Yes, we haven’t heard of Samsung phones blowing up since like 10 years ago.

Well, when it happened, I was a tech journalist who actively covered the Samsung Galaxy Note7 launch. It was also my first Samsung event ever – it was the first time I attended a Samsung global smartphone launch event in my Tech Journliasm career.

While I do miss those days, I really enjoyed reliving this historic tech event. One of the top smartphones of the year from a major tech brand sudently failed in the most catastrophic and dramatic ways. Imagine making a product that literally blows up when it wasn’t supposed to.

Well basically, Samsung crammed a lot of technology into its most expensive phone but quality control was riding the wrong margins and the battery size was a lil’ too ambitious. A combination of hurried production (to beat the iPhone to market) and overlooked quality control caused less than 1/10th of a percent of Samsung Galaxy Note7 Phones (0.0024%) failed to the point of ignition.

Samsung, thinking the battery supplier was the reason, tried to whip up a million replacement phones with another supplier. Only for those phones to also fail in the same way. This brought Samsung to its knees, which ultimately decided it would be best to cancel the Galaxy Note7 launch and try again the next year.

In the end, Samsung learned from its mistakes, invested resources into intense investigation, research, and implemenation of new battery qualty control, safety and stress testing every battery that’s installed into a future Samsung phone.

In the video, I tell you that whole story from my unique point of view.

Please share this video with the techie in your life.

Sources (By Order of Appearance)

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016
https://youtu.be/dV-sDnRXqxM

MKBHD – Galaxy Note7 Review
https://youtu.be/lV70CxFlx7w

PocketNow – Galaxy Note7 Unboxing: Well Hello Beautiful
https://youtu.be/cw7PljUJ2vI

CNET – The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has No Equal (Googlicious) https://youtu.be/lpnVa3N1_hs

Engadget – Samsung Galaxy Note7 Review
https://youtu.be/haRd-JDMICM

The Verge – Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Review
https://youtu.be/fn4B10wEN2Y

Android Authority – Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Review https://youtu.be/ggnD9JSPPkI

NBC Nightly News – Samsung Issues Recall of Millions of Smartphones https://youtu.be/oIYh_UBhp7A

ABC – Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Batteries Reported https://youtu.be/viKFuDCq6qE

Fox 13 News – St. Pete family says Jeep totaled by exploding Note 7 https://www.fox13news.com/news/st-pete-family-says-jeep-totaled-by-exploding-note-7

ABC – Samsung Recalls Nearly 1M Galaxy Note 7s
https://youtu.be/2uQnaeOtKdQ

NBC TODAY – 1M Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Phones Recalled: What You Need To Know https://youtu.be/3kRQOPRnFGI

CBS – FAA Advises Against Turning On, Charging Samsung Galaxy Note 7 https://youtu.be/pZX5mpA7USY

ABC – Samsung Issues New Warning for Galaxy Note 7s https://youtu.be/PLu1MFIaR98

ABC – Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Batteries Reported https://youtu.be/viKFuDCq6qE

Isa Marcial – Samsung Galaxy Note 7 – Unboxing / Hands-On en español https://youtu.be/vWTPtrMHdH8

ChrisKiley – Fire Hazard Halloween Costume (Galaxy Note 7) https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wqKTTs_qFZk

Mafia Game Videos – GTA 5 MOD – Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Bomb) https://youtu.be/_GhODn4FRoE

News.com.au – Samsung tried to pull down videos of Note 7 used as a bomb in GTA https://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/gaming/samsung-tried-to-pull-down-videos-of-its-galaxy-note-7-being-used-as-a-bomb-in-gta/news-story/d0ca2c6565056b4f1cb7ae646babd968

PC Gamer – Samsung removes YouTube video showing GTA V mod https://www.pcgamer.com/samsung-removes-youtube-video-showing-gta-v-mod-that-turns-its-note-7-into-a-bomb/

The Verge – Samsung made YouTube remove video of GTA mod https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/19/13333386/samsung-galaxy-note-7-gta-mod-youtube-takedown

Ars Technica – Samsung doesn’t want you to see video of this GTA V exploding phone mod https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/samsung-doesnt-want-you-to-see-video-of-this-gta-v-exploding-phone-mod/

SlashGear – SAMSUNG HURLS DMCA AT GALAXY NOTE 7 BOMB GTA 5 MOD https://www.slashgear.com/samsung-hurls-dmca-at-galaxy-note-7-bomb-gta-5-mod-20460856/

TechRaptor – Samsung Allegedly Takes Down GTA Note 7 Bomb Mod Video https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/updated-samsung-allegedly-takes-down-gta-note-7-bomb-mod-video

Imgur – Screenshots of the DMCA takedown https://imgur.com/a/samsung-took-down-video-of-gta-5-phone-mod-teTNN

CNET – Experience Samsung’s new shops in Best Buy https://www.cnet.com/pictures/experience-samsungs-new-shops-in-best-buy/

