Samsung to push back Galaxy Note 7 sales restart date

South Korea-based phonemaker Samsung has delayed its reintroduction of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to stores in its home country, after the device was recalled following safety issues.

Two-and-a-half million devices were recalled by the company after dozens of the phones were reported as having exploded due to battery problems.

The original date for the restart of sales was 28 September, but officials have said now that this will be pushed back to 1 October.

Samsung announced an exchange programme on 2 September, where customers who had purchased a Galaxy Note 7 could send it back and receive a new one.

The global recall affects 10 markets. In South Korea, half of the 400,000 customers have already returned the phones, leaving 200,000 who have still not yet done so.

"The recall rate will likely fall sharply should new sales have resumed on Sept. 28," Samsung said in a statement.

The recall could not have come at a more difficult time for Samsung, as it battles it out with rival Apple for market share in a saturated smartphone market.

Apple recently released its flagship iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models in the same month as Samsung's technical difficulties.