managing your storage, and thanks to the unlimited backups Google is offering, you don't lose out on the quality of your videos at all.

This means that your 32GB storage will still be adequate for use, even if you decide to film 4K videos - the files will just live on the cloud instead of filling up your phone needlessly.

3) Google Assistant

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL are the first smartphones with Google Assistant built-in. Google Assistant is the new smart assistant that some of the people reading would already have experienced thanks toAllo. The Assistant gets promoted to the home screen, and you can call it up with a long-press on the home button.

The Assistant is more than just a voice search interface - it's backed up by AI smarts, and it contextualises the information it digs up through your earlier interactions. In our usage of Allo, the Assistant came across as a work in progress, but Google says that the more you use it, the more useful it will become. As of now, you can already use it to add events to your calendar, make a grocery list, and navigate home.

Google has told Gadgets 360 that the feature will be coming to other phones, but didn't announce a timeline for this.

4) Pixel Launcher

Google's Pixel Launcher is exclusive to the Pixel phones, and is the evolution of the Google Now Launcher. This includes replacing Google Now with the Google Assistant, a dynamic calendar icon that shows you the date in a glance, a revamped app drawer, new, round app icons, and more.

Google might bring it to more devices down the line, though given the name, don't get your hopes up for this happening in the near future. Sideloading could be an option, as was demonstrated when the unofficial version leaked last month.

5) 24/7 customer support

One of the biggest problems with buying a phone is getting customer support. Google is aware of this, and is offering 24/7 customer support via both voice and text and it also has a screen sharing solution so that the tech-support can directly see what's on your screen to diagnose problems. It's an optional setting, in case you were worrying about security issues.

Putting this in place requires a lot of manpower, which is why Google can't roll this particular feature out to all phones, though of course, other manufacturers could add a similar feature themselves if they wanted to.

Bonus

One of the coolest offerings of the event was also one of the smallest - Google's Quick Switch feature and dongle. The adapter will enable you to quickly switch to a Pixel phone, copying all your data from an iPhone or another Android handset with on-screen instructions to transfer your data.

Other brands including Samsung and Motorola have their own solutions to migrating from other hardware so this isn't completely unique, though the implementation is slick and appealing.

What do non-Pixel users get?

The Pixel phones also launch with Android 7.1 Nougat before anyone else gets to use the operating system. However, this at least isn't exclusive to them, and the rest of us will get the new OS at some point in the line. Android 7.1 also brings some cool features that people will benefit from though this will take some time to happen.

1) Daydream VR The biggest of these is clearly Daydream VR - support for the Daydream View headset and Google's new VR ecosystem. As of now, the headset will be certified for use only with the Google Pixel phones but Daydream is supposed to be a platform and phones with Android 7.1 Nougat will also support the use of Daydream View headsets and have access to the Daydream VR platform.

2) Fingerprint gestures Android 7.1 Nougat also gets fingerprint gestures – Among other manufacturers, Coolpad has done something similar with the Coolpad Note 5 but with Android 7.1, you will be able to have features like swiping on the sensor to open notifications as a standard.

3) Night Mode Some Android manufacturers already ship phones with night mode which filters out blue light, and the same is true for iOS. Now Google has made the feature standard and phones from Android 7.1 onwards will also be able to switch to night mode to reduce eyestrain.

It's a small feature that nonetheless has a huge impact, and it's surprising that it wasn't the norm across devices much sooner.

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All about iphone 7 and 7 plus

It might be elitist and beyond the reach for most of us, but no one phone generates as much consumer interest as an Apple iPhone. While it is a good indicator of the fact the iPhone, almost a decade after it launch, is still something people aspire too, it also shows that the Apple phones continue to set the benchmark. So with every new version of the phone there is a lot of fanfare and criticism, which is natural when the expectations are so high.

Apple iPhone 7

The Apple iPhone 7 didn’t have a lot of surprises when it was launched earlier this month. Over the years leaks about new iPhones have been on the rise, a cumulation of all of which gives you an accurate image of what the new phone will be like. This time we all knew there would be muted antenna bands, no 3.5mm headphone jack while it was understood that features like the processor, camera and battery life will improve.

Specifications of iPhone 7: 4.7-inch Retina HD Display with 3D Touch | A-10 Fusion quad-core processor | 2GB RAM + 128GB Storage | 12-MP camera with f/1.8 and OIS + 7MP front camera | 1960 mAh battery | iOS 10

Price: 60,000 onwards; Rs 70,000 for 128GB version

What is good?

