Samsung Recalls New Galaxy Note7 Due to Exploding Batteries [Updated]

[LucasG]

I give props to Samsung for not hiding it and getting the problem solved.

I don't think you would want to hide a very well spread issue were there is a high probability of hurting your customers with a faulty device. Unless you are willing to get the sales anyways and go through a few lawsuits.

 

[KPandian1]

I don't think you would want to hide a very well spread issue were there is a high probability of hurting your customers with a faulty device. Unless you are willing to get the sales anyways and go through a few lawsuits.

Like the Chrysler K-cars! Lawyers, just love them, we all do!

 

[Feenician]

Of course. Which only shows that people like talking **** on the internet. They would of course not do a total recall of 1 million++ devices if they were sure that the potential problem was connected to a limited batch of say 20.000.

While I agree with the talking *whistles* on the internet part it was Samsung themselves that came up with the 0.1% figure and I just do not buy it. If the figure is correct then they are being horribly irresponsible to their shareholders by issuing a full recall of 1 million devices sold to customers and another 1.5 million in the channels.

 

[Keirasplace]

While I agree with the talking *whistles* on the internet part it was Samsung themselves that came up with the 0.1% figure and I just do not buy it. If the figure is correct then they are being horribly irresponsible to their shareholders by issuing a full recall of 1 million devices sold to customers and another 1.5 million in the channels.

Considering they came out with this value after a week, it is ridiculous. The only way it would be that low is if they know the manufacturing batch that's faulty. In that case, why do a full recall? Unless they can't trace which parts are in which phones... That would be really STUPID.

 

[Feenician]

Considering they came out with this value after a week, it is ridiculous. The only way it would be that low is if they know the manufacturing batch that's faulty. In that case, why do a full recall? Unless they can't trace which parts are in which phones... That would be really STUPID.

Yeah I don't buy the lack of traceability either. While I'm not interested in Samsung phones I think there is little dispute that they are the greatest manufacturer of components out there. The sheer scale and power they bring to bear is untouchable imo. The notion that they don't know where these 0.1% of batteries is... unlikely at best.

 

[1041958]

Considering they came out with this value after a week, it is ridiculous. The only way it would be that low is if they know the manufacturing batch that's faulty. In that case, why do a full recall? Unless they can't trace which parts are in which phones... That would be really STUPID.

It is quite stupid. Surely that have serial numbers for these devices and know when they were made and which components are inside.

For example, when Apple had the battery issue with the 5 they knew the serial numbers and you could check if your device was affected. This is quite common and I'm surprised Samsung hasn't been able to narrow it down.

Another example (since I work in automotive) is one company (which shall rename anonymous) doing an engine bulletin. The CNC machines that drilled a hole in the block didn't go deep enough such that the bolt would bottom out and not tighten properly. The difference was a fraction of an inch but resulted in cylinder head gasket failures. They traced it down to a single shift on a single machine on a certain day when data was somehow corrupted causing the holes to be machined wrong. Only a small number of engines were affected and they knew exactly which cars had those engines. Customers were notified and their cars fixed.

I think the problem is somehow Samsung failed to properly track batteries/components forcing them to do a full recall. That's going to cost a few people their jobs, I bet.

 

[kdarling]

I think the problem is somehow Samsung failed to properly track batteries/components forcing them to do a full recall. That's going to cost a few people their jobs, I bet.

Others think differently, but I'm with you that (especially if the replacements have no other changes than the battery) lack of traceability could be the most likely explanation for a full recall.

Samsung used to only make its flagships in Korean factories. It could very well be that the Vietnamese and other factories now being used, are not run as tightly, and let paperwork slip (or worse, faked it). That would also explain why it seemed at first that only some devices would get recalled, but later ends up being all of them.

 

[CarlJ]

@kdarling, I may not always agree with your views (occasionally we have been on opposite ends of an issue), but you quite often present a well-reasoned argument for your viewpoint. That kind of thing is why I keep coming back - to hear other viewpoints on an issue (who knows, maybe I'll learn something). Sadly, the last few months in particular seem to have seen a considerable rise in polarization and vitriol here, rather than discussion. (Alongside discontent with the lack of Mac updates spilling over onto every other article.)

