That battery problem isn't due to the fast charge. AI is pulling things out of its rear end again.
The issue is the bad battery cells made by its supplier, Chinese company Ampeterex. About 30% of the battery was from that company, the rest are from Samsung's battery division, Samsung SDI.
It was a bold and unthinkable move by Samsung to have made this decision. I commend them for doing this despite how much it will hurt them financially and reputationally. Unlike apple and it's Laize-faire approach to product fixes, this speaks volumes about Samsung's priority: it's customers.
The severity of the issue is the reason Samsung has volunteered to swap units. A bolder move, but still one they may simply be forced to make, would be an official voluntary recall. It happens that nothing this severe (a defect that could burn down your home) has existed with Apple products. With Chinese knock-off chargers, yes, a few years ago, but those would have been an issue regardless of what phone was plugged into them, so that whole episode actually had nothing to do with Apple. This... this is Samsung's issue, all the way. And it's a serious issue that must be dealt with. If it speaks volumes, it speaks to Samsung's improper engineering.
I commend them for doing this despite how much it will hurt them financially and reputationally. Unlike apple and it's Laize-faire approach to product fixes, this speaks volumes about Samsung's priority: it's customers.
That's not how business works. It's been years since I've seen a Mac battery expand, but I had a couple. Every time I was able to bring them into an Apple Store and they would replace them. Apple didn't do this because Apple is altruistic, but because it's a potential fire hazard.
You can come in here and bash Apple and make unsubstantiated claims all you want, but the reality is that Samsung's CE division has been allowed to be held less accountable over the years than Apple because of Apple's mindshare position in the market.
In regards to the iPhone, I recently had an earpiece speaker on a year old iPhone get too faint to be useful. It still worked in the sense that sound came out and you could discern that it was a person speaking and determine who the speaker was if you had heard the voice in the past, but it wasn't good enough to hear the person well. I made an appointment for the Genius Bar and they were going to replace the screen for free, since that houses that speaker component. I didn't have the hour to wait at that time so I asked if it was possible to get the entire device replaced. The girl said yes, and 5 minutes later I was walking out with a new iPhone. How is this bad service? How would I have done this with a Samsung device?
This Android phone is first now being classified as a dangerous product?
I would classify all perfectly functioning Android phones as dangerous products, in terms of security, a shoddy operating system, and general user dissatisfaction.
I don't recall reading about any mass recall of any phone like this before, this is obviously a huge screw up on Samsung's part, and one that will cost them a lot of cash probably.
Physical damage from a crash on a bicycle to the extent that the battery was punctured; not the same mode of failure as the Samsung catching fire, but thanks for playing.
Apple would blame the user instead. Remember antennagate?
Yeah, obvious troll, I remember it, but what Samsung has on its hands is not the equivalent of that, so why not avoid being a dick.
Apple sold the iPhone 4 with no changes to the antenna for more than three years, and "antennagate" faded away quickly after Steve Jobs explained the actual rate of dropped calls, how all phones at that time experienced it, and how Apple was going to mitigate the problem for those that were using it without a cover. Apple also made it easy for anyone that wanted to, to return the iPhone 4; very few people did. Arguably, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S were the best industrial designs of all the iPhones.
ok look I love the drama of seeing fanboys from both sides come together in heated debate as much as the next person but why are these stories here?
Because we want justice. Apple has been unfairly victimized by media. For disclaimer, we obviously don't want Samsung to be scrutinized, condemned and castigated like iPhone during Bendgate or Antennagate, considering that it is just a phone exploding that definitely would cause severe injury due to their advertised "fast charging" feature. Oh wait.
Even a 12 years old should be able to read the article you quote before you posted it here and made yourself a fool. In case you didn't read the article properly:
“It’s a bit random,” he told dailytelegraph.com.au, “the thing to be very specific about, the phone did hit the ground, it didn’t just spontaneously combust. It was a one in one million chance I hit a part of the phone which pierced the lithium battery and it exploded.
Apple would blame the user instead. Remember antennagate?
You're full of shit buddy. BTW, they didn't change the god damn phone, kept on selling it as is. Now, go away.
The GSM-based iPhone 4 might be Apple's longest selling iPhone model. If it's not, it's damn close, yet asshats still claim that you'd drop a call if you touched the phone.
Apple would blame the user instead. Remember antennagate?
You're full of shit buddy. BTW, they didn't change the god damn phone, kept on selling it as is. Now, go away.
The GSM-based iPhone 4 might be Apple's longest selling iPhone model. If it's not, it's damn close, yet asshats still claim that you'd drop a call if you touched the phone.
One of the carriers at the time stated their data showed the iPhone 4 dropped fewer calls than the 3GS. Which kinda deflates the idea that a changing signal bar was equated to actual dropped call rates.
Apple would blame the user instead. Remember antennagate?
You're full of shit buddy. BTW, they didn't change the god damn phone, kept on selling it as is. Now, go away.
The GSM-based iPhone 4 might be Apple's longest selling iPhone model. If it's not, it's damn close, yet asshats still claim that you'd drop a call if you touched the phone.
One of the carriers at the time stated their data showed the iPhone 4 dropped fewer calls than the 3GS. Which kinda deflates the idea that a changing signal bar was equated to actual dropped call rates.
AnandTech's testing, which was thorough but flawed, did show that there was a way you could detune the antenna if you touched it in a certain spot, but they also noted that because of the design of using external antennas that it would also hold a connection better than other phones.
