Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Are faulty batteries really to blame for this whole fiasco?

By Anirudh Regidi /  11 Oct 2016 , 17:38

The mysterious case of the exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices is yet to be fully resolved, but that doesn’t stop us from taking a shot at a solution ourselves. If you’re so inclined, here are the facts and pointers that you need to pass judgement on the situation.

The case of the explosive Note 7

The short version of the whole story is as follows:

• Samsung sold 3.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.
• 35 Note 7 phones explode over a period of 3 weeks.
• Samsung issues a worldwide recall of 2.5 million phones, excludes China from recall.
• Battery maker Samsung SDI is blamed for the explosion as Samsung alleges manufacturing defects.
• Samsung claims Chinese battery maker ATL is safe, points to 1 million perfectly functional Chinese Note 7 phones as proof.
• China’s ATL is now the primary supplier of Galaxy Note 7 batteries.
• Replacement Note 7 phones with ATL batteries start to spontaneously combust.
• Samsung kills the Note 7.

If you want a detailed timeline of the whole Note 7 fiasco, head here.

Pointing fingers

Image: Hui Renjie

Samsung conducted an investigation and concluded that Samsung SDI, a Samsung affiliate that made 65 percent of the batteries used in the Note 7, was at fault. Samsung SDI made batteries for all Note 7 phones sold outside China. Note 7 devices sold in China used batteries made by Amperex Technologies Limited (ATL).

Samsung claimed that there was a

(Oooh) 🚧🚧Samsung Galaxy Note 7 problems far from over; a ‘safe’ replaced device explodes on a US flight

By tech2 News Staff /  06 Oct 2016 , 11:11

Samsung is just not able to live down the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. Replacement devices have only just started reaching customer’s hands and it looks like they’ve already started blowing up.

Brain Green got his Note 7 replaced on 21 September at an AT&T store. The phone’s box had the black square that marks a replacement, safe, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device and Green also claims that his device showed the green battery icon that is also meant to be an indicator of a safe device.

At the request of flight attendants, Green turned off the device and put it in his pocket when it began to smoke. Green dropped the phone to the floor of the aircraft and flight attendants immediately evacuated the plane.

Green’s burnt Galaxy Note 7

The Verge and Reuters independently confirmed the story. The Verge also got their hands on images which confirm the presence of the black mark on the packaging. They also verified the phone’s IMEI number with