14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung killed off the Galaxy Note 7 series last year after several units caught fire due to faulty batteries, and this was without a doubt a huge win for Apple, which was, is, and will probably continue to be its biggest rival for a long time.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook himself admitted that part of the Note 7 owners switched to iPhones following the Samsung fiasco, obviously looking for a device that has 0 percent chances to explode.
But although the iPhone itself is not affected by a widespread issue that causes the device to burst into flames, there were several reports of units that did just that, in some cases even causing severe injuries to their owners.
2016 cases
It all started in October, shortly after Samsung acknowledged the Note 7 disaster and Apple introduced the iPhone 7. Early that month, a woman living in Fresno, California, revealed that her iPhone 6 Plus caught fire in the middle of the night while charging.
In this case, there were no injuries, but only damages, with the woman explaining that her furniture was destroyed by the burning phone. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but the phone was already melted in the sink. The cause of the fire was not disclosed and it wasn’t revealed whether the woman was using a third-party charger or not.
Only a few days after the incident, a new report came from China, where an iPhone 7 owner complained that his phone literally exploded in his hand when he was recording a video. It’s not hard to figure out that injuries were also suffered this time, with the man saying that flying glass from the screen’s display hurt his face.
October turned out to be a nightmare month for Apple after a report that reached the web later the same month revealed that a 2-year-old iPhone 5s caught fire while recharging. This time there were no substantial damages or injuries, but the owner said the explosion could have caused even the loss of lives, as children were playing in the room next to the one where the iPhone exploded.
A student at the Rowan College in Burlington County also revealed that his iPhone 6 Plus caught fire in his back pocket during class, with colleagues spotting smoke coming out of his pants. No injuries were reported in this case, but it’s not hard to figure out what could have happened.
November brought two different iPhones that went boom, one of which exploded when it was accidentally dropped by the owner. The iPhone 7 Plus reportedly burst into flames due to the shock, with the owner explaining that it first started emitting smoke and then suffered a small internal explosion that pushed the display from the body.
Only a few days later, a new report made the headlines, this time from Houston, as a father revealed that an iPhone 6 Plus caught fire in the pocket of her daughter. The girl threw the phone to the ground, after which the iPhone started melting.
And last but not least, there was a report that landed in December when a student recorded a video of an iPhone 6s Plus that burst into flames during class. Little was said this time, but no damages were reported other than the iPhone itself.
2017 cases
The new year brought us several cases of iPhones explosions, including one that surfaced in April and which revealed than an iPhone 7 caught fire in China when charging on the beside table. Nobody was injured, but damages were reported, including the furniture on which the iPhone was placed while charging.
And more recently, an iPhone 7 owner said his device exploded when he swiped the screen to take a call. It happened in the United Kingdom with a device that was only 3 days old. The owner suffered injuries to his right hand, putting his semi-pro darts career at risk.
As a conclusion, can you guess what all these explosions have in common? After so many incidents, there’s absolutely no official statement from Apple, as Cupertino has remained completely tight-lipped every single time. And what’s more, the owners of the affected iPhones have never come back with more details on their cases.