back to article Samsung halts production of Galaxy Note 7

Korean newswire Yonhap reports that Samsung has ceased production of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The outlet cites a Samsung official as having confirmed previous un-sourced reports of a production halt and says "The halt is in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China, the …

  1. Nigel Steward

    A lesson to be learnt

    I hope that Samsung will now listen to users of its smart 'phones.

    If the Galaxy Note 7 had a removable battery much of the great expense of recall & exchange could have been avoided.

    Let's hope the Note 8 is brought forward, and that it has a removable battery & expandable RAM.

    In the interim Samsung must move to more to clearly indicate the various versions of the SGN7 - Version 1, Version 2 & presumably now version 3. If they don't owners are likely to find that no version of the SGN7 will be allowed (to be used) on board aircraft, & other forms of public transport.

    1. tony

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      If you've got a removable battery how would you indicate on the exterior of the phone that the removable battery had been replaced?

    2. Your alien overlord - fear me

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      Samsung already indicate which version of phablet it is. Ver.1 looks like it's exploded. Ver. 2 is severly burnt. Ver. 3 is carried about by unicorns shooting rainbows out of their arse !!!

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        You're assuming that the battery was the only problem with the Note 7. Given that they used a different battery in the replacement devices and they are still burning up, the problem likely runs deeper than that and a removable battery wouldn't have made any difference in the long run.

      2. Mage Silver badge

        Re: Waterproof

        Lots of things in the past were MORE waterproof and had removable batteries.

        It's just a little more expensive. The problem (and reason for Apple ditching headphone jack) is cost reduction.

        Watches to portable test gear.

        1. psychonaut

          Re: Waterproof

          Yes exactly. All you need are some screws and a rubber strip and maybe some pig fat. Alright you can't go diving with that but it's definately good enough for dropping it in the sink

          1. TonyJ

            Re: Waterproof

            Waterproofing isn't that hard, really. Appreciate it's a completely different use case but I have backup diving torches with removable batteries rated to 105m and it's just a double O-ring and a tight thread.

            Never had any ingress yet.

        2. m0rt

          Re: Waterproof

          @Mage:

          "It's just a little more expensive. The problem (and reason for Apple ditching headphone jack) is cost reduction."

          I think that you will find Apple removed the headphone jack in an effort to keep the magic smoke in...

          1. Lou 2

            Re: Waterproof

            Boom! We want to sell you our brand new headphones next. And because we are the Dark Force - it will have to be our interpretation of Blue Tooth.

            1. Lotaresco

              Re: Waterproof

              "Boom! We want to sell you our brand new headphones next. And because we are the Dark Force - it will have to be our interpretation of Blue Tooth."

              <sigh> Which phones without a 3.5mm jack socket in the case prevent the owner from using their own headphones? All of the Samsung phones that I have owned that do not have a 3.5mm socket provide an adaptor to allow headphones to be connected. The same for the iPhone. No one is forced to use Bluetooth or to buy new headphones.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Removing headphone jack for "cost reduction"

            That's the most clueless thing I've heard said about the removal of the 3.5mm jack. They are spending MORE by removing it because the physical jack itself costs about two cents, but they had to replicate the DAC and amp in the free 3.5mm converter they included AND in the Lightning headphones they shipped.

            By the end of next year, more new phones will ship without a 3.5mm jack than will.

      3. David Gosnell

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        I think having a removeable battery would mean that the phone cannot be waterproof

        My S5 Mini has a removable battery and claims IP67 ingress protection, not that I've put the latter to the test. I've argued all along that the astronomical expense (in almost every regard) of this sorry episode could very easily have been avoided as suggested.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: A lesson to be learnt

          My kids xcover 2 is also ip67 and has a removable battery, 3.5mm jack...

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The Price paid for Sealed Limited Life Devices like Surface Pro.

      Microsoft could also learn a lesson or two from using a removeable (or at least replaceable) Battery for the Surface Pro Range too.

      Glueing these devices up to give them a finite 4 year shelf life, when they are $600+ is sheer greed and has caught Microsoft out too.

      Surface Pro Battery woes - Battery 'Software fixes' just seem to be delaying the problem, past Consumer Warranty Periods, as a sort of Damage/Cost limitation exercise.

      Overall it leaves a lasting impression, you have a good chance of getting a 'Lemon', therefore will be avoided by Pros and Consumers.

      1. Duffy Moon

        Re: The Price paid for Sealed Limited Life Devices like Surface Pro.

        Bugger. I wish I'd known that before I bought one.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      "[...] owners are likely to find that no version of the SGN7 will be allowed (to be used) on board aircraft, & other forms of public transport."

      Postal and courier services who will normally allow laptops and phones to be shipped are now specifically banning the Galaxy Note 7.

    6. TonyJ

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      "...Let's hope the Note 8 is brought forward, and that it has a removable battery & expandable RAM..."

      Expandable RAM? Is there a single mobile phone out there with this feature?

      And personally I don't give one jot about a removable battery. Bought one once for my Note 3. Never used it. Found it far easier to add a Qi coil and just drop it onto a pad.

