Samsung Reveals Extent of Note7 Battery Fire Investigation

[mazz0]

I don't think it's really fair to say Samsung did the right thing. They, eventually, did the smart thing, in that pretending it had never happened would have been bad for business. What about the people who suffered property damage as a result of exploding phones and all the other issues it caused people - did they quickly sort those people out with compensation? Nope.

 

[Plutonius]

Why do people buy anything from that company: Samsung recalls Top Loading Washing Machines 2016

I wouldn't completely trust an investigation on an Apple product by Apple either.

 

[nia820]

It's unfortunate that the phones caught fire. But this extensive testing will prevent this from happening again. Battery manufacturers will use this information for further production.

 

[masteroflondon]

Obviously I wasn't involved in the testing of this issue, but it really seems unlikely that the original batteries and the "safe replacement" batteries had different flaws that caused them both to explode. Of the hundreds of different models of lithium batteries that are produced on a mass scale, only 2 of them had major widespread issues of catching fire, and they both happened to be released in the same phone? This seems incredibly unlikely.

Doesn't Occam's razor apply here? Two different batteries both catching fire from two different problems in the same phone? I'm not doubting they cut corners on quality assurance, and there probably are multiple problems with these different batteries, but color me skeptical to believe these were two separate problems that caused the same result at the same time.

I'm sure there was a third party report on the phone that found Samsung had left zero room for expansion of the battery, rather than the usual margin, which I think I recall was 10% of the battery thickness?

Are we just taking it for granted Samsung are telling the truth here? Or have they provided supporting evidence?

 

[julesme]

I'm glad that Samsung is openly addressing the issue, but their explanation doesn't make sense. TWO separate batteries from TWO separate suppliers both had flaws leading to fires? What are the odds of that?

 

[masteroflondon]

There was an issue with the phone. Apple chose to issue a free case instead of recalling phones. The issue could be replicated by many using a method as simple as placing their finger in a specific spot on the phone. No death grip required. If Apple truly felt there was no issue they wouldn't have given free cases. They did a cost analysis. Number of complaints and possible percentage of phones impacted by the issue and the cost to do the extra R&D, issue a recall, and replace phones vs. the cost of issuing a free case to everyone which would go around the problem instead of fixing it. The case was cheaper. Years later people are still making excuses for Apple and really need to stop. They messed up. The ridiculous iPhone 6+ bending was an example of a non issue. Apple addressed it and because of the fact that it was a ridiculous claim and unlikely to happen in normal use, they did nothing to address it in terms of recall.

People need to stop acting like Samsung instantly did the right thing. They didn't. They brushed the issue off at first until it continued happening and the media caught hold of it. They essentially had their hand forced on the issue. Same as Apple was when it came to Antennagate. Difference being, it wasn't a safety issue with the iPhone 4 and Apple found a solution to the problem that made it a cheaper fix than a recall. That doesn't change the fact that both phones had issues and neither manufacturer truly wanted to address them at first.

They demonstrated all phones have similar issues, a human can block the signal. They then decided all the bad publicity warranted the expense of issuing a free placebo for those who felt something was wrong. A marketing solution to a marketing problem.

 

[rohanparekh]

Some tunes are evergreen and still up-to-date despite being old.

Yes, you enjoy old tunes. But you don't laugh on same joke over years!

 

[bladerunner2000]

Holy moly... that's a lot of phones on test! Have to admire Samsung for being so open and so thorough about this.

You'll never see Apple be this open about anything.

 

[Johns12]

They demonstrated all phones have similar issues, a human can block the signal. They then decided all the bad publicity warranted the expense of issuing a free placebo for those who felt something was wrong. A marketing solution to a marketing problem.

I know you believe this, but I felt like I was in the middle of that mess. I had owned every non S IPhone. I would sit in my family room and talk on my phone. I did that for quite a few years using IPhones. I then get the 4. Sit on my sofa having a conversation, and after about 1 minute, I would be disconnected. I didn't know what was going on but it happened again and again. Searching the internet I found out other people were having the same problem.