I have to start by talking about the overall performance of this phone. Running iOS 10 and powered by the new Apple A10 Fusion processor, this phone is among the smoothest you will use. It is also pretty fast, faster in loading apps, faster in multi-tasking and faster in processing videos. Graphics performance on the phone will leave most gamers happy, while you can easily do some serious video editing using it. If you take benchmarks seriously, then this is right there at the top.

The review unit we had was the new Black, which is actually one of the most stylish smartphones around. There is nothing unique or revolutionary here, just a plain composite black slab that you would love holding any time. And the black version has just enough matte finish to give you a good grip on the phone. Simple design has its wins.

The iPhone 7 has one of the best cameras in a smartphone. It is way brighter than the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus thanks to the f1.8 aperture, but I missed some of the subtlety those cameras brought into low-light photography. In contrast, all low-light photos come out bright and clear with this camera. And with regular light, don’t be surprised if you end up with some real stunners.

One of the new features in the phone is the taptic feedback on the home button. This is an interesting feature, but we will need to wait and see if this actually ends up offering more to the user than just the response.

The iPhone 7 has taken the speakers to a new level. This is one good thing that has emerged from the removal of the 3.5mm jack, which I don’t think is a big deal. The audio is sharp and loud, though you will feel a bit of the vibes on the rear panel.

What is not that good?

I felt the phone was getting warm at times, especially when it was being charged. It also showed some heating while we put it through the benchmark tests and did multi-tab browsing.

The battery life, Apple claims, has improved. But it is still not really enough to keep a user tension-free and his portable power bank at home. On a good day you might get up to 12 hours, but that is not good enough for most of us.

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Forbes' list of world's highest-paid athletes-2016

2016 list

Rank	Name	Sport	Nation	Total	Salary/Winnings	Endorsements
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Football	Portugal	$88 million	$56 million	$32 million
2	Lionel Messi	Football	Argentina	$81.4 million	$53.4 million	$28 million
3	LeBron James	Basketball	United States	$77.2 million	$23.2 million	$54 million
4	Roger Federer	Tennis	Switzerland	$67.8 million	$7.8 million	$60 million
5	Kevin Durant	Basketball	United States	$56.2 million	$20.2 million	$36 million
6	Novak Djokovic	Tennis	Serbia	$55.8 million	$21.8 million	$34 million
7	Cam Newton	American football	United States	$53.1 million	$41.1 million	$12 million
8	Phil Mickelson	Golf	United States	$52.9 million	$2.9 million	$50 million
9	Jordan Spieth	Golf	United States	$52.8 million	$20.8 million	$32 million
10	Kobe Bryant	Basketball	United States	$50 million	$25 million	$25 million

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PV Sindhu Vs Carolina Marin Badminton Final Highlights: World Champion Marin Is Also Olympic Champion

PV Sindhu won a thrilling first game against Carolina Marin 21-19 but the Spanish World No.1 roared back to win the next two 21-12, 21-15 to become the new Olympic women's badminton champion at Rio. Catch highlights of PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin here. (SCHEDULE | MEDAL TALLY)

21:10 hrs IST: And that's it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it's goodbye. Cheers!

21:04 hrs IST: Marin wins 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 in an hour and 23 minutes.

21:00 hrs IST: Sindhu is a sporting loser. Goes and embraces Sindhu. she has fought hard and proved her talent in Rio. She is the future for sure

20:59 hrs IST: Marin wins it 21-15. The world champion is now the Olympic champion as well

20:58 hrs IST: Marin now three points away from the gold medal (19-14). Marin has six match point opportunities 20-14

20:54 hrs IST:Sindhu has narrowed the gap with Marin 14-16

20:53 hrs IST: And then hits a return wide and give Marin the advantage again. The world champion has a four-point lead again 16-13

20:51 hrs IST: Sindhu makes it 12-15. This is going to be a thriller

20:50 hrs IST: But Marin is aggressive and on a high. Wins a point with a stunning smash and takes the service back 15-11

20:48 hrs IST: Marin breaking away again. Unforced errors from PV Sindhu gives her the advantage here 13-10

20:45 hrs IST: At the change of ends, Marin has a point lead (11-10).

20:44 hrs IST: Sindhu has won six of the last seven points. Against Okuhara in the semis, Sindhu had won 11 straight points to win from 10-10. Can she do that versus Marin today?

20:43 hrs IST: A bodyline smash by Sindhu gives her a great point and then wins a massive rally to level 10-10. What a great comeback by Sindhu here.

