You are now advised one thing: Turn in your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 now. According to sources, it's one out of 100 units that your phone may overheat and burst into flames. The incidents have been alarming to many. The solution has been to immediately recall 1 million out of the 2.5 million units manufactured. The causes are now being studied. One thing is for sure- your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is not safe.
Everything has been going so well for Samsung when 35 overheating incidents have caused alarm worldwide. The events were unprecedented both for Samsung and its customers. Immediately, Samsung made the decision to recall every Galaxy Note 7 sold (1 million units). Ever since the recall was made, overheating incidents have quadrupled.
Samsung has taken all measures to stop all sales and shipment of the defective model. It has liaised with the cellular carriers and government agencies to make immediate returns, refunds and exchanges possible.
What you should know:
Phones use lithium ion battery packs for their power. The liquid component found in the lithium ion batteries are however flammable.
If the battery short-circuits (puncturing the thin sheet of plastic separating he positive and negative sides of the battery), the point where the puncture is made becomes the least resistant path for electricity to flow.
The puncture point then heats up the liquid flammable component of the battery. If the heat up happens quickly enough, the battery can explode.
History:
In 2009: Nokia prompted recall of 46 million mobile phone batteries. These units have been said to be at risk for short-circuiting.
2015 and 2016: A number of cases involving iPhone users suffered burns from exploding devices.
2016: Galaxy Core exploded and burned a 6-year-old child.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is not the first phone to experience short-circuit.
The Case of Galaxy Note 7:
Samsung committed an error in manufacturing that "placed pressure on plates contained within battery cells," that "brought negative and positive poles in contact," according to Korea's Agency for Technology and Standards.
"The defect was revealed when several contributing factors happened simultaneously, which included sub-optimized assembly process that created variations of tension and exposed electrodes due to insufficient insulation tape," confirmed by a Samsung representative to sources.
The Future:
Lithium ion batteries have long been used as phone batteries. Despite its risks, the electronics industry continues the use of the flammable formula because the batteries produced are smaller and lighter than the less-dangerous ones. It is unknown whether the Note 7 incidents will change something in the manufacturing industry of mobile phones today. One thing is for sure, lithium battery technology is proving to survive the test of times.
