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Cause of Galaxy Note 7 overheating reportedly still a mystery

Investigation into Samsung is delaying development of the Galaxy S8, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil
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Watch this: Galaxy Note 8? Yes, Samsung is planning on it

Nearly two months after Samsung announced a global recall of its new Galaxy Note 7 , the electronics giant reportedly still doesn't know what is causing some phones to overheat and catch fire. And that mystery is delaying development of the Galaxy S8, its next flagship phone, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokeswoman for the company told the newspaper that it is still searching for the cause of the phones overheating.

"We recognized that we did not correctly identify the issue the first time and remain committed to finding the root cause," she said. "Our top priority remains the safety of our customers and retrieving 100 percent of the Galaxy Note 7 devices in the market."

The effort to solve that mystery is now having an affect on the S8, according to the Journal. Development of the S8 has been delayed by two weeks as engineers try to determine the cause of the Note 7's overheating issues, a member of the S8 development team told the Journal.

The Note 7, which hit the market in mid-August, was expected to solidify Samsung's lead in the mobile market after a strong showing with its Galaxy S7. The company had just begun to regain its swagger after stumbling the previous year with lackluster products.

But Samsung was soon dealing a massive public relations mess, issuing a worldwide recall of Galaxy Note 7 devices after a battery flaw apparently caused dozens of the phones to explode or burst into flames.

After recalling the device for a second time due to continuing heat issues, the company said in mid-October it would discontinue the device. Samsung estimates the debacle will cost the company $3 billion.