Samsung will finally, officially sell the Galaxy Note 7 in the UK and Europe from 28 October, as long as safe shipments have arrived and all replacement devices have been issued by then.

The company confirmed the new on-sale date in a press release sent to Pocket-lint, but added that it depended on "full completion of the exchange programme".

CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe, David Lowes, also urged customers who received phones from carriers before the recall to exchange their phones: "We have worked hard to bring replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones to Europe so we can ensure the safety of our customers and minimise their inconvenience," he said.

"We would like to thank our customers for their patience and loyalty to Samsung and the Galaxy Note 7. For our remaining customers, we urge them to act now, exchange the device and get a brand new Galaxy Note 7 today."

It has been a troubling and hugely expensive time for Samsung, although as the phone wasn't to be fully released until 2 September in Europe, the main stock hadn't yet got into customers hands.

The global recall has been more painful in the US and Korea.

Brighter news for Samsung is that the vast majority of early Note 7 owners were happy to simply exchange them for direct replacement.

Since the replacement programme began last week, 57 per cent of European Note 7s have been exchanged. And around 90 per cent of customers chose another Note 7.