There was also a software bug with the IPhone 4 that would turn the screen on while the phone was at your ear. Since the screen would come on, you ear could hit multiple commands. Usually it would be the mute or disconnect command.

I will tell you that it was very frustrating having these problems and then being told by people on MacRumors that there is no problem. The free bumper did work.

 

[masteroflondon]

You'll never see Apple be this open about anything.

What about the anechoic chambers and other testing facilities they showed during the supposed antenna issues? I seem to recall people were very surprised by them showing that.

 

[teknikal90]

I blame consumers. No seriously. We want it cheap and fast... result = companies will make them cheap and fast... result = poor quality control.

we only want what companies deliver.

 

[rohanparekh]

You'll never see Apple be this open about anything.

why should they?

 

[69Mustang]

I'm sure there was a third party report on the phone that found Samsung had left zero room for expansion of the battery, rather than the usual margin, which I think I recall was 10% of the battery thickness?

Are we just taking it for granted Samsung are telling the truth here? Or have they provided supporting evidence?

They hired three different 3rd party firms to work on the investigation. Exponent Consulting, TUV Reinland, and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). I don't know much about the first two companies, but UL has a pretty decent reputation. All three issued separate papers; EC, TUVR, and UL. You can judge from there.

 

[masteroflondon]

I know you believe this, but I felt like I was in the middle of that mess. I had owned every non S IPhone. I would sit in my family room and talk on my phone. I did that for quite a few years using IPhones. I then get the 4. Sit on my sofa having a conversation, and after about 1 minute, I would be disconnected. I didn't know what was going on but it happened again and again. Searching the internet I found out other people were having the same problem.

There was also a software bug with the IPhone 4 that would turn the screen on while the phone was at your ear. Since the screen would come on, you ear could hit multiple commands. Usually it would be the mute or disconnect command.

I will tell you that it was very frustrating having these problems and then being told by people on MacRumors that there is no problem. The free bumper did work.

I also had the software bug. Led to a quite embarrassing 2nd phone call made by my ear whilst talking to someone else!

 

[Johns12]

I also had the software bug. Led to a quite embarrassing 2nd phone call made by my ear whilst talking to someone else!

Hope you didn't say anything embarassing

 

[bladerunner2000]

why should they?

Is this a serious question?

 

[69Mustang]

I'm glad that Samsung is openly addressing the issue, but their explanation doesn't make sense. TWO separate batteries from TWO separate suppliers both had flaws leading to fires? What are the odds of that?

Pretty good if you look at the situation objectively. 1st problem was defective batteries made by Samsung. In an effort to mitigate the issue, they purchased batteries from another company. 2nd problem comes from ATL, getting a sudden large battery order, rushed to get the order fulfilled as quickly as possible. In rushing, they cut corners with sloppy welds and leaving out insulating tape. So you take the initial panic from Samsung, couple that with an overwhelmed ATL, and you get what you got. I'd say the odds were greater for mistakes than actually having things go right. As with everything, hindsight is 20/20. They should have just recalled the Notes and figured what was wrong instead of trying to get replacements on the market so quickly.

 

[Barry Bishop]

I would buy their next phone. I think they probably will have a better phone than Apple. They are probably going to QA the hell out of the new iPhone. Apple seems to be ship buggy software and hardware since Tim took reign.

 

[Breaking Good]

Since they know what the problem is, I wish they would correct it in the current design and re-release the phone.

Change the color and the name to something like the Galaxy Grand 2 and put it back on the market. It will plug the hole they have for a phablet until they can release the Note 8.

They can then focus on making the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 rock solid devices.

This is just my opinion, but I am very impressed with how Samsung handled this whole issue in both speed and transparency.
[doublepost=1485195617][/doublepost]

After how they handled it in the first place it's the only sensible conclusion. They've proven by now to stand for little to nothing but $$$ as a company. Yes, a company must make money and some make a lot, but in my opinion for any company to be worth existing they should believe in something; anything, besides or in addition to money and power.

