April 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics is considering using batteries of Japan’s Murata Manufacturing for its upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8, according to news reports on Feb. 3.

Currently, Samsung’s key battery suppliers include its battery-making sister firm Samsung SDI and China’s ATL. The reports said Murata is highly likely to replace ATL for the S8 whose launch is widely expected to come in mid-April. 

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The decision comes after the Korean tech giant blamed faulty batteries for the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 in its own probe results that were announced in December. The bigger-screen phone’s unprecedented recall caused Samsung's operating loss of more than 7 trillion won (US$6.1 billion).

Murata acquired Sony’s battery business in June last year.

“We are considering Murata as a possible battery supplier together with Samsung SDI. We have not yet decided on the use of ATL batteries,” a Samsung official was quoted as saying by Seoul Economic Daily.

In the meantime, sources said Samsung may not use LG Chem batteries for the S8 despite earlier speculations.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)