Samsung, the company behind the Galaxy, has issued a recall of its latest release, the Galaxy Note 7. This recall comes only weeks after the phone’s release, to praising reviews, no less. Samsung has put a full stop on sales of the phone, and not just for the United States. The recall applies to all Galaxy Note 7 phones worldwide, and the company has already laid plans to provide replacement phones to those who are affected. The reason for the recall stems from an issue with the battery while the device is charging.
According so Samsung, the device has the potential to catch on fire and potentially explode while charging. The company has gone on to state that less than .1% of the phones are affected by this flaw, however, they believe the full recall is necessary. A South Korean news outlet has reported 5 incidents involving the phones already. Samsung has also stated that it has received 35 reports of faulty phones already, and that have encountered 24 devices with faults for every million devices sold. Samsung did not elaborate on what the battery issue was, however they did state that users could replace the battery in their phone
Litihium-Ion Battery Issues
Battery issues with phones are extremely uncommon. A majority of phone manufacturers are able to produce and sell phones with little to no incidents involving the battery problems. So what happened to Samsung? A report from The Wall Street Journal points the finger towards an independent battery manufacturer. Samsung sources its batteries from it’s own proprietary supplier, Samsung SDI, and an outside supplier from Hong Kong, called Amperex Technology. The report details that about 65% of the batteries came from Samsung SDI, while the remaining 35% where sourced from Amperex Technology.
Lithium-ion batteries power many types of devices other than phones. In fact, nearly every electronic device with a rechargeable battery uses a similar type of battery. These batteries are notorious for causing devices such as vaporizers and last holiday’s popular hoverboard toy to catch fire or explode. Many of these explosive problems are actually faults within the battery’s manufacturing process. An article from the BBC in response to the Galaxy Note 7 recall delves deep into the science at work behind these fiery mishaps. In short, each battery contains several working parts, and as electricity travels through the battery to charge it, these parts heat up, and can expand, destroying the battery. To prevent this, most lithium-ion batteries have built in management systems that actually slow down the battery charging process. When a battery charges too fast, it is likely to swell, burst or even catch fire, as seen in Samsung’s phone recall.
These battery issues can cause serious harm to persons and property. Manufacturing errors cause injury and property damage that can cause serious injuries and damages. If you or a loved one has been injured in New Hampshire, contact Tenn And Tenn today.