The first stories that the Note 7 battery could explode while charging have been confirmed, Samsung has officially announced 35 known cases (17 in South Korea, 17 in the US and one in Taiwan). As a result, the company immediately suspended shipments of Note 7 to all markets and asked partners in ten countries to also stop sales until the reasons were clarified and each situation was verified. It took the company less than a week to debrief; it turned out that out of 2.5 million devices shipped to operators and retailers, the problem affected 0.1% of Note 7, that is, approximately 2,500 phones. The company considered that the possibility of a phone exploding was too serious a problem, and made an unprecedented decision to stop sales in ten countries where this device was already on the shelves, and also to replace all phones in the second wave countries, including Russia.

How does the problem manifest itself and what is it related to?

The problem is associated with overheating of the battery during charging and subsequent ignition, and it occurs regardless of the version of the phone. Thus, devices on Qualcomm in the USA and on the Exynos chipset in South Korea caught fire. The supplier of the problem batteries is not named, but it is indicated that it is not Samsung SDI, that is, a third-party supplier.

Technically, the problem manifests itself as follows: people use a non-original charger or cable, for example, at work or in the car, while the original charger remains at home. Under certain circumstances and a low-quality third-party cable, the charge controller may burn out, and as a result, the battery may ignite during this or subsequent charges. Which leads to any consequences, can cause a fire.

When using the original charger, there is no such problem, as far as I know. But, nevertheless, Samsung decided to play it safe and replace all the phones that are on the market. The replacement procedure looks like this: partners return the received devices, and other models arrive in their place. In Russia, this means that sales will not start on September 16; sales will begin at the end of October or beginning of November, when new batches arrive. Those who prepaid the order can return the money in full or leave the order and receive additional gifts for waiting. The company will announce later what kind of gifts these will be in addition to those already announced earlier. For those who received the devices from the first batches, since mailing to a number of addresses on Far East was, it will be proposed to replace them with new ones, procedure and order free replacement will be known at hotline Samsung will also offer additional accessories upon replacement as a kind of apology. Moreover, as far as I understand, there is no need to carry out this replacement right away tomorrow; you can use the device, especially if you are not afraid of getting into the remaining two and a half thousand pieces, which could potentially explode.

For those who bought their phones in other countries and used the services of intermediaries for their delivery or purchased from resellers, no replacement programs are available in Russia for obvious reasons. To replace it, you must send the phone to the country where it was purchased. Purchases from the USA and South Korea at risk, so it's worth remembering. IN Russian Samsung We are working on how to replace such devices; a solution will be available later.

IN different countries Around the world, all sorts of goodies in the form of apologies are different, somewhere those who placed pre-orders are given vouchers, for example, at Carphone Warehouse in the UK they gave a credit of 25 pounds for any purchases, in other countries it could be 128 GB memory cards or something else. Since this is a voluntary recall, Note 7 users do not have to return the Samsung device; no one is forcing them to do so.

Financial implications for Samsung, share price and value of gifts

Demand for the Note 7 has turned out to be higher than anyone could have imagined, and the fact that the company has already shipped 2.5 million devices in two weeks speaks for itself. And the fact that the company is actually eliminating an entire month of future sales plus starting to replace this million phones speaks to both direct and indirect costs. Let's try to count them and assess how this will affect the company.

So, if you imagine that the company needs to replace 2.5 million devices in ten countries (there is no replacement in China, since they use a different battery), then it turns out that they not only need to assemble them and deliver them to the factory, but also sell them to end consumers devices, replace not only the battery, but also the case, as well as motherboard. In fact, the old device turns into a refurbished one. It is curious that this problem coincided with the start of sales of refurbished phones in the US, apparently Note 7 may appear on this market in this form and at a lower cost.

