The news of Samsung revealing the results of its investigation spread like wildfire last weekend, and the world now finally knows the answer to one of the most burning questions of the year 2016. The results showed that the previously blamed quick-charging mechanism and the USB-C connector had nothing to do with the phones catching fire. Instead, Samsung mentions that there was a host of small problems related to batteries used inside the phone that resulted in the huge mess.
The investigation consisted of 700 engineers and researchers working on 200,000 devices and testing more than 30,000 batteries. The research also included three different groups, UL, Exponent, and TUV Rheinland, with each team presenting independent results.
The Galaxy Note 7 was using two different types of battery manufacturers, referred to as “battery A” and “battery B” by Samsung. Battery A was present in the first set of phones that were recalled before September, while the battery B was used to replace the first exploding phones after the first recall.
The report from Exponent, UL, and TUV Rheinland state that the problem occurred because of the battery A’s deformity on the upper-right corner. This deformity caused the electrodes inside the battery to bend and combust on rising temperatures. The report also pins the blame for the battery itself being too large for the cell pouch in a bid to “accommodate the electrode assembly.”
The problem with the battery B was an entirely different one, with the design being perfect yet,
“internal cell faulting between positive electrode tab welding defects and the copper foil of the negative electrode directly opposite the defective welds.”
The welding defects occurred during the manufacturing process, which Samsung thinks resulted due to their insistence on starting the production too quickly to make up for the lost sales.
These findings somewhat match the ones published in The Wall Street Journal last week. And they also point out the same problems as reported earlier by a startup Instrumental, which brought attention to the Note 7’s battery being too large for its pouch even before the first recall.
The results have been released after three and a half months of rigorous investigations. Samsung finally recalled all of their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones three months back, after the fire debacle began in late August, publishing an official apology and promising to reveal the causes behind the problem.
Now the world is watching how Samsung goes about winning back the trust of their investors and customers. One of their greatest challenges is to convince people that they have learned their lesson both from a design point of view as well as in prioritizing manufacturing safety over the mighty dollar as the Galaxy S8 launch approaches fast.
How do you think the battery explosion issue of Note 7 will affect the sales of Galaxy S8? Comment below!