Did Processor Cause Samsung Note 7 Blowup?

Junko Yoshida, EETimes
10/12/2016 10:48 AM EDT

PARIS — It’s far from clear what exactly caused Samsung Note 7 to catch fire at this point. Samsung isn’t talking until after it finishes its own investigation.

But a new report emerged Wednesday that the culprit might not be the lithium-ion batteries themselves, which Samsung initially suspected. Rather, the problem might reside in the underlying technology -- tweaks made to the processor in the smartphone.

Attributing an unnamed source who has spoken to Samsung chiefs, the Financial Times reported, “Problems with the phone appeared to have arisen from tweaks to the processor to speed up the rate at which the phone could be charged.”

The source told the U.K. newspaper, “If you try to charge the battery too quickly it can make it more volatile. If you push an engine too hard, it will explode. Something had to give.”

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