The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is an Android-based phablet designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Samsung Electronics. It was unveiled on August 2, 2016, and officially released on August 19, 2016, as the successor to the Galaxy Note 5. It is Samsung’s first phone with a USB-C connector and the Galaxy Note series’ last phone with a physical home button. But did you know that it was prone to exploding?
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phone exploded so frequently that the company issued an update that bricked any unreturned gadgets.
The Burning and Exploding Phone
Four months after recalling its acclaimed Galaxy Note 7 phone, Samsung has finally revealed what caused Note 7 phones from two different batches to catch fire in the first place: a design flaw in the first battery and a manufacturing flaw in the second.
Making the findings of Samsung’s investigation public signals the end of one drama that Samsung would surely prefer to put behind it while also ushering in a new one: life after the Note 7 saga and what will happen with its future phones.
The one certainty is that Samsung’s phone batteries will be subjected to much stricter testing procedures in the future, testing for the types of failures that its pre-Note 7 protocol did not detect. We also know that Samsung will apply new or improved testing standards to its 2017 flagships, such as the curve-screen Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8, X-raying each battery and visually inspecting it.
When the second recall happened, that was the exact time that we were starting the design of the battery for the S8. All new manufacturing processes are reflected on all 2017 models.
DJ Koh, Samsung’s Mobile Chief
(Source: CNET)
Why Did the Batteries Explode?
The short version is that lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in mobile phones, contain flammable chemicals that are typically separated within the battery structure. And what if they come into contact for any reason? Massive overheating and internal fires occur at this time. This happened in the original and replacement batteries for two completely different reasons.
Battery A
The original Note 7 batteries had a design flaw that deformed the negative electrode within the battery, causing it to come into contact with the positive electrode within the battery pouch. The pouch is the container that holds all the parts together.
The battery manufacturer designed the pouch such that it did not have sufficient space around the upper right hand corner to allow for the normal expansion and contraction of the battery that occurs when you go through normal charge and discharge cycles.
Justin Denison, Vice President, Samsung US Marketing
(Source: CNET)
Battery Replacement
The issue with the batteries in the replacement phones was unique. This one came down to welding issues and a critical component missing from some handsets.
But Samsung and its partners discovered another issue. The insulation tape that separated the two volatile elements was not present on every phone. Some phones were missing the separator entirely, a quality control issue that exacerbated Samsung’s problems.
The failure of the second battery was the final nail in the coffin for the Note 7. Because Samsung couldn’t replace tainted Note 7s with guaranteed safe ones, the company had to admit defeat, recalling the entire batch of replacement phones and discontinuing production of its best-selling phone.
(Source: CNET)
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