Samsung to use Apple's main battery supplier for Note 7: Report
Samsung Electronics will switch its main supplier of batteries for the Galaxy Note 7 to China's ATL, a South Korean media report says, following the unprecedented recall of the phones due to their batteries exploding during or after charging.
According to News1, the world's largest phone maker will use what was previously its secondary supplier of batteries, ATL, as its main source for the flagship phone to exchange and sell to customers.
ATL is also Apple's main supplier for iPhone batteries. Samsung has used the Chinese maker batteries for 30 percent of its initial batch of Note 7s, the report says. The company's main supplier has been its own affiliate, Samsung SDI.
The company looked for a third supplier but the need for additional testing and global approval did not allow this, the report said.
On Saturday, Samsung issued a statement in South Korea recommending customers to stop using the Galaxy Note 7 until they receive a new one. The Transport Ministry also revised its previous "ok" to use the phone on planes.
On Friday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission instructed consumers to immediately power down the device and stop using it, amid more reports of the phones catching fire.
It follows several Australian airlines banning the phone in-flight. The Federal Aviation Administration also released a statement advising owners not to stow the Note 7 in any checked baggage aboard a flight.
Samsung expects it will begin the exchange and resumption of sales of the Note 7 on September 19 in South Korea.