Which smartphone battery defect led to Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 7 recall in 2016?

Overheating batteries led to Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 7 recall in 2016.

Samsung announced a recall after reports that some Galaxy Note 7 batteries overheated and caught fire. The company initially identified a problem in batteries supplied for early devices, then recalled replacement phones after some replacement batteries also overheated. Samsung ultimately ended production and permanently withdrew the model.

The United States recall covered about one million phones, and aviation authorities warned passengers not to use or charge the device on aircraft. Samsung later published an investigation that attributed the fires to separate battery defects involving the positive electrode and insulation in different battery suppliers’ cells.

The issue was not a general failure of every Note 7 battery. It was a defect affecting some cells, but the severity of the risk made a broad recall necessary. The case became a landmark example of how a consumer-electronics defect can create transport and fire-safety concerns.