If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, it’d be a good idea to turn it in. But if you want to keep it and take your chances, Samsung is going to make a big change to your battery life.
Samsung (SSNLF) announced in Korea on Tuesday that it plans to launch an update to South Korean users on Sept. 20 that will not allow the Galaxy Note 7’s battery life to exceed 60%. The announcement was made in an advertisement in South Korean newspaper Seoul Shinmun, according to the Associated Press. Samsung is currently in talks with other carriers around the world to launch a similar update to Galaxy Note 7 smartphones still in the wild outside of Korea, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
The Galaxy Note 7 was designed to be the smartphone that would help Samsung compete with archrival Apple and its iPhone this holiday season. The device features a big, 5.7-inch screen, a powerful processor, and support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus. However, an estimated 2.5 million units Samsung sold come with a battery flaw that causes it to overheat and in certain conditions, explode. Dozens of cases of the Galaxy Note 7 overheating and exploding have surfaced in recent weeks, including one over the weekend that caused a six-year-old boy to reportedly sustain burns over his body.
Get Data Sheet, Coins2Day’s technology newsletter
For its part, Samsung has issued a voluntary recall, though it’s urging all device owners to return or exchange the device for its Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge. Meanwhile, airlines around the world and the FAA have warned flyers not to bring the smartphone on flights and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is working on an official recall.
The rub for Samsung is actually getting its Galaxy Note 7 owners to bring back the troubled devices. Since the company sold millions in a short period of time, it could have trouble getting them all back. The software update it plans to push out in Korea next week would limit the Galaxy Note 7’s battery capacity and apparently reduce chances of it running too hot and exploding. Still, the company has urged customers not to chance it and bring back the smartphone as soon as possible. Those who keep it will find that the Galaxy Note 7’s battery life will be about 40% shorter than it otherwise could be.
Samsung is currently investigating the problem that caused the overheating and explosions, but in a report filed with Korea’s Agency for Technology and Standards obtained by Bloomberg, Samsung said that it believes there was an error in the smartphone’s production that increased pressure on plates inside the battery cells. That pressure caused both negative and positive poles to come into contact, creating the possibility of overheating and explosions. Samsung warned, however, that it needs to conduct more analysis before it can arrive at a final conclusion and told the agency it plans to “take care” of its customers in the interim.
“Even before we have the final result of the investigation, we plan to establish and carry out the best ways to take care of our customers,” the company said in its report, according to Bloomberg. “We are currently investigating the battery issue in cooperation with battery manufacturers.”
“Samsung is continuing to work with the CPSC and our carrier partners to develop and evaluate solutions that are best for US Note7 owners,” a Samsung spokesperson told Coins2Day. “No action will be taken without the approval of the CPSC. Customer safety remains our top priority.”