14 DAY TRIAL // The exact cause that determined Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to overheat and catch fire is still unknown, as investigations are currently conducted in the US and South Korea. But new information has surfaced regarding battery testing procedures at Samsung.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung didn’t use third-party labs in order to test batteries inside its phones, but rather preferred to conduct this procedure at its own facilities. Other smartphone manufacturers use one of the 28 third-party labs in order to test batteries inside their phones.
These labs are certified by the CTIA in the US, the international industry trade group that represents all wireless communication sectors.
The tests are needed for ensuring compliance with standards enforced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the IEEE.
The tests are important because they can determine if a battery has the tendency to overheat during regular use or when conducting phone calls. It’s also crucial to determine whether the battery heats while charging or under conditions that involve high temperatures.
And although it goes against industry practices, it seems that Samsung decided against using a third-party certified lab and conducted battery tests at its own facilities.
Samsung is the only major phone maker to conduct tests for CTIA certification internally
A Samsung spokesperson confirmed the situation and added that the company didn’t find any issues in original and replacement Note 7 phones while performing internal testing procedures. Last week, several reports mentioned that Samsung engineers weren’t able to replicate the issues with Galaxy Note 7 phones and thus they’re not sure what exactly caused the battery to overheat and catch fire.
A representative from the CTIA stated that the group certified over 1,500 batteries found inside phones made by various manufacturers.
Samsung isn’t the only one that conducts internal tests on batteries, as Motorola also prefers to self-test smartphones before making them available to the market. However, the smartphone maker contacts third-party labs for CTIA certification before launching the product in the US. Samsung didn’t do the same in the case of the Galaxy Note 7.