Whatever the technical deficiency behind exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices was, Samsung still hasn’t been able to figure it out. Indeed, Samsung’s inability to pinpoint the root cause of the problem effectively forced the company to issue a worldwide recall and discontinue production altogether.
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While not a cure-all solution by any means, the Note 7 fiasco has reportedly convinced Samsung to diversify its list of battery suppliers. According to a new report from The Korea Herald, Samsung is exploring the possibility of tapping LG Chem as a new battery supplier for its upcoming Galaxy S8.
With the Note 7 saga said to be costing the Samsung as much as $5 billion, the South Korean tech giant understandably wants to do all it can to prevent another mishap when it releases its other premium handset next year.
According to news reports on Oct. 20, the Korean tech giant is talking with LG Chem for possible partnership in a move to diversify its battery suppliers other than Samsung SDI and China’s ATL.
“We are looking at diverse suppliers, including LG Chem,” a Samsung executive was quoted as saying by Maeil Business Newspaper.
As you may recall, when word of Note 7 explosions first began to spread, Samsung engineers initially believed the problem was with faulty batteries from Samsung SDI. However, once replacement units with batteries from ATL began exploding as well, Samsung engineers were flummoxed.
While it’s nice to see Samsung looking to get LG on board, there’s no concrete proof that faulty batteries are behind the explosions. In fact, one of the more interesting theories behind the Note 7’s woes suggests that the industrial design of the Note 7 put too much pressure on the battery, ultimately causing it to bend and overheat.
For those wondering why Note 7s go boom :
Edges are too round, making each cells to have high possibilities to bend and contact with others. pic.twitter.com/Bkju0ahGxd— Park Ju Hyung (@arter97) October 12, 2016
Highlighting just how big of a PR misstep the Galaxy Note 7 has become, bringing a Note 7 onto a plane and refusing to turn it off could end up costing you as much as $179,000. Embarrassingly, Samsung in recent days even began setting up kiosks at various airports so that Note 7 toting customers can exchange it before boarding.
