Samsung Announces Cause of Note 7 Fiasco
Samsung has finally gone public about what really went wrong with the Note 7 batteries. Just when Samsung was ready to take on Apple, the Note 7 started going up in flames. After issuing replacement phones, these also started randomly catching on fire. These malfunctions costed Samsung over $5 billion, & threatened to tarnish their reputation as one of the world’s leading cellphone makers. What made this anomaly even more perplexing was the fact that the malfunctions came from two different battery manufacturers. There were two different problems, which put Samsung’s quality control under extreme scrutiny.
After several months of investigation, the Korean tech giant hosted a conference in Seoul. Based on findings from leading independent industry groups, the causes of the battery fires were explained in depth. Step by step, they ruled out problems with the Note 7’s hardware & software. While the software was vindicated, both batteries contained catastrophic defects. These design flaws led them to short circuit, causing the entire phone to go up in flames.
Samsung Reviews the Note 7 Fires
“The odds that two different suppliers had issue with the same phone is an extremely low likelihood and may signal we have reached an inflection point in smartphone battery technology,” said Patrick Moorhead, president of technology analyst and advisory firm Moor Insights & Strategy.
Despite causing billions of dollars in damages, Samsung is still working with the same battery producers. Instead of taking legal actions against their suppliers, Samsung is helping them improve product safety. This was a bold move, but it’s also a refreshing example of accepting responsibility. Samsung SDI Co Ltd announced that they will invest 150 billion won ($129 million) to guarantee the safety of their products. The other producer, China’s Amperex Technology Ltd, refused to comment. But undoubtedly this fiasco will force them to step up efforts or lose their partnership with Samsung.
To avoid future incidents, Samsung is implementing an 8 point battery check system on all new phones. This rigorous quality control includes: durability test, visual inspection, x-ray, charge & discharge test, TVOC test, disassembling test, accelerated usage test & OCV test. While all these measures may seem extreme, Samsung is taking no chances. The Galaxy S8 has already been delayed as they examine every detail before its debut. This release has to go off without a hitch, & the company’s entire reputation depends on it.
Now that the Note 7 fiasco has finally been identified, the future looks bright for Samsung. As long as the Galaxy S8 doesn’t go up in smoke, the time is right for a comeback. Fortunately, Samsung was saved from this debacle by their massive array of products. Their wide reach into nearly every tech market helped ease the blow. In fact, they even reported gains in the flat wider market. The recent success of their memory chips helped raise their shares by 2.3%. There still isn’t a date for the Galaxy S8, but experts predict an April release. It’s no surprise that Samsung is taking no chances, since it will undoubtedly decide their fate in the smartphone industry.