The logistics cost for one device is about $25, battery replacement and all operations at the factory are about $15, a total of $40 is the minimum cost of a recall for one device. To this we must add gifts in the form of accessories and various goodies that the company gives to those users who have already received the device or paid for their orders. On average, such a gift will cost about one hundred dollars. Even if we start from the fact that 60% of the 2.5 million devices were sold, it turns out that $150 million will be spent on those same compliments. Logistics and battery replacement - another $100 million. That is, according to the most conservative estimates, $250 million are direct losses from the recall of those devices that have already been sold to partners. But there are still devices in factories, in company warehouses, and on the road. In total, we can safely talk about the total cost of 350-400 million dollars. From a financial and reporting perspective, this money will be spread over time, however, it will affect the company's financial results in the coming year.

Samsung Electronics shares initially fell 2% amid Reuters reports of a possible device recall, which is measured at $7 billion in market capitalization. But on September 2, after an official statement, they began to win back.

It can already be argued that the Note 7 launch will be a financial failure due to replacement phones costing so much. In similar situations, other electronics manufacturers have never undertaken such large-scale programs to replace devices with new ones. As a rule, they were replaced charging device, and only them. For example, in 2013, Apple, after the death of a Chinese woman while talking on an iPhone connected to a charger, launched a program where it was possible to replace non-original chargers with branded ones, but with an additional payment of $10:

“Recent reports indicate that some non-original adapters pose a danger to the life and health of their owner. That's why we launch USB program Power Adapter Takeback Program, under which anyone can purchase an official power adapter. Starting August 16th, you can visit an Apple Store or authorized Apple reseller and, for a limited time, purchase the branded charger for a special price of $10. You must bring at least one non-original adapter with you, as well as your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The promotion will be valid until October 18, 2013.”

In fact, this is a story exactly on the same level as what happens with Note 7, when the phone can explode or give an electric shock, but the difference is in the companies' approach. Samsung decided to avoid even a limited number of accidents and spend hundreds of millions to correct the situation. Apple corrected the situation quietly and without replacing devices, essentially leaving the problem on the side of those who use non-original devices for charging phones. Theoretically, this is correct, since the manufacturer cannot be held responsible for the use of any left-handed charges. If you pay attention to what the iPhone says today when connecting most non-original cables, you will find out that the problem has been quietly and secretly solved; these accessories, as a rule, are not supported.

The bottom line about Note 7

The first replacements in key markets, South Korea and the USA, will begin only in two weeks; Samsung was faced with the impossibility of dramatically increasing the production of this device, since there was a frantic demand for it, which was only growing, and now there was the need to replace devices. We can expect that this device will be available for free sale in the United States from the end of September, the same applies to South Korea and all countries of the first wave. But this automatically means a transfer of sales to other countries, as can be seen in the example of Russia. Our device will appear only at the end of October, not earlier. For a long time? Not that word. On the other hand, Samsung doesn’t miss New Year’s sales, so the blow won’t be very painful.

From the point of view of PR and online discussions, this is certainly a strong blow to the company’s reputation and product quality. Samsung's actions and efforts to correct a flaw in a small number of phones are unprecedented and show an attitude towards the market and consumers that is important to the company. Others would offer to buy original chargers at a 50% discount, and immediately completely replace all phones without exception, so that there would not even be a thought that such problems are possible. A very expensive solution plus compliments to those who have already purchased the devices or paid for pre-orders.

For those who don’t like the Samsung brand, this is a reason to mock and prove to the whole world that they produce bad devices. Which, of course, characterizes these people well, but by no means Samsung phones. For those who choose devices consciously and rationally, this is proof that the company knows how to solve problems, however, as before, today they have simply touched on a key product that is the focus of attention.

Considering the shortage that was and is on the Note 7, the company cannot be expected to cope with it. Even if we assume that half of all those who wanted to buy this device simply fall off and decide never to do so, the remaining people are still more than the company can produce phones. This is such a paradox. But financial indicators will go down, we will learn about this in the results of the third and fourth quarters. Note 7 sales by the end of the year are unlikely to exceed 18 million units, taking into account the replacement of 2.5 million. Although if Samsung can introduce a new line, the result may be higher.

Despite all the discussions, this product will sell itself and do it well. The fact that the company did not turn a blind eye to the problem and carried out a total replacement will only spur demand, as it will add confidence in the quality of the product.

