They even ripped a page straight from the MSFT playbook as OEMs can't simply release Android devices free of gapps thanks to the nasty contracts Google pushes.
How does that jive with the whole line of Amazon Fire devices? Aren't those pretty much devoid of all things Google?
Imagine the S7 fiasco, but because of a wave of popular knock-off batteries. Technically, Samsung wouldn't have done anything wrong, because the batteries are at fault, but Samsung's name would be the one most smeared in the sensational news stories about the exploding phones.
Once it hits the fan, the only rational choice is to sweep it up, package it, and sell it as fertilizer.