20:42 hrs IST: Lovely judgement by Marin in the backline and she has the lead and serve again (10-8)

20:41 hrs IST: A long return by Marin and Sindhu wins her fourth straight point (8-9)

20:40 hrs IST: Sindhu trying to claw back as Marin makes a couple of unforced errors. But Sindhu has to keep up the momentum. Cuts Marin's lead to two points.

20:39 hrs IST: Marin is varying her game well exceedingly well at this stage. Great footwork by the Spaniard. Leads 9-5.

20:37 hrs IST: Marin winning a lot of points on Sindhu's backhand. But the Hyderabad girl is not giving up. Wins a good point on a smash again. Trails 4-7

20:35 hrs IST: A wide crosscourt return by Marin gives Sindhu a point. The Indian wins a second point with a smash. Trails 3-6

20:32 hrs IST: Marin's lovely wrist work is opening gaps in Sindhu's defence. Marin leads 5-1

20:31 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a point and the service back. This will be the time to show her intentions. But an overhead smash goes into the net and Marin leads 3-1 with a free point.

20:29 hrs IST: Marin to serve first in decider and starts with a winner straightaway

20:26 hrs IST: Carolina Marin levels with big win against PV Sindhu in second game 21-12. Marin has been ruthless

20:24 hrs IST: Marin two points away from taking the second game and forcing a decider

20:23 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a couple of points to make it 11-18 but she hits a shot wide and Marin leads 19-11.

20:22 hrs IST: Like the tennis grunts, Marin has her trademark screams. She talks to herself often looking at the opponent. She is looking good with a 18-9 lead vs PV Sindhu

20:21 hrs IST: A lovely down the line smash gives Sindhu a big point. She trails Marin 9-16

20:19 hrs IST: The players trade points. It's Sindhu 8 Marin 16. The Spaniard is finding some amazing angles

20:18 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a TV challenge and makes it 6-13. But she has to win a few points here

20:15 hrs IST: Sindhu winning a point only to lose it the next moment. Marin proving her class in this game. Leads 12-4

20:12 hrs IST: Marin has been relentless. Has a nine-point advantage 11-2. Sindhu is getting some tips from coach Gopichand. This is the time to hold her nerves on a big stage

20:10 hrs IST: Marin stretches her lead to 9-2 to put the pressure on Sindhu

20:09 hrs IST: Marin makes it 6-1. She has been screaming on court to egg herself on

20:07 hrs IST: Sindhu wins her first point on an unforced error by Marin (1-4). But Marin snatches the lead back (5-1)

20:06 hrs IST: Marin in no mood to give up. Closes a rally with a cross court drop. Leads 3-0.

20:05 hrs IST: Sindhu to serve in game No. 2 and Marin wins the point (1-0). She makes it 2-0.

20:03 hrs IST: Sindhu wins the first game 21-19. This has been a superb comeback. Five points in a row and the Indians are roaring.

20:02 hrs IST: Sindhu takes the lead 20-19. Four straight points and the world champion is under pressure.

20:01 hrs IST: It's getting closer for both players Sindhu comes back. She is a point behind at 19-19

19:59 hrs IST: Once again an unforced errors and Sindhu hands Marin the advantage. The Spaniard leads 19-16

19:58 hrs IST: This could be the game changer. Can Sindhu capitalise?

19:57 hrs IST: Sindhu wins the biggest rally of the game. It went for 49 shots. Marin only has a point lead 16-17

19:55 hrs IST: A body smash gives Marin the advantage again. Leads 17-15

19:54 hrs IST: The lead has been cut to just one point. Sindhu is fighting hard 15-16

19:53 hrs IST: Sindhu reduces Marin's lead to just 2 points (13-15). This is the time to strike back.

19:52 hrs IST: Marin's lead swells to 15-11 with a smash on Sindhu's wrong side. However, the Spaniard finds the net and the lead closes to 15-12.

19:51 hrs IST: Sindhu trying to claw back but Marin continues to dictate pace. Another poor return gives the Spaniard a 14-11 lead

19:50 hrs IST: Marin leads 13-9. She is winning a lot of points on errors committed by Sindhu

19:49 hrs IST: Marin continues to find the better angles. Sindhu has been struggling a bit. Must control pace of this match. Marin leads 12-8

19:46 hrs IST: Brilliant net play by Carolina Marin gives her a five-point advantage (11-6)

19:44 hrs IST: Sindhu must control her long returns. She has given away at least four points with long returns that went over the backline. Marin leads 10-6

19:43 hrs IST: Carolina builds a four points lead. Looking stronger than Sindhu.

19:40 hrs IST: Carolina is one of the fastest movers on court. She jumps to a 4-2 lead with a lovely drop and quick smash.

