Samsung Note 7 recall findings and the company’s commitment to do better

Last year, multiple Samsung Note 7’s were unexpectedly igniting; causing great concern for users’ safety.

Samsung quickly initiated a recall to replace the faulty batteries. However, it didn’t take long for those to set on fire too. After a thorough investigation into the phones and what exactly caused the ignitions, Samsung has revealed that there were two main reasons; both relating to the batteries in the hand set.

The first reason was reportedly due to a design defect. In an attempt to make the phone sleek and compact, space was severely compromised. According to the findings, the defective design was: “not supplying sufficient space in the battery’s pouch”. This meant that the components inside the phone were being bent. The stress on the separators led to electrodes making contact and short circuiting; igniting shortly after.

The second reason was reportedly due to several manufacturing defects. During the manufacturing process, the phones had an “abnormal welding process”. Because of this, components may have been unsecured and risked short circuiting. In addition to this, Samsung’s investigation found that a number of the tested phones were missing insulation tape. For such compact devices with so many electronic parts, things like insulation tape are commonly needed to prevent them from coming into contact.

The major mobile phone company have insisted that the faults were only with the batteries.

Dongjin Koh, President of Samsung’s mobile communications, reiterated this:

“We deeply looked into everything from battery, hardware, software algorithm, production to distribution. We found nothing problematic other than the batteries.”

Manufacturer Samsung SDI Co Ltd and Chinese firm Amperex Technology Ltd were named by Samsung as the suppliers for the defective components. Samsung has not yet expressed any intentions to be taking legal action against the two companies.

Samsung have not launched an attack against the two companies or even attempted to blame anyone else. On behalf of the company, Koh made a heartfelt apology:

“First of all, I deeply apologise to all of our customers, carriers, retail, and distribution partners… We believe that, as a first step to regain your trust, it is important to provide you with a thorough understanding of the cause behind the Galaxy Note 7 incidents and to implement a comprehensive plan to take preventative measures.”

In light of the entire scandal and recall, Samsung has implemented new quality and safety control measures to prevent a similar incidents happening. The South Korean company has expressed their intention to commit to having the “highest safety standards in the industry”.

Samsung’s plans to unveil a new S8 will be a testament to these new controls. During manufacturing, Samsung will X-ray their new phones to check for flaws. All phones will undergo ‘stress testing’, including overcharging the battery, puncturing, and being exposed to extreme temperatures.

Samsung will monitor the testing for any voltage spikes in the batteries.

However, not everyone is convinced that Samsung got to the heart of the problem. Concerns were raised, speculating that the phones were rushed in production in a bid to get ahead of the iPhone 7’s produced by Apple.

No matter the reason, Samsung still failed to capture the defect during the manufacturing process. This has been attributed to multiple injuries with thousands of users too scared to use their phones. No matter what they promise to do for future phones, Samsung cannot ignore those injured by the self-igniting Note 7’s. Those who have suffered harm from defecting products may have the legal right to seek financial compensation.