GSMArena – Florida man’s Jeep goes up in flames because of Note7 https://www.gsmarena.com/florida_mans_jeep_goes_up_in_flames_because_of_note7-blog-20421.php

Pocketnow Weekly 222 – Galaxy Note 7 Requiem
https://youtu.be/DIF722Equzo

Associated Press Archive – Samsung halts Galaxy Note 7 sales over fire risk https://youtu.be/aPBC7kwBOHQ

Samsung Global – [Statement] Samsung Will Replace Current Note7 with New One https://news.samsung.com/global/statement-on-galaxy-note7

PhoneArena – Exploding kittens: how to tell if you have a Samsung SDI or ATL battery https://www.phonearena.com/news/Exploding-kittens-how-to-tell-if-you-have-a-Samsung-SDI-or-a-safe-ATL-battery-in-your-Note-7_id85003

iFixit – Samsung Galaxy Note7 Teardown https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+Note7+Teardown/66389

iFixit – Samsung’s Doomed Note7 Gets a Second Life as the Fan Edition https://www.ifixit.com/News/9253/teardown-note-fan-edition

Samsung Factory – How Smartphones are manufactured (South Korea) https://youtu.be/nJF5xNfDSmc

XDA Developers – Samsung’s Explosion-Proof Note 7 Return Packaging https://youtu.be/pySvc17K2jE

JerryRigEverything – How do you ship EXPLODING PHONES!? – Note 7 https://youtu.be/LF03HpBgGkA

GSMArena – Samsung announces 500,000 Note7 replacements have arrived in the US https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_announces_500000_note_7_replacements_have_arrived_in_the_us-news-20622.php

Android Authority – Here’s how you will be able to tell whether a Note 7 is safe https://www.androidauthority.com/heres-will-able-tell-whether-note-7-safe-not-715529/

USA TODAY – How to know if your Galaxy Note 7 is safe https://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/2016/09/22/90866170/

AllAboutGalaxyNote – How to check whether you have a safe Galaxy Note 7 battery? https://allaboutgalaxynote.com/how-to-check-whether-you-have-a-safe-galaxy-note-7-battery/

CBS News – Samsung phone emits smoke sets off scare on Southwest flight https://www.cbsnews.com/news/samsung-note-7-phone-emits-smoke-sets-off-scare-on-southwest-flight/

YouTube Shorts – Explosion galaxy note7 in the burger king korea https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PnCGyzUf5rw?feature=share

KSTP (Web Archive) – Farmington Teenager: Replacement for Recalled Phone Melted https://web.archive.org/web/20161010180227/http://kstp.com/news/samsung-replacement-phone-melted-zuis-farmington/4285759/

WKYT NEWS – Nicholasville man injured by replacement Samsung phone https://www.wkyt.com/content/news/Nicholasville-mans-replacement-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-7-catches-fire-396431431.html

The Verge – A fourth replacement Galaxy Note 7 caught fire in Virginia https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/9/13218730/samsung-galaxy-note-7-fire-replacement-fourth-virginia

The Verge – Samsung says it’s ‘working diligently’ as fifth replacement burns https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/9/13219878/samsung-galaxy-note-7-replacement-fire-fifth-statement

Fox Business – Samsung discontinues Note 7
https://youtu.be/PTtZbgGioWk

CBS News – Samsung stops producing Galaxy Note 7 phones after fires https://youtu.be/wkx_2k4nGJE

CBS Mornings – Samsung stops production of Galaxy Note 7 https://youtu.be/r2vc55WoshI

GSMArena – Samsung permanently discontinues the Galaxy Note7 https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_permanently_discontinues_the_galaxy_note7-news-21001.php

Pocketnow Daily – Galaxy Note 7 may be shut down, iPhones explode too https://youtu.be/E2cG258f2SI

Samsung Newsroom – Samsung Announces Cause of Galaxy Note7 Incidents https://news.samsung.com/us/Samsung-Electronics-Announces-Cause-of-Galaxy-Note7-Incidents-in-Press-Conference

PC Mag – Samsung’s Galaxy Note Fan Edition Is a Safe Note 7 https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsungs-galaxy-note-fan-edition-is-a-safe-note-7

Erica Griffin – Why I got the Note FE? || Revisiting Note 7 (Unboxing) https://youtu.be/1HSP3wjihQU

TikTok – What happened if you kept the Samsung Galaxy Note 7? https://www.tiktok.com/@cybernuthq/video/7360051943949077802

The Verge – Samsung Galaxy Note 7 arrives August 19th https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/8/2/12344688/samsung-galaxy-note-7-announced-price-release-date-specs

Consumer Reports – CPSC Announces Samsung Galaxy Note7 Recall https://www.consumerreports.org/smartphones/cpsc-announces-samsung-galaxy-note7-recall/

U.S. CPSC – Samsung Recalls Galaxy Note7 Smartphones Due to Fire Hazards https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Samsung-Recalls-Galaxy-Note7-Smartphones