Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Battery Explained

From Water Resistant To Catching Fire

The Galaxy Note 7 was just released less than a month ago and is already having a major battery issue. There is currently a recall for all 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 sold. As of now, there have been 35 confirmed global cases reported of this issue. It is only affecting .01% of the phones shipped. Despite the low percentage owners have been advised by the company and carriers to power off their devices and return it to the place of purchase. This issue marks the biggest cellphone recall in history. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is now working with Samsung to handle this issue. The FAA has also taken action advising not to charge their Note 7 during flight.

Why Is The Galaxy Note 7 Exploding?

Samsung has released what exactly is causing the battery to catch fire and explode. Samsung informed that “An overheating of the battery cell occurred when the anode-to-cathode came into contact which is a very rare manufacturing process error.” This means that two areas of the battery that are not supposed to touch are making contact causing an explosion. There is always a separator between the cathode and anode but mass manufacturing errors can occur. If the separator is too thin it can dissolve allowing contact. For all we know the separator is missing completely in some of the phones that were shipped.

Samsung’s Not So Smart Recovery Plan

Samsung has immediately disclosed the issue and urged all their customers to return their possibly faulty phones. They have enabled the Samsung Exchange program which allows customers to exchange their Note 7 for any other phone no questions asked. Restocking fees will be waived and a $25 credit applied to your cell phone bill for each device returned. The only issue is that if you want a Note 7 replacement you need to wait. They are not providing loaner cell phones. If you replace your Note 7 for any other phone you have 14 days to return it again and fees will apply. Samsung is expected to ship the replacement cell phones within the next two weeks. The replacements will be marked with a big blue S on the box indicating safe. This means that you will be at risk during this time while you wait. Even though it is only affecting a .01% you are still at risk. With the iPhone 7 order date being September 9th it couldn’t have been worse timing for Samsung.