Battery not the cause of Galaxy Note 7 incidents in China

Earlier this month, South Korean electronics conglomerate, Samsung, had announced that it would investigate the two incidents of fire that were reported in China, with reference to the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung is now stating that the fire incident with the first Note 7 was not caused by the battery of the device, but external factors.

The incidents, though insignificant in number compared to those reported in North America, would still send a ripple effect through the industry, based on the possibility of the Note 7 crisis extending to China – the world’s biggest mobile phone market. While Samsung initially stated that it would investigate both incidents, so far only the first device has been investigated; the company could not acquire the second device for an investigation.

The two incidents were intensely covered by the Chinese social media, and even mainstream media in South Korea.  A major point of criticism was the fact that these incidents occurred in a market where Samsung had specifically stated that a device recall was not necessary. According to Samsung, reports of the Not 7 spontaneously catching fire were because of a fault in its battery. They further added that the devices distributed in China were not prone to the same fate since their battery manufacturer was different, and the devices produced by that battery manufacturer did not have the manufacturing fault. It should be noted that in other countries, Samsung has coordinated with governments and carriers to announce a global recall of all devices sold until September 15 – all 2.5 million of them.

As mentioned before, the Note 7 devices sold in China were stocked with batteries provided by a different supplier. Coincidently, the supplier is the same used by Apple. These batteries did not apply unnecessary pressure on the internal plates, which made them less prone to short circuits. Since the fire incidents associated with the Note 7 in China did not originate from the battery, some are suspecting that the reports were the efforts of disgruntled consumers in a move to tarnish the company. Experts like SmartIO say that, consumers have felt wronged by Samsung for not being more transparent in their handling of the crisis, withholding important information and not offering full disclosure. With the frequency of incidents being reported and the nature of the crisis, many airports and airlines have issued warnings and banned the use or carriage of the Note 7, which is now being considered a flight hazard.

More recently, however, Samsung has been more strategic with its handling of the crisis, giving out strict directives to all users to immediately switch off their Note 7 devices, unless they are the replacement sets given to them since the recall. Unfortunately the recall isn’t going as planned; many are giving up on the brand completely and switching to iPhone with content transfer apps; others feel too betrayed by the brand to trust the replacement sets. The company has also issued a statement, saying that it will be deploying a software update on all Note 7 devices, one that would limit the battery charge to 60 per cent, lowering the battery’s chances to short circuit. However, only in time will tell how much damage this entire debacle has truly caused Samsung, and if it will ever truly be able to redeem the once beloved brand called Note.