And traditionally I invite you to express your thoughts and emotions about this, but try to be within the bounds of decency. Samsung will definitely read these comments. Do you like the company's total replacement approach, or do you think it's not enough?

09/12/2016, Mon, 11:50, Moscow time , Text: Valeria Shmyrova

Samsung Galaxy A Note 7 recalled by the company due to battery fires exploded in the hands of a six-year-old New York boy, causing him burns. A few days earlier, a jeep caught fire in Florida after a smartphone exploded. The cause of the incidents is the ignorance of customers about the product recall.

Galaxy Note 7 exploded in the hands of a six-year-old boy

The GalaxyNote 7 smartphone, recalled by Samsung due to incidents of battery fire, exploded in the hands of a six-year-old boy, causing him burns. The incident occurred on September 10 in Brooklyn, a borough of New York.

Linda Lewis(Linda Lewis), the child's grandmother, reports that at the time of the battery explosion, which occurred around 8 p.m., the child was at home watching a video on a smartphone. After the explosion, the family called emergency service“911” and immediately took the boy to the hospital.

After doctors treated the burns on the child’s hands and other parts of the body, he returned home. According to the grandmother, the boy cries all the time and is afraid to approach any gadgets in the house. The family has already contacted Samsung representatives, but does not say what is being negotiated with the company.

Another Sansung smartphone exploded in the owner's hands

The interior of the car was completely burned out after the explosion of the Galaxy Note 7

Two days before the incident in New York, a resident of another region of the United States published in in social networks Photo of your jeep that caught fire. According to Nathan Dornacher(Nathan Dornacher) from St. Petersburg, Florida, the car caught fire due to an explosion of the Galaxy Note 7 battery, which was being charged in the cabin.

Nathan briefly got out of the car to pick up his daughter and dog from the house, which he was going to put in the jeep. The car engine remained on, so the smartphone continued to charge. Seeing thick smoke pouring out of the windows of the jeep, Dornacher grabbed a fire extinguisher, ran to the car and began to extinguish the fire himself. Meanwhile, his wife called 911. Arriving firefighters extinguished the flames. According to Nathan, the interior of the car was completely burned out from the inside.

Dornacher purchased a Galaxy Note 7 five days before the incident at the operator's store cellular communications Verizon. Nathan claims he didn't know about the recall until he called the company after the fire. The owner of the jeep did not say what he was negotiating with Samsung representatives about.

Galaxy Note 7 recall campaign

To date, at least 35 cases of Galaxy Note 7 battery explosion have been reported worldwide. The model was released by the company in early August. This is the first smartphone on the market with an iris scanner.

Soon after the launch of the product, information appeared on the Internet about the battery exploding and the smartphone catching fire while charging. Users posted photos of melted devices on forums and social networks.

In early September, Samsung sold the Galaxy Note 7 and asked users to return already purchased devices. Buyers can exchange an explosive smartphone for Galaxy model S7. The program does not apply to China because Chinese version Galaxy Note 7 has no battery problems.

Samsung has begun an investigation into the cause of the incident. As it turned out, the supplier of batteries for the Galaxy Note 7, a subsidiary of Samsung SDI, made a technological error in their production. Samsung SDI supplies about 70% of all batteries for this model. Samsung reports that by the time of the recall, about 2.5 million copies of the Galaxy Note 7 had been shipped worldwide. Stopping sales and replacing already purchased smartphones will cost the brand about $1 billion.

Samsung says that from now on the main supplier of batteries for its smartphones will not be Samsung SDI, but the Chinese ATL, which was previously a minor supplier. ATL produced about 30% of the batteries for the Galaxy Note 7. The company is also the main supplier of batteries for the Apple iPhone.

Many companies and organizations are concerned that their customers continue to use the Galaxy Note 7, either intentionally or unknowingly. For example, the civil aviation authorities of the United States and India are asking airline passengers not to carry smartphones of this model in luggage or turn them on during the flight. Charging the device in the aircraft cabin is strictly prohibited.

After months of rumors, Samsung has finally revealed the cause of the fires. Galaxy smartphone Note 7, due to which its production was discontinued, and all copies sold were recalled.