Must be nice to be perfect.

 

[macfacts]

Sure! The scenarios are identical. One is an incendiary device the other is an inconvenience. One was subject to a world wide recall and aircraft ban and the other is being handled. One where the companies reputation as a manufacturer of reliable appliances given the washing machine fiasco and the other seems to be handled. Totally equivalent situations.

That's the problem though. A lawyer from Apple and an accountant from Apple decided that an iPhone 6/6s recall isn't needed. They figured out it is cheaper to not recall. An engineer wasn't involved.

 

[masteroflondon]

They hired three different 3rd party firms to work on the investigation. Exponent Consulting, TUV Reinland, and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). I don't know much about the first two companies, but UL has a pretty decent reputation. All three issued separate papers; EC, TUVR, and UL. You can judge from there.

Thanks, but your links aren't working. I did find the companies but not the actual reports.

I did find the one I was thinking of:
http://pocketnow.com/2016/12/04/galaxy-note-7-tolerances-design-analysis
quote: 'In a teardown and analysis of a single unit, her team had found that normal operation of the Galaxy Note 7 allowed the phone to expand and encroach upon the battery. This put inward pressure against the positive cell layer and the negative cell layer, along with the insulating layers in between. When these layers are squeezed too closely, the insulation essentially becomes useless as the charged layers begin to feed energy into each other and ramp up the temperature, thus risking fumes and explosion.'

 

[bsolar]

Yes, you enjoy old tunes. But you don't laugh on same joke over years!

A joke might be old and not funny anymore but it can still be insightful.

 

[KillaMac]

Well, I can tell you did not watch the broadcast. The tape was missing in the replacement batteries. It was due to them rushing the replacements out. They even said that in the reports.

Why is this point of view so pervasive? History says they didn't rush anything. They released the Note in the same timeframe as the previous Note. The missing insulation tape in some of the batteries is more likely a negative effect of people trying to meet accelerated production quotas in the battery factory. Taking shortcuts to meet quotas is a nasty aspect of factory work. It can't be conflated with a rushed release.


You have a unique take on the situation. One not shared by... well, hardly anyone really. Brave.



Bravery confirmed. It really takes bravery to base your argument on meme logic. You actually trotted out "But what about the children." It's literally and figuratively the bottom of the barrel emotional fear mongering. Oh my goodness, let's find the most devastating hypothetical since, you know, in real life nothing major happened. I know: the kids, mention the kids. That'll pull some heartstrings.

 

[dannys1]

People, corporations have found out the best way to get beyond a controversy is to own up to it, and own up Samsung did. While less extreme and definitely lessor in nature, the iPhone 4 antenna gate offers how most companies try to handle problems - they blame the consumer. Apple at first blamed us for holding it wrong, and they never really came clean on the cause.

To be fair antenna gate wasn't really much of an issue at all though. It was like most Apple "gates" just a bit daft and over blown on the internet and as demonstrated happened with nearly all phones once your hand went around them.

I'd let Samsung off for the same thing (which was happening on their phones) anyway as it's really not an issue.

However having something that can either kill you cause tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage is a bit different.
[doublepost=1485197051][/doublepost]

Only a fool would trust Samsung after this considering how such a serious situation was repeatedly mishandled and minimised.
[doublepost=1485172894][/doublepost]
So not so open when their whole brand didn't depend on it. Now they are forced to be open when $$$ are at stake. It's unforgivable how this whole thing was mishandled and yes, even covered up as revealed through email leaks where they skimped and skipped on safety testing to beat iPhone 7 to market. The company may as well go up in flames now. Any new mother and father who brings a new Samsung phone of any kind into their home after this should be seen as questionable parents. If you must go Android there are numerous better alternatives to Samsung.

Totally agree.

 

[idunn]

In looking at that photo of the Note 7 test lab with all those many stacked cell phones—how could they ever get fire insurance?