October 17, 2013, 7:08 AM ET
Samsung Offers Trade-in Program for S4 Batteries
ByMin-Jeong Lee
WSJ.com
Just months after Samsung Electronics Co. was accused of inflating benchmarks for its Galaxy S 4 smartphones, the company is grappling with another issue. This time it?s the batteries.
Multiple foreign media outlets including the Guardian claimed that some Galaxy S4 smartphones have been sold with faulty batteries that swell so that the phone doesn?t lie flat.
In response to such reports, Samsung, said in a statement that it will provide free battery replacement services to customers having such issues. It said ?a limited number of customers? have been affected, without going into further details.
Samsung SDI Co., a key battery supplier for Galaxy smartphones, declined to comment on the matter.
Sales of Galaxy smartphones have been playing a key role in driving profits for the company?s mobile unit earlier this year. But the company?s stock has been under pressure due to weaker-than-expected sales and increasing competition. Rival Apple Inc. last month unveiled the iPhone 5S, a high-end smartphone with a fingerprint sensor.
Samsung has also been trying to respond to cooling momentum for smartphones in its home market by continuously pumping out new gadgets, with the latest one being the Galaxy Round that comes with a curved-screen.
Samsung, the world?s largest maker of smartphones, is expected to release its third-quarter earnings next Friday where it will likely report an operating profit of between 9.9 trillion won and 10.3 trillion won. Samsung?s estimate represents growth of between 22.8% to 27.8% from the 8.06 trillion won in operating profit posted a year earlier, but a slowdown from the 47.5% rise in the second quarter.
Samsung Offers Trade-in Program for S4 Batteries
ByMin-Jeong Lee
WSJ.com
Just months after Samsung Electronics Co. was accused of inflating benchmarks for its Galaxy S 4 smartphones, the company is grappling with another issue. This time it?s the batteries.
Multiple foreign media outlets including the Guardian claimed that some Galaxy S4 smartphones have been sold with faulty batteries that swell so that the phone doesn?t lie flat.
In response to such reports, Samsung, said in a statement that it will provide free battery replacement services to customers having such issues. It said ?a limited number of customers? have been affected, without going into further details.
Samsung SDI Co., a key battery supplier for Galaxy smartphones, declined to comment on the matter.
Sales of Galaxy smartphones have been playing a key role in driving profits for the company?s mobile unit earlier this year. But the company?s stock has been under pressure due to weaker-than-expected sales and increasing competition. Rival Apple Inc. last month unveiled the iPhone 5S, a high-end smartphone with a fingerprint sensor.
Samsung has also been trying to respond to cooling momentum for smartphones in its home market by continuously pumping out new gadgets, with the latest one being the Galaxy Round that comes with a curved-screen.
Samsung, the world?s largest maker of smartphones, is expected to release its third-quarter earnings next Friday where it will likely report an operating profit of between 9.9 trillion won and 10.3 trillion won. Samsung?s estimate represents growth of between 22.8% to 27.8% from the 8.06 trillion won in operating profit posted a year earlier, but a slowdown from the 47.5% rise in the second quarter.