【Walker (2025)】

It's not going to be Walker (2025)an easy task, but before Samsung can earn back consumer trust, it'll need to explain what went ultimately went wrong with the Galaxy Note7 and caused it to be discontinued.

A month after publicly apologizing for the Note7 and promising to launch a thorough investigation into the disastrous phone launch, Samsung has now reportedly concluded its internal investigation, according to The Korea Herald.

Although no definitive details as to what caused so many Note7's to explode and prompt two global recalls before the phone was permanently discontinued were shared, the report claims Samsung has shared its investigation findings with third-party labs such as the Korea Testing Laboratory and UL.

The report mentions no timeframe for when Samsung will disclose its findings.

"We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including all hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure," Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, wrote in the public apology published in three major U.S. newspapers. "We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers."

Mashable reached out to Samsung Electronics North America and received the following statement from a company spokesperson:

“While we have been conducting our own investigation, we have also been working together with independent third-party experts to re-visit every step of our engineering, manufacturing, and quality control processes. The investigations have been thorough, and will take time, and we believe it would be premature to speculate at this point until all investigations are complete. Once the analysis is complete, we will communicate our findings transparently, definitively and quickly.”

It's widely believed faulty batteries and possibly the tight tolerances of the Note7's design may have caused the phones to explode, or a combination of both.

Samsung initially thought the Note7 explosions were related to defective batteries produced by its own battery division, Samsung SDI. But after replacement and "safe" Note7's containing batteries made by China's Amperex Technology Ltd. (ATL) also started to catch on fire, Samsung ultimately moved quick to kill the phone.

Interestingly enough, in a separate report, The Korea Heraldclaims Samsung might consider using batteries made by rival LG Chem for the Note 8, further suggesting the Note7's problems might really be directly attributable to the batteries used.

With the Galaxy S8's impending release next year (reports suggest in April), the clock is ticking for Samsung to act fast to mop up the Note7.

One possible venue for Samsung to reassure consumers that it has indeed done a thorough investigation into the Note7 is at next month's CES, the year's largest technology show. Coming clean on the big stage is the only way the company will be able to inspire confidence and let consumers know it has everything under control.

Updated 12/19 11:36 a.m.with the above statement from Samsung.