Samsung may have been at CES to unveil its latest line of TVs and smart home products, but there was one elephant in the room that had to be addressed: the Note 7.
Tim Baxter, president of Samsung Electronics America, understated things somewhat when he said 2016 had been a "challenging year" for the company, which discontinued the flagship smartphone after reports of a number of fires.
Samsung has not yet made public the cause of the problems, but speaking at CES, Mr Baxter said the company would reveal the the root cause of the problem “very soon”.
“We continue our intensive efforts internally and with third-party experts to understand what happened and to make sure it does not happen again, and very soon we will be sharing the root cause report on the Note 7,” he said. “Despite our setbacks, we have not, nor will we, stop innovating.”
The company was also forced to recall some washing machines in the US due to the risk of explosion.
But there was plenty of new tech for Samsung to display, including its latest flagship TV, the Q8C QLED TV. The 75-inch screen uses Samsung’s Quantum dot technology, which claims to deliver better colour than before.
Smart applicances were also back on the agenda, with the company announcing it would integrate the touchscreen Family Hub system in more of its fridges. across their refrigerator line-up. Users can also interact with Family Hub through voice comands now, after a software update.
Samsung also revealed new washing machines and dryers — the FlexWash and FlexDry, both of which are capable of carrying two loads at once.
Additional reporting: PA
