Samsung self-tested the batteries inside the discontinued Galaxy Note 7 instead of using a third-party lab, reports the Wall Street Journal. Battery issues including overheating and fires led the company to abandon sales and production of the flagship smartphone last week. Samsung is the only major smartphone manufacturer using in-house battery-testing facilities, according to US mobile industry trade group, the CTIA, which added that the company has been testing phones at its internal CTIA-certified lab since 2009. Other handset manufacturers, including Apple, use one of the 28 third-party CTIA-certified labs.
A Samsung spokesperson confirmed the information, adding that the internal testing labs didn’t reveal any issues with the original and replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones. However, the company last week announced that it would be making “significant changes” in its quality-assurance processes following the Note 7 crisis. It added that it was “premature” to speculate on the results of its investigation into why the handset caught fire.
