Samsung is still reeling from the recent cancellation of the Galaxy Note 7, following a second recall due to a high risk of battery fires. As the company tries to pick up the pieces and regain consumer trust, it is still unable to identify the root cause of the battery fires. A new report from The Wall Street Journal reveals Samsung used an internal lab to test the battery in the Note 7. That sets it apart from all other smartphone makers, which use independent third-party labs for such testing.
 

Samsung released the Note 7 scarcely two months ago, and within a few weeks it had become apparent the phone was bursting into flames at a higher rate than any other device. The company began an investigation and determined batteries produced by a Samsung subsidiary were the cause. It initiated a fast recall to get the devices swapped out for new, non-explosive units. However, the replacement units seemed to be blowing up at the same unacceptable rate.

Industry watchers suspect that Samsung was pushing hard to get the Note 7 out in advance of the iPhone 7 launch. It’s possible its internal testing was hurried along for business reasons—something that would not have been possible with outside testing.
Samsung is currently stuck with a multi-billion dollar bungle and no good answers yet. If it’s going to convince consumers to buy a Galaxy S8, it needs to come up with a full explanation for the Note 7’s issues. Considering how long it takes to design phones, the timing of the Galaxy S8 could be impacted by the Note 7 fiasco.

When Samsung began recalling the Galaxy Note 7, we praised the company’s quick action and willingness to address the problems caused by its device. The need for a second recall and the complete cancellation of the Note 7 was a bit harder to compliment, but at least the company hadn’t tried to hide from its own problems… until evidence surfaced that the company was definitely trying to sweep its problem under the rug. Now, adding insult to injury, Samsung is trying to get out of paying for the property damage its devices caused.

There have been 96 Samsung Galaxy Note 7s known to have exploded or caught fire during the few weeks the phone was on the market, according to The Guardian. Thirteen of the failures caused injury, while 47 are recorded as causing property damage of one type or another. In one case, the Note 7 exploded on a nightstand, spraying chemicals across the room, damaging the bed, mattress, curtains, and carpet, as well as the nightstand itself. When John and Joni Barwick reported this to Samsung, the company refused to cover any of the damage caused by its device and referred its customers to Samsung’s insurance company — and the insurance company has refused to cover the replacement cost of any damaged items.

In other Samsung news, the company filed a DMCA request against a GTA V modder who created a mod that replaced the game’s sticky bombs with exploding Galaxy Note 7s. This abuse of the DMCA isn’t likely to stand, given that Samsung has absolutely no copyright claim to content within GTA V, but it seems to show where the company’s priorities lie. Pro tip, guys: Spend less time chasing YouTubers and modders and more time taking care of the customers whose property you burned, or no amount of free offers will rescue your sales when the Note 8 rolls around. Attacking modders with the DMCA is a good way to wind up with in-game rocket launchers that fire exploding Note 7s, blowing up entire cars.

stalinx20
In other Samsung news, the company filed a DMCA request against a GTA V modder who created a mod that replaced the game’s sticky bombs with exploding Galaxy Note 7s.

Nereus

WackyWRZ

seth89
Buy LG.

I suppose bootloops are better than fires.   I've always been a fan of HTC since the M7 came out but their latest phones are always lacking specs/features to put them at the top in some way it seems to make them just "good".  The M7/M8 with the dual front speakers, boomsound, and aluminum build was always good.  But then they don't have AMOLED which I really like or Qi charging.

Yeah the LG G4 has been great - although my wife's G4 was one of the unlucky ones that suffered that bootloop issue. Took it into a shop that day, walked out with a brand new replacement 30 minutes later, no cost, no problems since. We both have the LG G4, very nice phone and great camera. Wife also has the Samsung S6 (her work supplied it) - she prefers the G4. I used to have the original HTC One (M6) - I really liked that phone at the time, but HTC seem to be falling behind and just can't compete with top-tier phones from some of the other manufacturers (particularly LG and Samsung). iPhones imo are way overrated - they are nice, but not that nice. Thought I'd throw that in there to bait the rabid apple addicts. lol.