Samsung considering LG batteries for the Galaxy S8?

Samsung may use batteries supplied by its Korean competitor LG on its upcoming Galaxy S8, a report from The Korea Herald suggests.

Samsung’s last flagship, the Galaxy Note 7, was cancelled following reports of models spontaneously catching fire – a problem linked to its battery. Speculation of a merger with LG Chem, LG’s producer of lithium-ion batteries, could be an attempt from Samsung to secure its future flagship from such problems.

Samsung had initially suspected that the batteries produced by its SDI department were the source of the Galaxy Note 7’s overheating problem. After recalling the phone and switching to its other component manufacturing partner (Amperex Technology Limited), Samsung shipped the handsets again. However, the overheating problem persisted, and Samsung cancelled the Note 7.

If LG was to supply batteries on the Samsung Galaxy S8, this could mean huge business for the company, given the volumes in which phones from that series sell. Samsung may be cautious in further funding one of its direct competitors (in smartphones and a host of other consumer electronics products) however, when it already makes use of LG’s Innotek department for its smartphone’s camera modules.

Samsung is yet to officially confirm the cause of the Galaxy Note 7’s overheating problem but it’s widely believed to be a battery issue. If the LG partnership speculation is accurate, this seems even more likely to be true.

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Would Samsung be making a smart decision if it sought batteries from LG? Give us your thoughts in the comments.