19:39 hrs IST:Players level making early errors but Marin has taken a 4-2 lead.

19:35 hrs IST: Off we go. This is PV Sindhu's biggest match of her career. Her coach Gopichand has told NDTV that she will bring out some special strokes against Carolina Marin. We shall see. Sindhu to serve first

19:33 hrs IST: Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu on their way to the court. Carolina in her red while Sindhu in her lucky yellow for the third straight match.

19:32 hrs IST: Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu on their way to the court. Carolina in her red while Sindhu in her lucky yellow for the third straight match.

19:28 hrs IST: In seven matches between Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu, the World No.1 holds a slight advantage, leading 4-3. This match is too close to call.

19:27 hrs IST: Chen Long has defeated Viktor Axelsen 21-14, 21-15 to advance to the final where he will play Lee Chong Wei. Right, it is time for PV Sindhu to create history, one way or the other.

19:22 hrs IST: Long finds the net but he still maintains a 19-14 lead in the second game.

19:20 hrs IST: Long leads 18-12 in the second game. PV Sindhu's game will begin shortly after this.

19:16 hrs IST: Long leads 14-10. He is closing in on a finals spot. The waiting time for PV Sindhu lessens.

19:15 hrs IST: In other Olympic action, India's Sandeep Tomar has lost 7-3 to Russia's Viktor Lebedev in the 57kg round of 16 freestyle event. However, he still has a chance with repechage.

19:14 hrs IST: Long now leads 12-9 in the second game. It should only be a matter of time before PV Sindhu's game is about to begin.

19:11 hrs IST: Superb word from Axelsen and he is not allowing Long to get away. However, the Chinese shuttler is leading 10-8 in the second game.

19:08 hrs IST: Long is currently leading 8-6. It is not looking good for the Danish shuttler.

19:05 hrs IST: Long has taken a 5-4 lead in the second game. Axelsen is hanging in there.

19:02 hrs IST: Chen Long has won the first game 21-14 in just 23 minutes. PV Sindhu's match could begin shortly if the second game finishes quickly.

18:55 hrs IST: The women's singles bronze has gone to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. She had lost her semis match to PV Sindhu on Thursday. Okuhara won the bronze after China's Li Xuerui failed to turn up after suffering a knee injury yesterday. Li was the defending champion and lost to Carolina Marina in straight games in Rio

18:48 hrs IST: Axelsen has taken a 11-9 lead against Long in the first game. Just to remind, the Sindhu-Marin match will begin only after this match ends.

18:33 hrs IST: This second men's semis match is next on court. That means the Sindhu-Marin women's final match will not start at 6:55 PM IST. Watch this space for more updates

18:31 hrs IST: Chen Long (China) will play with Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the other men's semis.

18:29 hrs IST: The two greats embrace at the net and exchange their shirts in a brilliant show of sportsmanship.

18:28 hrs IST: Lee Chong Wei makes his third straight Olympic final. He had lost to Lin Dan in the last two finals. This has been sweet revenge.

18:27 hrs IST: First news, the men's semifinal between two giants Lin Dan (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) has just got over. Lee has won a marathon match 15-21, 21-11, 22-20. The match lasted an hour and 22 minutes

18:25 hrs IST: A warm welcome to what promises to be a historic day for Indian fans in Badminton.

On paper, PV Sindhu will start as the underdog. On form, the 21-year-old from Hyderabad will back herself to match the left-handed Carolina's aggressive play on court.If Sindhu can upset world No. 1 Carolina Marin in Rio today, she will emulate rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra, who is the only Indian to have won an individual gold in the Olympics. Bindra won gold in the 2008 Beijing Games.

This is Sindhu's maiden Olympics but her relentless form has taken her opponents by surprise. India have certainly not missed Saina Nehwal in Rio.

On Thursday evening, PV Sindhu sent Indian fans into a frenzy by blasting through Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to reach the gold medal decider.

With a huge contingent of home fans roaring "Ole Sindhu, go India!", Sindhu gradually wore down sixth-ranked Okuhara before charging to an emphatic 21-19 21-10 victory at the Riocentro.

A nation that has never punched its weight at the Olympics, India have had a paltry return at Rio, with only a solitary bronze won by freestyle wrestler Sakshi Malik on Wednesday.

Sindhu must deal with the expectations of a billion people when she heads into a tough decider against the twice world champion Carolina Marin, who is used to the big stage.

Carolina Marin hammered China's reigning champion Li Xuerui 21-14 21-16 in the early semi-final. But she will be wary of Sindhu. Carolina has a 4-3 win-loss record against Sindhu.

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