November 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics will likely adopt 3,000 and 3,500 milliampere hour batteries, respectively, for the two variants of the upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, according to news reports on Feb. 9.

Samsung’s next flagship smartphone will come in two types -- one with a 5.7-inch display and another with a 6.2-inch display. The first will be fitted with the 3,000mAh battery while the latter will come with the larger battery capacity.

The ill-fated Galaxy Note7 that exploded its way to an early demise had also featured a 3,500 mAh battery.

“After completing a rage of tests, Samsung made a final decision to deploy the battery capacity for the two S8 variants,” a Samsung official was quoted by Korean news outlet News1 as saying.

Samsung is said to have recently started receiving smartphone components in large volumes from its partners for the mass production of the S8.

After the Galaxy Note 7 crisis, the company is said to have made some change to its battery supplies, by tapping Murata Manufacturing of Japan for the S8 battery supply.

Two major sources for the smartphone battery are ATL of China and Samsung’s sister firm Samsung SDI. It has not been confirmed yet if Samsung has severed its ties with ALT after the Note 7 fiasco last year.

Months-long investigations, led by Samsung, outside laboratories, and state-run agencies, found that faulty batteries made by SDI and ATL were the main cause of the fire and explosion cases of the ill-fated Note 7.

At a press conference held on Jan. 23, Samsung’s mobile division chief Koh Dong-jin vowed to beef up the quality control process for smartphones and batteries.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)