But back to the topic at hand, it appears that Samsung got a dangerously defective batch of batteries, and they may know which batch, but perhaps due to insufficient tracking in their inventory/manufacturing processes, they seem to not know which phones (either by serial number range or by exactly where the shipments were sent) are the ones that got the bad batteries, so they have to recall them all. Especially because having their phones actually injure someone would be tragic (if you view Samsung in a positive light), or would generate a lot of really hard-to-counter bad PR (if you view Samsung cynically). Either way, casting the net wide in an attempt to deal with a problem that could cause injuries (vs. being a mere nuisance) is the responsible thing to do. I'm not going to give them high praise for doing it - it is, after all, what they should do - but, yeah, I am glad that they're doing the right thing.

And pretty much everything else in this thread is using this unfortunate situation: a) to try to spin Samsung as evil, or b) to try to spin Apple as evil, or c) to make an endless series of jokes that were lame after the first page of comments.

 

[Abazigal]

I give props to Samsung for not hiding it and getting the problem solved.

Let's be honest here, the total recall was designed to stop the flood of online reports about the dangerous exploding Galaxy Note 7 and possible stories emerging about injuries that would scare potential customers away from their brand down the road.

This was a faulty battery design and they knew it was a class action lawsuit in the making – period. The propaganda that they're generating about the recall being all about how much Samsung cares about quality and their customer safety could only be digested with a smile in Samsung fanboys.

Samsung is simply doing what it needs to do. What it should have done. Nothing more.

 

[Marcus1984]

I'm talking overall, they do not outsell Samsung in any stretch of the imagination. And again, if we break down by model, I doubt Apple is outselling them for sure.
[doublepost=1472817448][/doublepost] Ok....

Apple sells about 160 million iPhones a year, Samsung sold about 40 million s4s, note maybe half of that.
I presume 2016-17 will be that number as well.

 

[Guy Clark]

Although a serious issue. There is a certain amount of 'pay back' here for Bend gate.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Apple sells about 160 million iPhones a year, Samsung sold about 40 million s4s, note maybe half of that.
I presume 2016-17 will be that number as well.

Perhaps they are talking about all of Samsung's models combined including the low and mid end devices. Samsung is the biggest mobile phone vendor in the world.

Apple beat them at the high end but overall Samsung sell the most phones. They have a lot more models on the market then Apple so this makes sense.

 

[BaldeMadara]

The problem of this phone is obviously the fast charging. I had my s6 edge replaced 3 times because whenever i charged my phone with fast charging, some of its components ceased to work like the gyroscope... After my 3rd replacement i stopped using the fast charging, since then I've got no hardware issue. Just saying...

 

[ChinkyBob]

Yeah I don't buy the lack of traceability either. While I'm not interested in Samsung phones I think there is little dispute that they are the greatest manufacturer of components out there. The sheer scale and power they bring to bear is untouchable imo. The notion that they don't know where these 0.1% of batteries is... unlikely at best.

Also, it is NOT a full recall, China hasn't had a recall as they use different Chinese produced batteries (to sell in China you need some local components in the product). Although beyond that I don't really know but just fyi.

 

[Abazigal]

More reports are popping up around the world.

http://klgadgetguy.com/news/2016/9/...-note-7-phone-wasnt-charging-when-it-happened

http://m.wcvb.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-7-phone-explodes-while-charging-in-winthrop/41510606

 

[ChinkyBob]

@kdarling, I may not always agree with your views (occasionally we have been on opposite ends of an issue), but you quite often present a well-reasoned argument for your viewpoint. That kind of thing is why I keep coming back - to hear other viewpoints on an issue (who knows, maybe I'll learn something). Sadly, the last few months in particular seem to have seen a considerable rise in polarization and vitriol here, rather than discussion. (Alongside discontent with the lack of Mac updates spilling over onto every other article.)

But back to the topic at hand, it appears that Samsung got a dangerously defective batch of batteries, and they may know which batch, but perhaps due to insufficient tracking in their inventory/manufacturing processes, they seem to not know which phones (either by serial number range or by exactly where the shipments were sent) are the ones that got the bad batteries, so they have to recall them all. Especially because having their phones actually injure someone would be tragic (if you view Samsung in a positive light), or would generate a lot of really hard-to-counter bad PR (if you view Samsung cynically). Either way, casting the net wide in an attempt to deal with a problem that could cause injuries (vs. being a mere nuisance) is the responsible thing to do. I'm not going to give them high praise for doing it - it is, after all, what they should do - but, yeah, I am glad that they're doing the right thing.

And pretty much everything else in this thread is using this unfortunate situation: a) to try to spin Samsung as evil, or b) to try to spin Apple as evil, or c) to make an endless series of jokes that were lame after the first page of comments.