      Does anyone really need a second battery? I hear this all the time but haven't seen anyone with a spare yet.

      1. Mage Silver badge

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        Issue is battery replacement more than in use standby.

        I agree expandable RAM will not happen.

        1. David Gosnell

          Re: A lesson to be learnt

          Issue is battery replacement more than in use standby

          Yup, have a prize. I've had highly varying battery stamina from the phones I've owned, but never sufficiently poor to require carrying a charged spare. Obviously some heavy users may need this, but I doubt they are numerous. Especially with lower capacity batteries, charging becomes more frequent, and inherently reduces the overall lifetime of the battery. In the olden days when everyone was on a contract, the manufacturers could rely on a 1 to 2 year upgrade cycle (which conveniently about matched the lifespan of a typical battery operating efficiently), but now the world has wised up to their scam via SIM-only deals, and is happy to use third-party firmware to circumvent deliberate dead-ending, they've had to physically engineer in the obsolescence at the hardware level.

      2. Matthew 4

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        Probably not if you sit indoors all day but if you spend a reasonable portion of your time out and about yeah.. its great. One reason i really missed my old note

      3. steveking1000

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        On the second battery comment, two quick use cases I have had in the last couple of months:

        I was lucky enough to spend a week on a boat in Greece this summer. A fantastic holiday, and two spare batteries for by vintage LG G3 plus a bit of care about how much I used it saw me through the week. The spare batteries were much less bulky than an external battery of similar capacity or the solar panels that the rest of my family shared.

        A second case was taking a youth group camping. As group leader, I needed a phone for emergency purposes, and having the spare batteries meant peace of mind and were light and easy to carry.

        Yes, you could have used external batteries both times, but the spare internal battery was easier and cheaper for me. YMMV.

      4. Jeffrey Nonken

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        I can turn my phone off in seconds by removing the battery, and it cannot be tracked, traced, monitored, recorded or remotely turned back on no matter what is running on it, even if hacked.

        Not that I'm particularly paranoid or engaged in any activity that would require such measures, but it's nice to know I have the option.

        I can replace a bad battery in my Galaxy S4 in less than a minute. Using my fingers. My iPhone requires at least half an hour of meticulous work using special tools (... OK, not VERY special, but not everybody keeps a set around... spudger, anyone?) and constant reference to ifixit.com. The battery has an adhesive backing so it has to be carefully pried out, and there's a significant chance of rupturing it in the process.

        I suppose if you just buy a new phone every year, battery replacement isn't a problem that comes up very much.

      5. psychonaut

        Re: A lesson to be learnt

        its not about changing it day to day, its about knackering the thing so it only holds half its charge within 9 months. bung a new battery in, good to go for 9 months again at full capacity.

    7. Vince

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      I think the Note brand is completely ruined. I think that might be the end for it.

    8. Bob Dole (tm)

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      "In the interim Samsung must move to more to clearly indicate the various versions of the SGN7 -"

      That's not going to be good enough. I think Samsung will need a completely different outer design so that the new phones are easily recognizable as NOT being a 7. No one has the time to look to see which "version" a particular phone is in order to allow/deny it. And certainly I don't want the security lines to back up even further from people arguing "my phone isn't a bad one" whether it is or not.

    9. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      Expandable RAM? Has there ever been a phone with expandable RAM?

    10. Lotaresco

      Re: A lesson to be learnt

      "If the Galaxy Note 7 had a removable battery much of the great expense of recall & exchange could have been avoided."

      This isn't true. You seem to be forgetting that Samsung recalled phones and changed the batteries using a different manufacturer. The phones still overheated.

      Samsung are not being clear about what the fault is, and I suspect that now that they have canned production that we will never know what the problem is. However I suspect that if it were just the battery Samsung would have switched to another battery pack and continued to happily make and sell GN7s because that would have been the cheapest option. Stopping sales and halting production lets the world know that the problem was more of an issue than just a battery pack replacement.

      If you want a phone the size of a brick then I'm sure that expandable RAM and a replaceable battery could be on the agenda. It may also be possible to fit a 3.5in floppy drive and a punched card reader.

  2. Dan 55 Silver badge

    Not really surprising if you read some of the threads on thedailywtf about life inside Samsung and Tizen. Sooner or later the business culture that produced terrible software had to end up producing terrible hardware.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Greedy corporates OR Conspiracy !

    They fully deserve the crash.

    In trying to copy Apple (non replaceable batteries to force and sustain annual upgrade cycles AND maintain regular hefty margins) they have shot/burnt themselves in both feet. Greed has played its part here so a fall was imminent.

    On the other hand, using cheap chinese factories/labour/parts has added to their woes.

    But the conspiracy theorist in me suggest that there could be an element of sabotage by Apple/Chinese mafia nexus. Very plausible.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Greedy corporates OR Conspiracy !

      The batteries in the original Note 7s that were recalled were made by Samsung SDI. A Chinese battery supplier that supplied the batteries for the Note 7s sold in China made the batteries used in the replacement Note 7s.

