After the fiasco created by Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Apple iPhone 7 Plus has reportedly exploded in China after the phone fell down from a height of 50 centimeters. The incident was reported by a Chinese website Leikeji.
According to the report, iPhone 7 Plus slipped down from the user’s hand and fell down at a height of approx. 50cm started emitting smoke, and then caught fire. The user had purchased an iPhone 7 Plus after reading the reports of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosion.
In August, a similar incident was reported in Sydney, Australia. A biker fell off from the bike and noticed that an “incredible plum of smoke” coming from his rear side pocket and he felt “searing pain”, Sydney Morning Herald reported. Apparently, the iPhone had melted in his shorts and got stuck to his skin. He reportedly had to “punch it off”. The biker suffered third-degree burns and had to undergo a skin graft to repair the damage.
In September, another iPhone exploded while still in the box. There is no clear-cut information about the models of the phone in the above two cases.
Besides Apple iPhone, Xiaomi Mi 4i too had caught fire recently. A user had kept it for charging and was using it while charging when the device caught fire. Overall, the instances of smartphone batteries exploding are increasing.
Also Read: Google Pixel Hacked In Under 60 Seconds By White-hat Hackers In China
Lithium batteries are volatile and reactive. They are susceptible to catch fire even with a tiny bit of moisture. It can also catch fire due to defective circuitry, overheating, physical damage, or external pressure. Moreover, the batteries of the new smartphones are undergoing massive changes in terms of their size, and consumer’s expectations about battery life. All these factors contribute to the new incidents of explosions, experts claim.