Working in the industry, I can assure you that Samsung have full traceability of all their products. If they recalled everything, its because (a) they know the issue effects every single one so do a full recall, or (b) they have no idea whatsoever what caused the issue until they re-examine all 30 burnt phones (that in itself takes time) so again do a full recall.
In the end they will probably announce a problem with only a small batch of Note 7's with an unlikely alignment of a particular batch of chipsets aligned with a particular bad batch of batteries. Replace the batteries in the effected phones (probably less than 0.1% of phones with that combination) and resell, and the other 99.9% of recalled stock proven ok can be re-released back into the market. Impact to Samsung overall not that great in the big scheme of things. Mostly shipping costs.

Either that or they're all fecked.

 

[Abazigal]

Man, Samsung just can't seem to catch a break. The recent bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping looks set to drive the knife in further, as Samsung relies on the company to ship about 10% of their products.

http://www.androidheadlines.com/201...-short-term-hit-for-galaxy-note-7-recall.html

but the electronics giant has another issue in that the collapse of Hanjin Shipping is likely to cause another short term problem in getting its devices to customers. Hanjin Shipping has filed for bankruptcy and to protect its assets, much of which is floating around the world, and one in ten of Samsung’s products are shipping via Hanjin Shipping. There will be shipping containers full of Galaxy Note 7 devices en route to their target markets that may never make it.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

Samsung is obviously still to incompetend to build (or buy) a proper BMS (battery management system). This issue dates back to the very first Galaxy Smartphones. IMHO this is where Samsung should be forced to disclosed their BMS circuit for review.
I wouldn't wonder if this would conclude that current Samsung products pose a severe safety risk consequently being banned from US and EU markets as well as by all airlines...

It's not that I hate Samsung, but they sell cheap-sh|t products for a premium. Not just smartphones. I remember their LCD screens failing -guess why!- due to a cheap power supply. They can build high quality LCD-panels but not a proper AC/DC converter to power it. Or maybe just tried to save money. In any case the result is the same...

I owned a Samsungs Galaxy Note 1 (which was an awesome device back then). It's battery controller, however, was so bad, that it seemed to overcharge batteries as they swoll within a few months of usage. After 9 month the battery started dropping from 30% to flickering screen and subsequent "death" of the phone due to voltage drop. I've observed the same on later Galaxy devices of their flagship line, also on multiple replaced batteries. So, they can't blame it on a bad cell that slipped QA. (The latter can happen even to highest quality batteries as used by Apple... -and it did)

 

[Keirasplace]

Working in the industry, I can assure you that Samsung have full traceability of all their products. If they recalled everything, its because (a) they know the issue effects every single one so do a full recall, or (b) they have no idea whatsoever what caused the issue until they re-examine all 30 burnt phones (that in itself takes time) so again do a full recall.
In the end they will probably announce a problem with only a small batch of Note 7's with an unlikely alignment of a particular batch of chipsets aligned with a particular bad batch of batteries. Replace the batteries in the effected phones (probably less than 0.1% of phones with that combination) and resell, and the other 99.9% of recalled stock proven ok can be re-released back into the market. Impact to Samsung overall not that great in the big scheme of things. Mostly shipping costs.

Either that or they're all fecked.

Right... This will cost them $5B min in direct costs, a bundle in market value and A LOT in diminishing their future earnings, most probably many billions.
[doublepost=1473094436][/doublepost]

Also, it is NOT a full recall, China hasn't had a recall as they use different Chinese produced batteries (to sell in China you need some local components in the product). Although beyond that I don't really know but just fyi.

I million phones in the hand of customers and likely all those in the hands in resellers in one hell of a recall no matter how you slice it. This won't just hurt them in their reputation with customers, it will hurt them with resellers too.
[doublepost=1473094567][/doublepost]

Apple sells about 160 million iPhones a year, Samsung sold about 40 million s4s, note maybe half of that.
I presume 2016-17 will be that number as well.

Apple sells a lot more than 160 Iphones a year, please revise your BS.
They sold around 78-80 Million in the two latest holiday quarters. The number sold are more around 200 million.
They also sell more high phones than Samsung by far.

 

[Loco Emperor]

This couldn't happen to a better company. Makes me happy lol

 

[CarlJ]

In the end they will probably announce a problem with only a small batch of Note 7's with an unlikely alignment of a particular batch of chipsets aligned with a particular bad batch of batteries. Replace the batteries in the effected phones (probably less than 0.1% of phones with that combination) and resell, and the other 99.9% of recalled stock proven ok can be re-released back into the market. Impact to Samsung overall not that great in the big scheme of things. Mostly shipping costs.

