Samsung was signalling something great when it announced the Galaxy Note 7 last year. Its decision to skip the Galaxy Note 6 as the successor to the Note 5 and jump straight ahead to the Galaxy Note 7 not only seemed like a mere skip in numbers but rather a giant leap in time and technology. Samsung was betting big with the device and why it shouldn't, the "The Next Galaxy" was purported to be the best smartphone of 2016.
The Galaxy Note 7 had all the makings of a bombshell of a smartphone. However, the smartphone started having some battery malfunctions and even some of them exploded. Affected owners took to Twitter to share their predicament and customers were left fuming seeing pictures of the charred device.The phablet not only burnt a hole in your pockets, it quite literally burned in one man's pocket.
Soon the internet was filled with news and pictures of the exploding smartphone. A famous YouTuber, @JerryRigEverything even showed how and why the Note 7 exploded. The biggest blow to Samsung came when the US banned the Note 7 from airplanes. The phone also faced a ban on flights globally a few days later. With so much controversy surrounding it, the Galaxy Note 7 was destined to fade away in a galaxy far far away.
However, not getting bogged down with all these negativity, the Korean-giant was determined to give the Note 7 one last shot at glory when they announced that the battery in the Galaxy Note 7 was faulty and that caused the phones to explode. Samsung soon announced a global recall and started working on the phone. Though. Samsung still sells a refurbished Galaxy Note 7's in South Korea even today, but it was too late for the company to convince the rest of the world that the phone was safe.
The Note 7 is a sad, or perhaps the saddest episode in Samsung's illustrious smartphone journey. Sure the company lost billions of dollars and some loyal customers following the debacle, but the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer remains undeterred. Samsung wants to make amends with the Galaxy Note 8 and hopes to rebuild the trust of its customers. Though many people even suspected Samsung would do away with the Note series completely, but the company believes all is not lost and announced the next edition, Galaxy Note 8.
The Galaxy Note 8 comes with probably the best screen in the smartphone market. Its 6.3 inches of screen real-estate is a sight to behold. It packs all the bells and whistles that are exclusive to the Note series, like the S Pen, which is smarter and more functional than ever before. You can now take notes even when the Note 8's massive screen is off, something that Samsung likes to call the "Screen off memo".
Most importantly, Samsung has put the Galaxy Note 8's battery through rigorous safety checks. Samsung has been working closely with Underwriter Labs to ensure reliability for the Galaxy Note 8's power supply.
In a statement to Engadget, Underwriter Labs president Sajeev Jesudas said, "We have been closely working with Samsung to make meaningful advancements in the science of smartphone quality and safety evaluation, as a result, the Galaxy Note 8 has successfully completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols. We look forward to maintaining our strategic relationship with Samsung to help ensure device safety for all consumers."
According to a Report by The Investor, Samsung has also ditched batteries sourced from its long-time partner, a Chinese company called ATL and is solely relying on batteries manufactured by Samsung SDI and Murata for the Galaxy Note 7. The report also says that 80 percent of the battery production for the Galaxy Note 8 will be from Samsung SDI while the remaining 20 percent will be made by Murata. For next year's Galaxy S9 too, Samsung intends to use batteries from SDI and Murata.
