Samsung's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, could be delayed from its proposed April 11 launch due to a major factory fire that broke out in South Korea. The factory in question is one of the many factories Samsung has tasked with the manufacturing of the Galaxy S5's key components, and it is also the factory that is creating the printed circuit board (PCB) for the device.
Reports claim the fire began to take shape at around 7am on Sunday morning. However, despite firefighters being on the scene very early, it took them about six hours to get the blaze under control. We understand that a total of 287 firefighters and 80 firefighting vehicles were at the location to help contain the fire, which gives the impression of a very complex situation.
SamMobile reports that over $1 billion worth of components and equipment was lost in the fire. However, the report did not state what caused the blaze and whether or not the destroyed components and equipment were insured.
At the moment, expectations of the Samsung Galaxy S5 launching on April 11 worldwide is high, but with the fire breaking out at the South Korean factory, things might take a nasty turn to the point where the device might be delayed. Samsung might not have enough Galaxy S5 volumes to make for a successful launch on April 11, but that doesn't mean all hopes are lost.
In the wake of the incident, Samsung has announced that the company will seek PCB components from other locations. So, at the end of the day, Samsung might have things under control or barely so.
Samsung has also stated that the fire should not set production of the Galaxy S5 back by a huge margin, so things might work out for the best at the end of the saga, after all.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is the Korean giant's latest flagship device that is aimed at competing with the Apple iPhone 6. The device is packing a 5.1-inch AMOLED and full 1080p high definition display, 2.5GHz Quad core Processor, and a 16MP camera. The device also comes packed with a heart-rate monitor, which is a feature that might work best with the Galaxy Gear 2 devices.
