Did You Know Why Are Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 Phones Exploding?

Samsung was forced earlier this week to discontinue its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. For good. The Galaxy Note 7 turned out to be a massive disappointment. The phone intended to fight the iPhone 7 Plus this year was seen as one of the hottest Android devices in town. Unfortunately, it also turned out to come with an unexpected side-effect: the Galaxy Note 7 is a fire hazard. Even after Samsung fixed it.

New manufacturing issues

Samsung has yet to explain what went wrong with its batteries in both the original phones and the replacements. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which worked with Samsung on the US recall, said on September 15th that batteries made by Samsung SDI were faulty. Apparently, they were made slightly too large for the space available in the phone. Installing them would crimp the corner, which could lead to a short circuit, overheating and potentially a fire.

Samsung removed Samsung SDI batteries from its Galaxy Note 7 supply and turned to China’s Amperex Technology. However, Bloomberg reports that even Amperex batteries proved to have a manufacturing problem. Investigators of the latest Galaxy Note 7 incidents believe that a flaw different from the one that caused the original recall is to blame, according to Bloomberg.

The new issue hasn’t been explained, but it looks like it may have crept into the supply chain after Samsung began replacing the faulty phones. Samsung had no choice but to pull the plug. Neither Samsung nor Amperex’s parent company TDK Corp. commented on the matter, Bloomberg says.

More disturbingly, Samsung is apparently leaving its carrier partners in the dark about the problem. Samsung is asking partners to share testing data, but Samsung isn’t reciprocating. Carriers have no idea what to tell customers, one unnamed carrier executive said.

Fast charging

Another theory that tries to explain the numerous Galaxy Note 7 explosions has to do with the fast-charging feature of the battery. According to the Financial Times, the problem comes from tweaks made to the processor to speed up charging.

“If you try to charge the battery too quickly it can make it more volatile. If you push an engine too hard, it will explode. Something had to give. These devices are miracles of technology — how much we can get out of that tiny piece of lithium-ion,” an unnamed source said after supposedly speaking with Samsung executives about the matter.

That beautiful design

The Galaxy Note 7’s looks might actually lead to explosions. Specifically, it’s the symmetrical curvature of the phone, a feature Samsung bragged about, that may have exerted pressure on battery packs and caused the short circuits that eventually led to dangerous fires.

After the first recall, leaked documentation from the Korean consumer protection agency said that Samsung SDI’s batteries were slightly larger than the compartment they were supposed to be placed in. Furthermore, the isolation plates that separate the anode and cathode were too close to the edges. 

One theory states that external pressure could have been applied to those isolation plates during manufacturing. The plates are placed towards the edge of the battery and when the phone is sealed, the battery pack might be subjected to excessive pressure. The images below show SDI battery packs with isolation plates placed too close to the edge.

Boom!!! Samsung to Note 7 owners: Here's an extra $100 for your phone

Samsung really, really wants you to turn in your Galaxy Note 7.

The Korean electronics titan said it will give $100 in credit at "carrier or retail outlets" to customers who turn in their Note 7 for another Samsung phone, starting Thursday afternoon

The offer comes after Samsung and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission once again issued a recall for the Galaxy Note 7 -- including for replacement units. Two days earlier, Samsung confirmed that it had killed off the Note 7 and warned consumers to power down and turn in their phones.

"The Galaxy Note 7 recall has proven to be a real challenge for Samsung. I am very concerned that consumers who exchanged their phones for replacement Galaxy Note 7s are now at risk again," CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said in a statement.

The extra financial incentive serves three purposes: It's a token gesture meant to soften the blow of the second recall for its most loyal customers. It's an incentive to convince stubborn superfans who have opted to take the risk and keep them. It's also a way to keep people using a Samsung device.

The second recall marks the latest chapter in the nightmare saga that is the exploding Galaxy Note 7. Samsung moved quickly to recall the first batch of Note 7 phones, only to encounter incidents in which the supposedly safer replacement phones began to catch fire as well. The company has already warned that the debacle will cost $2.3 billion in lost operating profits, but the bigger damage will be to its brand and credibility.

To date, according to the CPSC, Samsung has received 96 reports of Galaxy Note 7 phones overheating in the US -- 23 more than it had since the original recall on September 15 -- including 13 reports of burns and 47 reports of property damage.

"We appreciate the patience of our consumers, carrier and retail partners for carrying the burden during these challenging times," said Tim Baxter, chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America. "We are committed to doing everything we can to make this right."

Some carriers have already given out a $25 bill credit for switching out their phone for another Samsung device, and customers who took advantage of that offer can get another $75. Customers who opt for a full refund will get $25. Likewise, customers who switch to another brand will only get $25. All of the US carriers are offering customers the choice to swap out the device for an entirely different phone.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 at a splashy event in early August in New York, and the critically lauded handset was set to challenge the iPhone for phone supremacy this holiday-shopping season. Some consumers, however, found that their phones would overheat and even catch fire. The device was banned on planes and trains.

This second recall follows the CPSC's official recall last month, which is said to have involved 1 million of the 2.5 million phones that were manufactured.

Samsung to hobble Galaxy Note 7 charging in US with software

Most Galaxy Note 7 users in the US have returned their devices. For those who haven't, Samsung will soon start limiting the device's charging capabilities.

Samsung on Friday said 85 percent of all recalled Note 7 phones in the US have been replaced through its refund and exchange program, "with the majority of the participants opting to receive another Samsung smartphone." The company didn't immediately provide information about how many phones had been returned around the world.

For the remaining holdouts in the US, Samsung said it will release a software update in the coming days to limit the phone's ability to charge beyond 60 percent. It also will issue a reminder pop-up notification every time a consumer charges, reboots or turns on the screen of their Note 7 device.

"We remain focused on collecting the outstanding Galaxy Note 7 phones in the market," the company said in a statement on its website.

Even though people have been warned to stop using their phones, some super fans have continued to hold on to their Note 7 devices. Along with issuing the charging limitation software in other markets, Samsung has taken more drastic measures to get people to turn in their devices. Earlier Friday, the company said it had teamed up with carriers in New Zealand to cut off access to wireless networks for customers still using their Note 7 devices.

Samsung aims to entice Note 7 owners, and iPhone 7 Plus gets an upgrade

Samsung hasn't yet gone that far in the US or other major markets.

The Note 7, which hit the market in mid-August, was expected to solidify Samsung's lead in the mobile market after a strong showing with its Galaxy S7. The company had just begun to regain its swagger after stumbling the previous year with lackluster products.

Then came the battery problems, which caused some units to overheat and catch fire. Samsung issued a global recall of the popular device in September. But then some replacement units started having the same problem. That caused Samsung to issue a second recall in mid-October and permanently stop production of the device. It's offering Note 7 owners $100 to exchange the device for another Samsung phone.

Samsung has said the Note 7 recall will cost it more than $5 billion over the next few quarters. The company on Friday also issued a recall for 2.8 million washing machines due to injury risk. The two fiascos have raised questions about Samsung's quality and assurance testing and have dealt a blow to its reputation.