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Samsung Taps Sony-Murata For Galaxy S8 Batteries; Shuns Old Supplier After Galaxy Note 7 Debacle

Samsung Taps Sony-Murata For Galaxy S8 Batteries; Shuns Old Supplier After Galaxy Note 7 Debacle

Regin Olimberio

Samsung is apparently ditching its old battery suppliers- SDI and Amperex Technology- after the checkered fate of the Galaxy Note 7. The company is exploring the options with two battery suppliers and is already in the final stages of negotiations with one of them.

Japan's Murata Manufacturing is the forerunner in manufacturing batteries for the new Samsung Galaxy S series. according to Nikkei Asian Review, Samsung was impressed with the reliability, performance and safety benchmarks of Murata lithium-ion batteries.

Murata is actually a recipient of business transfers from Sony. The two forged a non-binding memorandum of agreement even before Samsung tapped Murata. By April this year, Sony is expected to complete the transfer of its Japan subsidiary Sony Energy Device Corporation to Murata. Included in the deal are assets and personnel of its off-shore manufacturing in China and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Samsung has also explored the possibility of partnering with LG Chemical for battery supply. However, IBTimes concluded that the deal might not be happening soon due to time constraints. While there are exploratory talks with LG Chem, it is most likely that they will be used in future Samsung smartphones and not the upcoming Galaxy S8.

To recall, Samsung began its search for reliable batteries after the recall of Galaxy Note 7 last year. Note 7 became the centerpiece of safety concerns after most of them overheated and caught fire. In the succeeding Samsung investigation, they found out that the culprit are two distinct battery defects of Amperex-type li-ion.

Galaxy S8 is the replacement for Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphones after the Note 7 debacle. Initial reports about S8 suggest that it is banking towards 3000mAh battery for the base model and 3500mAH for its Plus variant. It is still unclear if the partnership with Murata can ramp-up the battery capacity to at least 250mAh more since other Samsung smartphones like Galaxy s7 Edge sports a higher capacity of 3600mAh.

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