For me, this puts the problem squarely on Apple's shoulders for not thinking more thoroughly about how the phone works in regards to how the bars are represented. Meaning, there was nothing in the HW that was bad, but they could have avoided the clickbait-media outrage that riled the ignorant masses simply by changing how the 5 bars were represented on the phone with different signal strengths.
The Antenna is Improved From my day of testing, I've determined that the iPhone 4 performs much better than the 3GS in situations where signal is very low, at -113 dBm (1 bar). Previously, dropping this low all but guaranteed that calls would drop, fail to be placed, and data would no longer be transacted at all. I can honestly say that I've never held onto so many calls and data simultaneously on 1 bar at -113 dBm as I have with the iPhone 4, so it's readily apparent that the new baseband hardware is much more sensitive compared to what was in the 3GS. The difference is that reception is massively better on the iPhone 4 in actual use.
On July 2, Apple released a letter noting that the formula used in iOS 4.0 to calculate how many bars are presented for each signal strength is “totally wrong.” This mirrored our conclusions that the effects of the signal drop were exacerbated in part by the way the iPhone visualizes signal strength - the dynamic range is compressed so much that the 24 dB drop from cupping the phone without a case could make all the bars go away.
I believed the aggressive charging was probably the cause, but since Samsung has stated that it is the battery, I'll have to take their word for it.
If this is in fact limited to a few lots of product that will be replaced, then Samsung should consider themselves lucky. If, on the other hand, the problem persists at all, then Samsung will be in a deeper hole due to trust.
According to Samsung, the problem only happens with 1 of their 2 battery suppliers. This does not make the problem less severe. it gives Samsung an easy way to solve the issue
I look at all people who own a Samsung, or ANY Android device for that matter, and just shake my head and walk away, and hope to GOD they don't ask me for tech support with it, which they almost always do!
so funny, everyone I know who has a Samsung, the second I see them they are asking me to fix their phone for some stupid reason
Geez, AI. This looks like something that I would read on Breitbart. Samsung has admitted fault, and is taking the necessary steps.
I have to agree with @bubbaone: clearly not your best article Daniel.
it is not his best article, the point you two are missing is the lack of widespread media attention. if this was apple G20, NK missiles, Brexit, Mother Theresa, Olympics and anything else would have been overshadowed. There would have been another ridiculous broadway play written about it and it would last three months at the earliest.
I live in Korea- Samsung rarely admits faults (even after several employees died mysteriously of leukaemia). and notice how it still takes WEEKS before you can get your replacement. If apple took weeks their stock would be £0.25 a share and the news would not report anything but apple battgate for six months.
Comments
You can come in here and bash Apple and make unsubstantiated claims all you want, but the reality is that Samsung's CE division has been allowed to be held less accountable over the years than Apple because of Apple's mindshare position in the market.
In regards to the iPhone, I recently had an earpiece speaker on a year old iPhone get too faint to be useful. It still worked in the sense that sound came out and you could discern that it was a person speaking and determine who the speaker was if you had heard the voice in the past, but it wasn't good enough to hear the person well. I made an appointment for the Genius Bar and they were going to replace the screen for free, since that houses that speaker component. I didn't have the hour to wait at that time so I asked if it was possible to get the entire device replaced. The girl said yes, and 5 minutes later I was walking out with a new iPhone. How is this bad service? How would I have done this with a Samsung device?
I would classify all perfectly functioning Android phones as dangerous products, in terms of security, a shoddy operating system, and general user dissatisfaction.
I don't recall reading about any mass recall of any phone like this before, this is obviously a huge screw up on Samsung's part, and one that will cost them a lot of cash probably.
Yeah, obvious troll, I remember it, but what Samsung has on its hands is not the equivalent of that, so why not avoid being a dick.
Apple sold the iPhone 4 with no changes to the antenna for more than three years, and "antennagate" faded away quickly after Steve Jobs explained the actual rate of dropped calls, how all phones at that time experienced it, and how Apple was going to mitigate the problem for those that were using it without a cover. Apple also made it easy for anyone that wanted to, to return the iPhone 4; very few people did. Arguably, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S were the best industrial designs of all the iPhones.
Yeah, never happens to Samsung.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5626373
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Galaxy-S7-edge-buirns-while-charging_id84946
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/samsung-launch-investigation-after-mobile-5751394
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2359281/Exploding-Samsung-Galaxy-phone-leaves-teenager-degree-burns-smelling-like-burnt-pig.html
Edited: Found a couple more.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/02/04/2013020401251.html
http://metro.co.uk/2016/03/18/samsung-galaxy-phone-explodes-next-to-mother-and-sleeping-toddler-5761119/
One of the carriers at the time stated their data showed the iPhone 4 dropped fewer calls than the 3GS. Which kinda deflates the idea that a changing signal bar was equated to actual dropped call rates.
For me, this puts the problem squarely on Apple's shoulders for not thinking more thoroughly about how the phone works in regards to how the bars are represented. Meaning, there was nothing in the HW that was bad, but they could have avoided the clickbait-media outrage that riled the ignorant masses simply by changing how the 5 bars were represented on the phone with different signal strengths.
I live in Korea- Samsung rarely admits faults (even after several employees died mysteriously of leukaemia). and notice how it still takes WEEKS before you can get your replacement. If apple took weeks their stock would be £0.25 a share and the news would not report anything but apple battgate for six months.