Samsung says shipments of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have been delayed for quality control testing.

A company official said Thursday that the delay was caused by additional tests for quality evaluation. Spokeswoman Sophia Kim said media reports that Samsung halted shipments of the flagship phone are not true.

(Read also: Samsung maintains lead over Apple in smartphone market)

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It is unusual for Samsung to confirm a delay in sales of a device. 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 were reported.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7 on Aug. 19 in some markets including South Korea and the U.S. The phone features an iris scanner that lets users unlock the phone by detecting patterns in the eyes.

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