Samsung’s investigation into what caused some Galaxy Note 7s to catch fire has concluded that the battery was the main reason, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters today.
The world’s biggest smartphone maker will likely announce the results of the investigation on January 23, a day before it announces detailed fourth-quarter earnings results, said the person who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and declined to be identified.
The firm will also announce new measures it is taking to avoid a repeat of the product safety failures in its future devices, the person said.
“To regain confidence from consumers, we will clearly point out what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to catch fire and announce follow-up measures,” said the official.
Samsung stopped selling the Note 7 in October, just two months after it launched, following a spate of incidents where consumers’ devices spontaneously caught fire.
Investors and analysts say it is critical for Samsung to provide a detailed, convincing explanation on what went wrong with the Note 7 phones and how it will prevent such problems from recurring.
The source told Reuters that Samsung was able to replicate the fires during its investigation and that the cause for the fires could not be explained by hardware design or software-related matters.
Samsung will need to ensure consumers remain sold on the firm’s wares and are convinced that the Note 7 incident was a one-off, as it has a lot pinned on the success of the Galaxy S8 that is due to be unveiled later this year, possibly after Mobile World Congress.
Transport Canada and the FAA in the U.S. banned the Note 7 from air travel last October. In December, Samsung noted nearly 90% of Note 7 devices sold in Canada had been returned.
