The release of the Galaxy Note 7 was the handset drop heard round the world, but not for its ability to topple Apple’s stronghold on the market. Shortly after its release Note 7s started exploding or catching on fire during routine use and charging. As the tally grew users were asked to turn off their devices, avoid using them on airplanes, and return them.
While Samsung issued a plea for customers to hand in their devices, they have stopped short of telling consumers exactly what went wrong, leaving loyal Samsung fans to scratch their heads. Well, the case of the exploding Notes may have been solved. An independent company has released a report noting “aggressive battery design” as the likely cause of the Note’s struggles.
Instrumental, a third-party company, stripped down a Galaxy Note 7 to see if they could crack the case and offer consumers an answer. Samsung has declined to comment on the cause of the fires and explosions. During the strip down Instrumental found that Samsung’s battery was composed of three layers; lithium cobalt oxide (for positive charge), graphite (for negative charge) and a barrier layer that was intended to keep the two separate. The aggressive design, however, didn’t take into account that if the positive layer and the negative layer came into contact they’d create an abundance of heat.
Instrumental believes that any type of squashing of the device – whether when placed in a pocket or nestled between multiple items in a pocketbook – could cause the two layers to touch and lead to overheating and, in some cases, explosions or fire.
For now, Samsung has no plans on re-releasing the Note 7 with a battery change. Experts believe the Note line may be completely dead, and that Samsung will rebrand its next Phablet to avoid the marketing connection with the exploding phone fiasco.
Have you been affected by the Galaxy Note 7 debacle? Do you trust Samsung still?