      Given that the replacement Note 7s have the same problem, it seems that the battery wasn't the problem (or only problem) and since Samsung has their own factories making these means "using cheap Chinese factories/labour/parts" had NOTHING whatsoever to do with their problems. They were all self-inflicted.

      They rushed the Note 7 to market hoping to steal Apple's thunder, and got (literally) burnt for doing so. They have handed Google a tremendous gift, as many Note 7 buyers who return them and stay well away from Samsung products in the future will be giving the Pixel a hard look.

      I don't see how "trying to copy Apple" had anything to do with this. If the batteries were removable that probably wouldn't have helped, unless the replacement phones that used batteries from a totally different source had the exact same issue. I suspect the problem may end up being found to lie in the charging circuitry of the phone itself. Charging hefty margins like Apple should have helped prevent this, as they would be able to afford to not cut corners on anything. No idea if they did, but if they did in a device that costs that much, it would be pretty stupid.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "using cheap Chinese factories/labour/parts"

        are you suggesting that Samsung own factories (in China, presumably?) employ people for more that the non-Samsung ones?

    2. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Greedy corporates OR Conspiracy !

      Or cluelessness.

      I today got the following email from Vodafone: <readacted>name</redacted>, win the new Samsung Galaxy S7 with our Big Prize Grab

      While I would love to assign the label "criminal corporate greed" to the Voda marketing cretin who has issued it, "stupidity and cluelessness" are the more likely correct label.

      See - we have extra stock of these [ batteries | charge controllers | phones ] - let's shovel them out.

      1. Sven Coenye

        Re: Greedy corporates OR Conspiracy !

        The Galaxy S7 is not part of this debacle.

    3. Lou 2

      Re: Greedy corporates OR Conspiracy !

      Try not to show your ignorance - the Apple is not the only phone without removable batteries.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    hurrah!

    it would be great if this snafu reversed the trend of built-in, non-removable, experience-enhancing batteries in consumer electronics, if it generates appropriate legislation :)

  5. Jo_seph_B

    Samsung obviously have an issue

    But why do they only ever explode on planes....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Samsung obviously have an issue

      A replacement one is reported to have caught fire in someone's bedroom when it wasn't even plugged in.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37600014

  6. Tony Paulazzo

    There are noises

    that it's the fast charging software that might be part of the problem, not just the battery.

  7. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    Strongly agreed wrt removable batteries. It just is easier replacing a flattery when it's borked.

    Waterproofing? Don't need that one as I never had a mishap with a phone and water.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      re Waterproofing

      Waterproofing? Don't need that one as I never had a mishap with a phone and water (YET)

      There fixed it for you.

      Otherwise you are tempting providence.

  8. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    Must be real fun being at Samsung - having to pay out some payola to Apple and this flaming hot battery issue...

  9. tiggity Silver badge

    I would quite like a phone thats not ludicrously thin

    Obv.only those in the know could make informed comment about any fast charge issues.

    Not sure that the mania for ultra thin devices helps e.g.

    Trying to squeexe in as much battery capacity as they can whilst keeping battery small means a challenging manufacturing task.

    Given the habits of some to put phones in rear trouser, thin designs might well suffer more damage from someone essentially sitting on them than a chunkier phone would - just because the screen is not broken, case not cracked etc. does not mean some imperceptible damage has not occurred which could have consequences later

    A thicker phone just gives more wiggle room all round, less need for ludicrously tight tolerances & more scope for proven manufacturing technologies rather than latest & greatest shave off a few mm here and there approaches.

    I find slim modern phones benefit from a cover just to give them a bit of "bulk" to make them easier to hold

    1. Kaltern

      Re: I would quite like a phone thats not ludicrously thin

      Thicker phone = not as sexy (in corporate minds...)

      Not as sexy = less sales.

      Thinner please, so thin we can't even see it. That'll excite the two-legged ruminants of the world, and spontaneously exploding simply won't be an issue. And call it the Samsung Not Here+.

      1. ElectricFox

        Re: I would quite like a phone thats not ludicrously thin

        But monsieur! This phone is only "wafer-thin"!

    2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: I would quite like a phone thats not ludicrously thin

      ludicrously thin indeed

  10. Captain Badmouth
    Trollface

    House/Car/Personal/Medical insurance

    If this carries on, how long before ownership of one of these gets written into the exclusions section of various insurance policies?

  11. Yesnomaybe

    Samsung halts production of Galaxy Note 7

    Does this mean they will stop crippling my (excellent) Note4 with "updates" in order to make me have to upgrade? If so: Woohoo!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well, they got it right with S7 and S7 Edge and all previous models. It's just very sad that the problem had to happen with the best phone ever made in history. I'm still using mine since I got one of the 99.999% non defective sets, and I still have another 11 days to return it for a full refund.

    Enjoying it a lot! It would have put iPhone to shame. Sad story!

  13. Zedaroca

    The saddest part is, there is no competition for the Note 7

    I have another 11 days untill I must return my non-defective Note 7 (one of the 99.999% okay sets) for a full refund. I'm learning all its amazing features before I must turn it over. Such a heartbreak!

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