Samsung Note 7 phone fire in China likely due to external cause: supplier

A battery supplier to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> said on Monday a Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that reportedly caught fire on its own in China appears to have been caused by an external factor.

Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) said it conducted a joint investigation with Samsung on the phone in question and determined the incident was not directly related to the batteries produced by ATL.

A Samsung spokeswoman referred to ATL's statement and declined to comment further.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee and Paul Carsten; Editing by Christopher Cushing)