To reach its final conclusion, Samsung conducted extensive testing involving three independent industry groups - UL, Exponent and TUV Rheinland, which also announced the results of the studies.

According to the company, the cause of smartphone fires is problems with batteries. No flaws were found in the Galaxy Note7 itself.

Batteries for the Note 7 were supplied by Samsung SDI (Manufacturer A) and Hong Kong-based Amperex Technology (Manufacturer B). As a result of the investigation, both Manufacturer A and B batteries were to blame for the fires.

In particular, battery overheating Samsung SDI was caused by deformation of the top corners, which caused the electrodes to bend and be too close to each other, as well as the baffles between the electrodes being too thin, which eventually led to a short circuit.

The problem with the Amperex batteries used in the replacement smartphones was a manufacturing defect, as well as a lack of insulation (or mismatch with the insulated contact), and, as in the first case, excessively thin dividing walls. The head of Samsung's US operation said that if not for manufacturing defects in Supplier B's batteries, Note smartphone 7 would still be on the market today.

The investigation involved 700 researchers and engineers who tested more than 200 thousand Note 7 units and more than 30,000 batteries. The American companies UL and Exponent were involved in testing batteries, and the German TUV Rheinland analyzed the supply chain of all components for the Note 7.

Due to reports of Note 7 overheating and fires, the South Korean company had to recall 3.06 million units mobile device. The recall began in September 2016, and Samsung stopped producing the smartphone in October. According to experts, the failure of Note 7, which had high hopes, cost the company $5.3 billion. The head of the mobile division, Dong-jin Koh, expressed deep regret about what happened. " We apologize for the inconvenience and concern we have caused to our customers.", said the top manager. He assured that the company has taken a number of measures to ensure that this does not happen again.

The South Korean conglomerate has vowed to reform its production and improve controls to prevent similar incidents from happening again. In particular, the batteries will undergo an 8-step test, from visual inspection to X-ray inspection and even complete disassembly.

Some fans of the line of Korean tablet phones still expect that the manufacturer will come to its senses and make samsung battery Galaxy Note 7 is removable. However, this will not happen with 100% probability.

Last year, most flagships, even from Chinese smartphone brands, lost the ability to quickly replace the battery; this year the trend continues to develop and penetrate not only the average price segment, but even found among budget devices.

Like last year's Galaxy Note 5, new Galaxy Note 7 will also receive a non-removable battery, as confirmed by existing leaks and new items. By the way, contrary to stereotypes, this approach has a number of advantages.

Benefits of a non-removable battery

Firstly, refusal removable battery allows you to install a larger capacity battery without increasing the size of the smartphone itself.

Secondly, it becomes possible to reduce the size of the device, making it thinner, sleeker and lighter.

Thirdly, thanks to the abandonment of the ability to quickly replace the battery and removable back cover the overall strength of the structure increases. Frequently replacing the battery on the go usually leads to poor fit of the back cover, which was a design problem with the first to fourth generation Galaxy Note.

Fourthly, it is becoming much easier to create waterproof smartphones with a higher protection class. Let's say the Samsung Galaxy S5 met only the IP67 standard, and the “monolithic” Galaxy S7 already had IP68.

Disadvantages of a non-removable battery

Of course, the design has disadvantages with no removable battery there are also, otherwise it would not have caused such a stream of criticism. This is mainly due to the lower maintainability of the device.

For example, it will no longer be possible to buy new battery in any cellular communication store to replace the one that is “hooked” and quickly replace the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery at home.

Of course, you can purchase a battery online from a special parts store and, if you have the skill, carry out the replacement operation yourself, but in this case you will lose the manufacturer’s warranty and almost certainly water resistance.

In addition, the design of the Galaxy S6, S7 and Note 5 is such that in order to get to the battery, serious disassembly of the smartphone is required. It is unlikely that the Galaxy Note 7 will be simpler in this regard.

About conspiracy theories

For some reason, many suspect leading smartphone manufacturers of deliberately conspiring against consumers to force them to buy new products by reducing maintainability.

The most old lamp incandescent, which is more than 100 years old. Such “long-lasting” ones have not been made for a long time.

