Galaxy Note 7 is ‘Dead’; What to do Next?

Officially, the Galaxy Note 7 is 'dead'.

Samsung has officially ceased the production and sales of the ill-famed smartphone after failure to correct a problem that causes the devices to burst into flames.

The tech giant announced that it was discontinuing the popular but problematic phone on October 11 due to various reports that replacement Galaxy Note 7s were overheating and catching fire.

Consumers using any Note 7, including replacement units, are warned and advised by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to power them down immediately and return them to wherever they were originally purchased, as reported by The Verge.

Furthermore, carriers have issued statements letting customers know that replacement Note 7s can be exchanged for another handset from Samsung or other manufacturers

So what to do next? According to USA Today, here are the few answers to some of the questions users may have if they still have a Galaxy Note 7:

How can I exchange my Note 7?

All the major carriers as well as major retailers like Best Buy have stopped sales of the Note 7 and are allowing users to bring the phones in to exchange them for another phone of your choice.

Consumers can head over to your local AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon store and you can get rid of the Note 7 the same day. You won't even need you to bring any receipt or box, they just need the phone.

However, not every carrier is doing this. T-Mobile told USA Today they were not doing a similar offer.

What if I've already paid for the phone or am on a payment plan?

The carriers are refunding any payments you've made for the phone, regardless of whether you paid for it all upfront or are using one of the monthly payment plans.

If you are on a payment plan that will be cancelled, so there's no need to be of concern about future payments.

There's nothing wrong with mine. What if I want to keep it?

Accordingly, the Note 7 was an excellent device and has enthused a lot from customers. On the other hand, the problem with Note 7 is that its potentially exploding battery is very real.

There is a probable cause and justifiable reason why Samsung, the FAA, wireless carriers and the U.S. CPSC have all said to stop using the phones.

What are the best replacement options?

The good news is that there are plenty of good replacement options available. If you want to stick with Samsung, you may also try the Galaxy S7 Edge, which has many of the Note's impressive features.

Users can also try the latest offers from Apple iPhone 7. For android fanatics, smartphones like G V20, Google Pixel XL, latest Moto Z phones from Motorola, the HTC 10 from HTC and OnePlus 3 are also solid Android options if you want to stick with Android but not with Samsung.