Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is in talks with Japan's Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. about a battery supply deal for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone, The Nikkei reported Feb. 3.

Depending on how the discussions progress, Murata could possibly replace Hong Kong's Amperex Technology Ltd. as one of Samsung's two battery suppliers, the report said.

Samsung recently revealed that battery design defects and manufacturing issues caused the fires in its Galaxy Note 7 that led to the smartphone being recalled and scrapped. The batteries for that device were provided by Samsung Group unit Samsung SDI Co. and Amperex.