Samsung Galaxy S8 batteries could come from Japanese supplier
After the Galaxy Note 7's major battery blunder, Samsung will reportedly use a different battery manufacturer for its Galaxy S8 flagship phone.
Two big battery mistakes are probably enough for Samsung to change its ways. Samsung is reportedly switching its battery supplier to a new Japanese manufacturer for the Galaxy S8, according to Korean news site Han Kyung.
Samsung received a major blow after its premium Galaxy Note 7 phone had to be recalled not once, but twice due to explosions. Samsung determined the Note's batteries were the cause of the issue and has since changed its procedure for testing batteries before deeming them safe (see diagram below). Switching to a new supplier would be one way for the company to avoid a similar blowout on its Galaxy S8 flagship phone, expected to go on sale in the next few months. If it wants to regain people's trust, Samsung cannot afford another mistake.
Samsung has instituted an eight-point battery check to prevent the problems it had with the Galaxy Note 7.
Murata Manufacturing Company could be the new supplier for Galaxy S8 batteries, according to the Han Kyung report. Murata Manufacturing acquired Sony's battery manufacturing subsidiary last year. The Japanese manufacturer is rumored to be the secondary supplier behind Samsung SDI -- Samsung Electronics' own battery division, and the group called out by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission for making the Note 7's first-run of flawed batteries.
Chinese manufacturer Amperex Technology acknowledged that it was the supplier of replacement Note 7 batteries, which were also prone to combust.
Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.
