The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is done

Here's two things you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note7.

Number one, don't buy this phone. Ever. Whichever version. 

Number two, if you already own a Galaxy Note7, turn it off right now. Then return it to the place of purchase as soon as possible and ask for a different phone as a replacement. 

SEE ALSO: It's time for Samsung to explain what the hell is wrong with the Note7

Not only because the original phone's battery was faulty, causing more than 90 instances of the phone spontaneously catching fire. Not only because Samsung's replacement devices — in at least five cases at this point — appear to be having the same/similar issue. Not only because AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have all halted replacement sales of the device over the weekend. And not even because of this report, which claims Samsung has stopped producing the phone. 

Most of all, you should avoid the Note7 like the plague because there's mounting evidence that Samsung hasn't been honest about what's happening. 

When the first wave of reports about the exploding Note7 hit, Samsung appeared to have handled the situation relatively gracefully. The company did not wait too long to admit the issue, and launched a recall program soon after that.

But Samsung's explanation of what's wrong with the Note7's batteries has been lacking. The company said the batteries are "overheating," and gave a vague reason of why this is happening, saying "there was an issue with the battery cell. An overheating of the battery cell occurred when the anode-to-cathode came into contact which is a very rare manufacturing process error."

That's fine, but it appears that this particular error, rare as it may be, is mostly happening with the Note7 devices. What's different in those Note7 battery cells that makes them overheat? What has Samsung done to make sure this never happens again? After all, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the Note7 aren't very different, at least in terms of specs and design. Should Edge owners be worried as well? 

Whatever the battery fault may be, Samsung hasn't fixed it, since that overheating/catching fire thing is happening to replacement Note7s as well. So Samsung either doesn't really know what's happening (a scary thought) — and yet keeps on selling the Note7 phones — or it isn't telling the whole truth about the issue (an even scarier thought).

One message, allegedly received by Kentucky resident Michael Klering during a text conversation with Samsung after his replacement Note7 caught fire, points to the latter. 

"Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it," reads the message, apparently inadvertently sent to Klering by a Samsung rep. 

While we don't know the exact context, and have not independently verified the veracity of the message, it definitely sounds like Samsung's primary concern here is reducing the fallout from the Note7 fiasco (for reference, the company later told WKYT that it "cannot confirm that this incident involves the Note7.") 

The message is all the more chilling when you know that this is not the first report of a replacement Note7 device catching fire. A plane was evacuated due to smoke coming from a replacement Note7 three days earlier. As reports of fiery replacement Note7s piled up — Samsung kept reiterating that it "cannot confirm" that a new Note7 was to blame. 

That explanation held water in the first couple of days. Now, it's been two weeks now since the first one, and Samsung didn't have time to confirm any of these incidents? At the time of this writing, the company's official press room does not mention anything about the replacement Galaxy Note7s not being safe; in fact, the last Note7-related press release is self-praise, which claims that there "have been only a small number of reported incidents" and that many customers "are choosing to stick with device."

Mashable contacted Samsung for comment about this incident, as well as news about top U.S. carriers stopping replacement programs for the Note7. See Samsung's comments at the end of this article. 

We're aware that a second recall — which, at this point, sounds imminent — would very probably be the death of the Note7. It's quite possible that Samsung can muster a properly working Note7 on the third try — but will anyone trust the company enough to buy one? 

Samsung should've warned us about the replacement Note7s already; that way, we'd trust its intentions. As is, not only is the Note7 dead; the Samsung brand is severely tarnished as well. 

UPDATE: Oct. 10, 2016, 1:16 p.m. CEST On Monday, Samsung has published a statement on its U.S. website, saying that it "understands the concern our carriers and consumers must be feeling after recent reports have raised questions about our newly released replacement Note7 devices." 

Samsung "continues to move quickly to investigate the reported case to determine the cause and will share findings as soon as possible. We remain in close contact with the CPSC throughout this process. If we conclude a safety issue exists, we will work with the CPSC to take immediate steps to address the situation," the statement reads. 

UPDATE: Oct. 10, 2016, 2:52 p.m. CEST Samsung has responded to some of our queries. On the subject of the company stopping production of the Note7, a company rep said it is "temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters."

When asked about claims made by Mr. Klering, Samsung said the following: "We want to reassure our customers that we take every report seriously and we are engaged with Mr. Klering to ensure we are doing everything we can for him. Customer safety remains our highest priority as we are investigating the matter."