I think the message in the Samsung failure is that if you want battery life you need to keep your silicon appetite curbed rather than pressing forward beyond safe limits in battery.
Silicon has been slowing for a while now and battery breakthroughs don't appear easy either.
I heard it's a higher capacity battery and NON replaceable in this phone (to allow a thinner design).......probably combine that with a low level manufacturing defect in the battery
OT: What's the EE grad job market like these days?
A co-worker's son is doing contract work but looking for a full-time job. He's an EE grad and he's sending out a lot of resumes but would prefer New England (I don't think that there's much in this area). Do you have an suggestions?