With the recent issue with the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung will reportedly switch to a third-party partner for some of its components for the next company flagship.
Reports out of South Korea say that Samsung is looking to diversify its battery suppliers, possibly preparing for its next flagship, the Galaxy S8. A Samsung executive is quoted as saying, "We are looking at diverse suppliers, including LG Chem."
Samsung's move is seen as a way to make amends for the Galaxy Note 7 issue. It can be recalled that when the Galaxy Note 7 was released previously, users reported exploding devices due to its battery, a component from Samsung SDI. The first batch of Galaxy Note 7s from production was recalled. However, the second re-release of the flagship, which used batteries made by ATL, were also reported to be faulty. The second recall and issues were so grave that the South Korea-based tech giant decided to discontinue production for the Galaxy Note 7.
With a deal with LG Chem, it is likely that the third-party player will supply the battery component for the upcoming Galaxy S8. This is likely since it said that LG Chem batteries are proven to be reliable. However, it remains to be seen if the deal will push through. Generally, Samsung and LG avoid entering into supply deals with each other, as the two are the biggest tech giants out of South Korea, directly competing against each other.
Meanwhile, should the deal push through, it will mean that there will be updated components for the Galaxy S8. It was said that Samsung is making sure that the next flagship will be top-notch and that it will not have the glitch that the Galaxy Note 7 had, although the upcoming flagship will retain some features, like an ultrafast fingerprint scanner and the iris sensor, from the discontinued flagship.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to come out early next year.