Except, I would expect that, if they're upstanding corporate citizens, they can't re-sell the portion of the affected phones that were already sold, as being brand new (unopened stock, sure, but not the million or so that made it into customers hands). They'll have to call that million or so refurbished, and such phones generally command a lower price. In addition, for at least the next six months, even if they cleared this up next week, there will be plenty of people who react to the suggestion of getting a Note 7 with, "isn't that the phone that explodes?" The media won't cover the story of the phone's rehabilitation as extensively as the initial story (because that was "exciting"). And, a lot of people attach an unwarranted stigma to "refurb", and would steer clear of the phones (some even avoiding new production, "certain" that they're refurbished). Samsung will survive, but it is a serious blow.

 

[tooltalk]

Apple sells about 160 million iPhones a year, Samsung sold about 40 million s4s, note maybe half of that.
I presume 2016-17 will be that number as well.

Are you comparing Samsung's one flagship, Galaxy S4, vs all iPhone models, or just iPhone 5S? If you want to compare all Galaxies vs all iPhones, as shown below, Samsung continued to sell a lot of previous flagships after their latest releases. Apple's sales figures are generally quit similar -- they also continue to sell previous flagships in great volume after new release -- though neither Apple or Samsung publishes unit sales figures by models. Based on this old number alone, Samsung sold close to 140 million high-end Galaxies, which is close to your 160M iPhone figure during the same period (2013). I'm guessing Samsung sold about 60M S4's in one year period (they passed the 40M mark in 6 months).

Of course, Samsung Galaxy sales crashed in 3Q 2014 (especially in China) and Apple in 4Q 2015.

 

[Tech198]

I wonder what Samsung would do after the recall and replacements of new phones, it still happens...

Not saying it will,,, just going on the wild streak as always a question to Q&A testing particularly around a total recall. Since it's volentery, that's kind of putting the odds of the user knowing as well..
They make think its all fine.. I suppose putting the faith in the user at a cost to the phone... is better

 

[MRU]

Appears Samsung SDI made the batteries themselves.

They have now been dropped ...



http://www.androidauthority.com/galaxy-note-7-drops-samsung-sdi-batteries-714788/

According to Samsung, problems with defective batteries are the leading cause of reported Note 7 explosions and fires. We now know that Samsung itself is responsible for the development and manufacture of these faulty cells. Samsung SDI only began development of non-removable batteries at the end of 2014, as part of an effort to bring more components in-house to improve profit margins. The company didn’t supply many batteries for use in the Galaxy S6 or S7 series, the Note 7 is the first phone to have purchased the majority of its cells from Samsung SDI.

The old adage of 'trying to save a penny, only to spend a pound' springs to mind.

Likewise the ditching of Samsung SDI as a supplier would indicate this is a far greater issue than just some rouge bad batch.

 

[kdarling]

I may not always agree with your views (occasionally we have been on opposite ends of an issue), but you quite often present a well-reasoned argument for your viewpoint. That kind of thing is why I keep coming back - to hear other viewpoints on an issue (who knows, maybe I'll learn something). Sadly, the last few months in particular seem to have seen a considerable rise in polarization and vitriol here, rather than discussion.

I feel the same. There's a good core group of people here, and we know and respect each other's opinions. Even if they're wrong *grin*. Then Summer vacation brings in the teenagers, and the Fall college launch brings the "Eternal September" crowd. Ah well, keeps it interesting, yes?

You and I and others here have been online for a very long time. I know you started back in the UUCP days. I started with BBSs in the late 1970s, then CIS and Usenet in the 80s (I was a sysop of two CIS forums) and finally the Internet in the 90s (I helped write one of the first 5,000 or so web sites in the world, for our company.) The text based Lynx browser was hot at first, because there were so few graphics and fast modems to see them.

As for fights, ha. Kids these days have never seen the intense flame wars that used to go on between various Usenet fan groups. And there were REAL trolls, the kind that were not obvious like the wimpified definition that people seem to use now.

And yet even in the middle of all that thermonuclear net warfare, good grammar was considered paramount... naturally, since the only people with access back then were either college students or government workers. If you couldn't take the time to express yourself well, no one would listen.

Also, it is NOT a full recall, China hasn't had a recall as they use different Chinese produced batteries (to sell in China you need some local components in the product). Although beyond that I don't really know but just fyi.

Whoa. You're right. Samsung went ahead with its China launch of the Note 7, because those were built with different batteries. Wonder what else is different about them, if anything. If nothing, then the problem is just batteries for sure.

Edit: just saw MRU's post. Poor Samsung, they should've kept the replaceable battery like people asked!