23 January 2017•Update: 23 January 2017
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
Samsung Electronics vowed Monday to ensure its Galaxy Note 7 debacle “never happens again,” after being forced to discontinue the fast-selling smartphone last October at an estimated cost of more than $5 billion.
A series of Note 7 fires prompted a global recall of millions of devices.
Samsung convened a press conference in Seoul Monday morning to explain that faulty batteries were behind the fires, as suspected all along – as opposed to other defects in the design of its smartphone hardware or software.
“For the last several months, together with independent industry expert organizations, we conducted (a) thorough investigation,” Koh Dong-jin, Samsung’s smartphone division chief told reporters. “Today, more than ever, we are committed to earning the trust of our customers.”
Analysis of thousands of devices found that the original battery’s casing was undersized, while a manufacturing fault was responsible for problems with its rushed replacement.
A statement from the company insisted it has “implemented a broad range of internal quality and safety processes to further enhance product safety.”
These include more stringent testing safeguards known as the ‘8-Point Battery Safety Check’ as well as the formation of an advisory group of outside experts.
Koh added that Samsung will not be taking legal action against any battery suppliers.
The tech giant said earlier this month it estimated a higher-than-expected operating profit of 9.2 trillion won ($7.9 billion) from the fourth quarter of 2016 despite the Note 7 issues.
