China’s ATL batteries to power Galaxy Note 7 replacement

Seoul, Sep 12 (IANS) After faulty batteries led to a global recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, Samsung Electronics will only use batteries made by China's ATL for its replacement devices, Yonhap news agency reported.

After the recall announcement earlier this month, the South Korean company is said to have contacted ATL to order an additional four million batteries as replacements in the Galaxy Note 7 devices. It had procured most of the batteries from its subsidiary.

Notedly, ATL also supplies batteries for Apple's iPhone series, which means Samsung could face supply restraint if demand soars for the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The Chinese company is set to become the sole battery supplier for Samsung by shipments for the time being since the company stopped receiving batteries from its main provider and has not found a third supplier.

Reportedly, Samsung used to get 70 per cent of its batteries from its subsidiary while 30 percent was from ATL for Galaxy Note 7 devices.

Samsung had earlier urged its consumers to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and get a replacement soon.

"There have been a small number of cases reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers' safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7," the world's largest smartphone maker said in a statement on Saturday.

"For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we now ask that you power down your device and return to using your previous phone," the statement added.

"We will voluntarily replace your Galaxy Note7 device with a new one," the statement noted.

Samsung plans to provide the replacement device beginning September 19 in South Korea, but schedules for other countries vary.

"Samsung continues to ensure that consumer safety remains our top priority. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note7s and exchange them now," said Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics America, in an official statement.

"New Note7 replacement devices will be issued to exchange program participants upon completion of the CPSC (US Consumer Product Safety Commission) process. In the interim, consumers can return their Note7 for another device," Baxter said.