The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is an awesome phone. Probably a little too awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it's literally unable to contain its awesomeness. Because awesomeness is volatile apparently, a handful of Galaxy Note 7 users found their phones to have somehow turned into a ticking timebomb waiting to explode. And explode, they did.

Well, this is a major... blow to Samsung indeed, pun not intended. *shrugs* I got a feeling that their reputation is badly tarnished thanks to them accidentally shipping hand grenades masquerading as smartphones instead of actual smartphones, all thanks to a faulty design to the internal lithium ion battery. It's no wonder Apple is currently #1, thanks to Samsung's unfortunate fuck-up. It's so bad, Samsung started recalling all Galaxy Note 7 phones, and advised their customers who bought that phone to stop using that phone altogether.

In my opinion, though, the fault lies on our pursuit for longer-lasting battery charges. I think we have reached the point where we've pushed this pursuit a little too far. Customers want batteries that last longer, but at the same time also charge faster. And when you combine those two together, the result is a battery that has the potential to become a hand grenade when handled improperly. Too much charge makes the battery more unstable, and prone to spark fires at the worst times.

That is not to say that lithium ion batteries are inherently bad. They're actually the best solution we have; it's present in each and every mobile device we use, including laptops, handheld consoles and smartphones. They're very safe, too... if they're handled correctly. All of these devices have extensive safety features designed to prevent from overcharging by stopping the charge as soon as the battery capacity readings read 100%. (100% is arbitrary: it's the highest point manufacturers have set that is considered "safe" for that particular battery model, in which the failsafe kicks in to stop the battery from being charged any further.) Still, it's always a good idea to immediately stop the charge as soon as your phone indicates that the battery is completely charged. For some reason, the failsafe that was installed in the very few affected models of Galaxy Note 7 may have been faulty and simply "failed" to "safe" the battery from overcharging. Or it could be impurities within the battery itself, causing internal sparking.

This video by JerryRigEverything explains the details more clearly than I could: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cd2WIxKRDk

And yes, I know that Samsung has already started recalling their phones a month ago. It's just that I only found out about it around a week ago when another news was brought up in which Samsung is officially pulling the plug on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 production line altogether, all these hilarious Galaxy Note 7 explosion memes start flooding around the Internet, and from overhearing my parents discussing how our Malaysian airlines these days banned that phone from being taken on-board the plane, for safety reasons.