When Samsung withdrew its Galaxy Note 7 from the market, analysts estimated that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will attract an additional 5-7 million customers by the end of this year. But what happens when the latest iPhones start exploding? A new report from Chinese publication Leikeji claims that an iPhone 7 Plus exploded in the Yunnan province of China when it hit the ground from a height of just 50 centimeters.
Is the iPhone 7 Plus explosion similar to Galaxy Note 7?
The phone’s battery caught fire due to the impact, and it started emitting smoke and vibrating severely, according to the publication. Its display got detached from the body and shattered. Images of the exploded phone show that it was beyond repair. The iPhone 7 Plus owner told Leikeji that the handset was just a month old. The user had chosen to buy the iPhone 7 Plus after reading reports of the Galaxy Note 7 overheating and exploding.
https://twitter.com/4n0nc47/status/797433410771787776
The Galaxy Note 7s would explode due to faulty batteries, even without a trigger. In the case of iPhone 7 Plus, the fall acted as a trigger. However, users don’t expect this kind of damage from a fall of just 50cm. Lithium-ion batteries are extremely volatile. Even a little exposure to heat or moisture can cause them to explode. It’s worth pointing out that the iPhone 7 Plus explosion in China is not similar to the Note 7 explosions.
There had been more than a hundred Note 7 explosions out of about 2.5 million Note 7 units Samsung had shipped. By comparison, Apple has shipped tens of millions of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus units, but only four cases of overheating have been recorded. One exploded while still in the transit; the second one caught fire while the owner was capturing a video; and the third one had exploded inside a man’s car where the device was wrapped in clothes and kept in the back seat.
Apple needs to address the issue at the earliest
Whatever the cause of the issue, Apple must address it with all seriousness to avoid a Galaxy Note 7-like debacle. Samsung had to discontinue its flagship phablet after recalling it twice. The Note 7 fiasco is estimated to have cost Samsung close to $5 billion. The Korean company is left with about 4.3 million Note 7 units that it has to dispose of without harming the environment.
Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a Jet White color variant of the iPhone 7 in time for the Christmas shopping. The Jet Black version has been an instant hit with consumers despite being a finger print magnet and prone to scratching. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a research note that Apple was expecting a decline in demand for the iPhone 7, which could be the reason for the introduction of the Jet White color.
