Originally Posted by
eternaltransit
Well, that's the issue - if it was fine on the balance of probabilities, then would the FAA go to such a step to ban them on board, not just in cabin?
I'm not sure pax are qualified to make those judgements and to disregard policy (and law in the US) just because you can get away with it and you think it won't cause any problems, doesn't make it acceptable, imho. You're not just saying you know better than the experts, but are also willing to put everyone else on the plane at risk because of your own judgement.
US law is irrelevant for a flight from Southern Africa to the Middle East on a UAE aircraft. Also I suspect it's more a "cover our ***" move. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense broadly speaking but I think in this specific case it would not be unreasonable.
Do Samsung devices not have removable batteries these days? If so discard the battery and return the device without it. Problem solved.