Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Probe Results Leak; Blame Design and High-Capacity Battery for Explosion

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 16 Jan 2017

Samsung is reportedly set to reveal the details of its Galaxy Note 7 investigation next week on January 23rd, but key details from the final report of the investigation have already been leaked. While the blame was initially put on faulty batteries supplied to the company by Samsung SDI, the detailed investigation paints a different picture.

As per the leak, the fire was a result of the internal design of the Note 7 that did not account for battery overheating and expanding and a failure of the thermal management software to kick in when needed.

The source, allegedly someone from the mobile industry who is close to Samsung, says that the company increased the battery capacity despite their being very little internal space inside it. In combination with new features like an iris scanner which is very power hungry, the battery compartment inside the Note 7 simply did not have enough space for heat to escape. This led to a rapid rise in battery temperature, which along with the failure of the thermal management software, resulting in the Galaxy Note 7 exploding as the negative and positive cells of the battery came in contact due to pressure.

If true, Samsung’s findings corroborate the results of the design engineering firm Instrumental which blamed the internal design of the Note 7 and the high capacity 3500mAh battery for the explosion. Once the results are formally announced by Samsung, it would also clear the name of the battery suppliers Samsung SDI and Amperex Technology who supplied batteries for the Note 7, with the former being initially blamed for the explosion.

The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco ended up costing Samsung billions of dollars, though if its recent quarterly profit estimates are anything to go by, it seems well on track to recover from it.

[Via Chosun, Reuters]