Some Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 Plus units may be dying after hitting 0 percent charge
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The Galaxy Note 8 may have a safe battery thatâs run through many tests to ensure that fire hazard isnât an issue, but it looks like some Note 8 units are refusing to power on once they reach 0% battery charge. Quite a few Note 8 owners have taken to the Samsung community and forums on sites like Android Central to complain that their Note 8 stopped working after they let the battery drain completely. Samsung has been offering replacements, but like many other issues with its flagships, the company hasnât officially confirmed or released a statement on why this might be happening.
To make things worse, Samsung seems to be replacing bricked units with refurbished devices, which seems a little strange considering every Note 8 would be covered by warranty just a couple of months after its release. Owners of the device from US carriers seem to be most affected, so itâs possible itâs only the Snapdragon variant of the phone thatâs at risk. The problem doesnât seem to be too widespread, but itâs still interesting to see that a phone can fail to boot just because its owner might have used it until the battery ran out.
Itâs also unclear if this is a hardware or software issue. Some users report that their phone does show the charging circle when connected to a power source but refuses to actually charge, while others say the phone gets warm when connected but the screen remains blank. Itâs a similar theme with wireless charging: the blue charging light on the charger comes up, but the phone remains unresponsive, suggesting the software might be to blame.
No known fix at this point
If the faultâs in the software, itâs possible it was introduced in a recent software update. Thereâs no way to tell and no known fix, and the only way to keep the phone in working condition right now is to ensure itâs plugged in before the battery charge reaches 0 percent. If your Note 8 does run out of juice and refuses to power up, be sure to contact Samsung to request a replacement. Weâll try looking into more such reports to see just how widespread the issue is; at this point, itâs looking like one of those problems that can affect any device, especially since thereâs at least one Galaxy S8+ owner who seems to have encountered the same phone-bricking bug.
- Some Galaxy Note 8 users reporting that their phones will not accept charge
- Fault seems to occur after fully draining the battery
- Samsung is aware of the issue and appears to be replacing affected devices on a case by case basis
Update, (12/27) 17:49: According to a number of our readers in the comments, as well as a friend of Android Authorityâs, the Galaxy S8 Plus is experiencing similar battery issues. Weâll investigate this issue further.
Itâs now just over a year since Samsung prematurely killed off the Galaxy Note 7 after a batch of defective batteries caused numerous devices to âexplodeâ â in the process doing immeasurable damage to the Note brand and forcing the South Korean giant to overhaul its battery safety checks.
Since then, the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and, most significantly, the reborn Note 8 have been praised by fans and reviewers alike, have sold by the bucketload, and have avoided any major battery problems on the scale of the Note 7 debacle.
While it doesnât seem to be anywhere near as dangerous, Samsung may have another battery related headache on its hands, however, as some Galaxy Note 8 are reporting that their phones are refusing to accept any charge.
According to a number of users on Samsungâs Community Forums (via PiunikaWeb), the issue occurs after the phone falls to 0% battery and switches off. At this point, affected Note 8 devices apparently wonât accept charge and become completely unresponsive. This includes the LED charging light in most cases.
One user even recorded a video showing an attempt to revive a defective phone to no avail. Many of the impacted users have also tried several charging cables and attempted to reboot the dead phone in safe mode, but most have had no success.
Thankfully, Samsung is responding to those affected in most cases. In one thread, a moderator going by the handle âSamsungMelâ is advising customers to return their faulty phones for a warranty replacement, saying that âthis particular problem with the Note 8 not turning on is definitely something that we want to get addressed immediately.â
As PiunikaWeb notes, itâs hard to tell how widespread the issue is at this stage, but Samsung will certainly want to pinpoint the source and resolve the fault quickly to alleviate any concerns that it has shipped another batch of faulty batteries.
The problem also appears to be affecting some phones sold via carriers, with Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers all posting similar concerns. If thatâs the case with your Note 8 Iâd suggest you go through your carrierâs RMA process as soon as you can.