# So, how is Samsung handling all this wonderful publicity it's getting about its flammable phones? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367 "2017-01-17T03:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/21 "2017-01-19T17:56:10Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > It’s Apple’s fault that Samsung’s phones blow up. That is fucking hilarious. Mainly I blame the phone reviewers, who use a phone for a few weeks and have criteria that don’t have anything to do with the real world. They want thin, they want metal cases, so we get thin and metal cases. I wish Samsung would say “screw it, we can’t afford another risk like this - all phones in the future will have user replaceable batteries.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/22 "2017-01-19T18:04:47Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The phone tolerances were too tight because of the thinness war that Apple started. It’s only through sheer luck that it wasn’t Apple that got bit. What you call sheer luck I call good design and engineering. It’s not luck that keeps cars from exploding while people drive them. It’s not luck that keeps airplanes in the sky. It’s not luck that the internet works. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/23 "2017-01-19T21:41:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I wish Samsung would say “screw it, we can’t afford another risk like this - all phones in the future will have user replaceable batteries.” That wouldn’t ameliorate the risk, since, as I pointed out above, the problem wasn’t caused by having a battery that’s more difficult to replace. It was caused by a design flaw that caused the case to exert too much pressure on the battery. Such a design flaw could exist in a phone that had a little door you could easily open to get at the battery as well. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/24 "2017-01-19T22:51:16Z")
If the battery was user replaceable, the replacement would obviously be designed to not have that problem. Non-user-replacable batteries are a business choice to sell new phones every two years as they wear out. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/25 "2017-01-19T23:21:48Z")
Actual quote from someone I know, who’s in the market for a new dishwasher: When shown a Samsung model, she said, “Oh no! I don’t want my dishwasher to catch fire. If other people want one that does, that’s their business.” Attempts to clarify were unsuccessful… ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/26 "2017-01-19T23:53:28Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Actual quote from someone I know, who’s in the market for a new dishwasher: > > When shown a Samsung model, she said, “Oh no! I don’t want my dishwasher to catch fire. If other people want one that does, that’s their business.” > > Attempts to clarify were unsuccessful… She was just confused because [Samsung washing machines were recalled](http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/news/a40642/samsung-washing-machines-explode/) in about the same time frame because they were exploding and injuring people. It’s not unreasonable to be somewhat skeptical about the safety of Samsung products at this point, even if no dishwashers have exploded or caught on fire. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/27 "2017-01-20T00:55:03Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > … > Of course I doubt flight attendants are trained to recognize phones, and this ban is more bark than bite. Actually at least at my carrier they’ve been given memos & manual revisions with pictures and the recognition features to look for, etc. There are gigantic posters backstage at all the bases reminding people to be on the lookout for Note 7s. In annual training they get to fight a simulated galley fire with real fire extinguishers. And watch scary movies about laptops & phones & e-cigs going off. Most of them are pretty motivated to avoid a fire; they really hate being the fire department for a high energy fire with inadequate tools. Sure some are lazy & some are total ditzes. The rest are in on it. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/28 "2017-01-20T05:31:34Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I learned about it on episode 534 of MacBreak Weekly, which aired November 22, 2016. Three huge Apple fans talking about the issue recycling the MacBook Air. I’ve worked on them, and know just how unrepairable they are. So you have no evidence that Apple is paying off anyone. That’s all I needed to know. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-is-samsung-handling-all-this-wonderful-publicity-its-getting-about-its-flammable-phones/777367/29 "2017-01-20T05:43:57Z")
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