Samsung could ring LG for phone batteries after Note 7 debacle
Once burned, twice shy, Samsung may find new battery suppliers after problems with the Galaxy Note 7.
Faulty batteries were the downfall of the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung seems to be doing everything within its power to avoid a repeat of the great Galaxy Note 7 battery crisis of 2016.
That might even include buying batteries from LG, according to a Reuters report published Monday.
Samsung currently sources its phone batteries from Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of the company, and China's Amperex Technology, but could be set to diversify its battery suppliers by inking a deal with fellow South Korean company LG Chem. Reuters cites the Chosun Ilbo newspaper as saying there's "more than a 90 percent chance" of Samsung signing up LG to provide batteries for its phones starting in the second half of 2017.
It was a bad stretch this year for Samsung when it was forced to recall the Galaxy Note 7 -- twice -- over battery-related safety concerns and then finally put the brakes on production of the phone altogether. The recalls will likely cost the company billions, so it's understandable that Samsung would want to avoid a similar problem in the future.
Neither Samsung nor LG immediately responded to requests for comment.