Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shipments delayed amid reports of exploding batteries

Shipments of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have been delayed amid reports of exploding batteries.

A company official said the delay was caused by additional quality evaluation tests.

A spokeswoman for Samsung said the delay only affected the South Korean market, and denied that shipments had been halted.

The move comes after reports in South Korea that some consumers claimed batteries in the jumbo smartphone exploded during charging.

Yonhap News said five to six explosions had been reported. Pictures of damaged phones were uploaded on local online communities, social media and YouTube.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7 on August 19 in some markets including South Korea and the US.

The phone features an iris scanner that lets users unlock the phone by detecting patterns in the eyes.

The Galaxy Note 7 is the latest version in a series that features a giant screen and a stylus.

The smartphones are among the most expensive released by Samsung.