Historically, such precedents did take place in other areas, for example, the “agreement” between leading manufacturers of incandescent lamps in the 20s of the last century in order to reduce their shelf life.

However, smartphones are a much more complex product; there are hundreds of manufacturers (mainly due to China), so it is incorrect to talk about collusion here. Let's say, nothing prevents the same LG flagships with a removable battery, and this is one of the leading brands.

The same Chinese, in general, most often simply copy Apple, which abandoned the idea of ​​​​a removable battery for mobile electronics long before the iPhone - even when the first iPod came out.

A beautiful and dangerous smartphone from Samsung

Samsung Corporation has invested a lot of effort and money in both the development the newest flagship company, Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and in promoting this product. Unfortunately for the company, after the phone launched on the market, everything went as planned. At the end of August, several messages appeared on social networks about an explosion or fire of phone batteries. The company acknowledged the problem, saying it was due to some flaws in the battery manufacturing process. All Galaxy Note 7 owners were offered to replace their phones, strengthening the battery protection. But this did not solve the fire problem - modified smartphones began to explode.

What happened is a nightmare for any technology company. To prevent this from happening again, Samsung continues to analyze what happened. Outside experts are also studying the situation. Until November, several speculations were made about what could be the cause of the fire. In particular, the company's engineers suggested that the layers of the battery were compressed too much during the production process. Another possibility is poor-quality insulation or a defect during cell production. batteries. But it seems that the problems here are not only with the battery, but also with the design of the phone’s body and components.

The company has not yet said anything about this, but most experts are sure that the problem lies not so much in the batteries, but in the design of the phone case and the placement of elements. To confirm this point of view, employees of the instrumental.ai company purchased the mentioned phone and decided to disassemble it. To ensure our own safety (and to attract attention to the photo), a fire extinguisher was placed near the workplace.

Looking ahead, it is worth saying that the problem, as far as can be judged, has been identified. Due to design flaws, the battery is sometimes compressed during normal use of the phone.

Why does this matter? The fact is that the Note 7 battery is Li-Ion battery flattened shape, which consists of a positively charged layer made of cobalt-nickel oxide and a negatively charged layer of graphite. Separating both layers is a polymer material impregnated with electrolyte. As in any other battery, the polymer layer allows the ions to move freely, in the process of which current is generated. But if the positively and negatively charged layers come into contact, the electrolyte heats up significantly, even more energy is released, the battery heats up and an explosion and fire occurs. If you put pressure on the battery used in the Galaxy Note 7, the situation described can sometimes occur. And you don’t need to press too hard.

In order to make the phone thin, the polymer was made thin, seemingly too thin. As a result, the battery can begin to heat up even if the user puts the phone in the side pocket of their pants and sits down, not to mention the pressure that occurs if the user puts the phone in the back pocket and sits directly on the device. In some cases, this is enough to heat up and ignite the battery. In some cases, the battery expands slightly during use. But there is no space in the case, and the enlarged battery is constantly under pressure from the elements of the case.

An interesting problem arises here - manufacturers seem to have come close to the border where it is already difficult to find a middle ground between safety requirements and marketing. To please users who like everything “the thinnest, the most productive, the most...”, technologists have to make concessions. In order to ensure the safety of the battery, the company's engineers created a special durable “pocket” inside the case. This pocket, according to the developers, should keep the battery intact if the phone is exposed to factors such as pressure or deformation. But due to the fact that the body was created too thin, this structural element does not help in all cases.

It may well be that in the process of developing a new phone, the company decided to update the battery production process. Phone prototypes were tested with batteries of the previous type, but the company simply did not have time to test new batteries. full program(this requires about a year and thousands of batteries). This is one of the options for the development of events that led to the current disastrous result.

Let me remind you that on September 2, the company announced the recall of all Galaxy Note 7s received for sale. After a device from a “safe” batch exploded right on board an airplane, the company had to completely stop production and recall all its devices.

Results of high-speed computed tomography of the cell lithium ion battery 15 seconds before the accident (top) and 1 second before the accident (bottom).