- The user, from Ireland, had claimed the phone 'exploded' while charging in his car
- 'Wrote online, 'It could have burned the side of my face or through my pocket and my leg, or set fire to my bed
- Samsung's investigation discovered that the level of damage could only have been caused by an external energy source such as a microwave
- The claims made by the user were retracted and he admitted he was mistaken
By Eddie Wrenn
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Samsung have said that the Galaxy S3 smartphone which apparently 'exploded' was in fact displaying signs of microwave oven damage and had been deliberately heated till it burst into flames.
Initially reported to have ignited into fire while charging in an Irish customers car, the Internet poster who first brought the damage to the attention of the web, retracted his claims, saying that he was mistaken.
'The damage to the phone was caused by another person, although they were attempting to recover the phone from water this later caused the damage shown on the phone. It occured due a large amount of external energy and there was no fault with the phone,' wrote Dillo2k10 on a Samsung Tomorrow Board.
Time to burn: The S3 is shown suffering damage near the charging port - although the battery looks unscathed and was later determined to have been caused by a microwave deliberately
Reacting seriously to the claim that their wildly successful smartphone might be faulty, Samsung enlisted Fire Investigations UK (FIUK) to determine the exact cause of the damage done to the Galaxy S3 unit.
Exposing the destroyed phone to a series of tests, the investigation discovered that 'The energy source responsible for generating the heat has been determined as external to the device and the device was not responsible for the cause of the fire,' according to engadget.
In addition to this, the results state that 'The only was it was possible to produce damage similar to the damage recorded within the owner's damaged device was to place the devices or component parts within a domestic microwave.'
Samsung launched the investigation after a user of the company's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3, alleged his phone blew up while he drove in his car.
Here is the full report which exonerates the Samsung Galaxy S3 device of spontaneously combusting
As these unverified images below appear to show, the smartphone started burning at the base of the unit, near the charging port.
The Galaxy S3 has already sold more than 10 million models worldwide and was one of the fastest-selling gadgets of all time following its launch in May.
The pictures were posted on a website by the angry user, who called himself Dillo2k10, from Dublin Ireland.
They clearly show an area of blackened, melted plastic around the charging terminal.
The user said: 'I was driving along with my Galaxy S3 in my car mount when suddenly a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of the phone.
'I pulled in to look at my phone, the phone burned from the inside out. Burned through the plastic and melted my case to my phone. The phone kept working but without any signal.
'The phone was destroyed and it slightly burned a piece of plastic on the inside of my car.'
He added: 'I'm really annoyed. That could have burned the side of my face or through my pocket and my leg, or set fire to my bed. It's very dangerous.'
Worrying: The owner originally said he was driving in his car with the phone plugged into a charging socket when 'a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of the phone': That was not true
Burning: He said the phone had 'burned through the plastic and melted the case to the phone'
Samsung confirmed it will investigate the claim, to check if the phone is susceptible to overheating. The company is now trying to get hold of the unit for a proper examination.
A spokesman said: 'Samsung is aware of this issue and will begin investigating as soon as we receive the specific product in question.
'Once the investigation is complete, we will be able to provide further details on the situation.'
Probe: Samsung investigated the claim and discovered that the damage was caused by a microwave
Faulty: Smartphones from most manufacturers, including the Apple iPhone, have occasionally had reports of overheating or scorching
Many reviewers have praised the S3, calling it Android's 'iPhone killer', in reference to Apple's phone, which is often seen as the standard-bearer for smartphones.
Smartphones from most manufacturers, including the Apple iPhone, have occasionally had reports of overheating or scorching.
Buyers are often reminded to avoid cheap alternative batteries as they do not always conform to stringent safety practices.
Heavyweight: The Samsung Galaxy S III phone, next to an Apple iPhone
Samsung Galaxy S3: UK Release Sees Dent in iPhone 4S Sales - mobilenapps.com
- Samsung Galaxy S3 at Media Day in London(Photo: Samsung | Mobile & Apps)
The gizmo heavyweight iPhone may have its days numbered, and, if recent Samsung Galaxy S3 sale figures are anything to go by, it could possibly cease to be the "Apple" of everybody's eye! Samsung Galaxy S3, which was unveiled in May, has thrown the gauntlet to iPhone and is slowly veering towards eating up a hefty share of Apple's smartphone sales in the UK.
The Financial Times reported that iPhone sales in the UK have dropped considerably post the Samsung Galaxy S3 release in May this year. The report, which cites as yet unseen industry research, says that while the iPhone 4S remains the most popular handset in the UK with 20 percent of the market, this percentage has fallen by five percent since the release of the Galaxy S3. Additionally, the Korea-based electronics manufacturer, Samsung, constitutes approximately 30 percent of the UK mobile market, which include sales of the Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Note.
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According to an anonymous mobile operator, the Galaxy S3 has impacted the sales of the iPhone immensely, making up nearly 18 percent of sales in the first week of June itself!
However, experts believe that another reason that may have contributed to a slowdown in iPhone 4S sales is the eagerly-awaited launch of iPhone 5 in fall. Apple enthusiasts may well be holding out for the new version, pushing the older iPhone 4S into oblivion.
Bloomberg technology columnist Rich Jarolovsky feels that Samsung Galaxy S3's features have set the precedence and raised the bar for Apple's upcoming handset. "It's an iPhone wannabe that also set a marker for the next iPhone," Jarolovsky told NPR when discussing the Samsung versus Apple debate. "Samsung is launching it simultaneously on all the U.S. carriers, and it's substantially larger than the iPhone, but it's also thinner than the current iPhone. So it really, the form factor of it is really quite striking."
Moreover in a courtroom battle of patent rights between Samsung and Apple, according to Reuters, U.S. judge Lucy Kohn granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the sale of the device on June 29. Last week, the same judge also granted a similar ruling banning sales of Samsung's Galaxy 10.1 Tab within the U.S. Kohn said that "Apple has made a clear showing that, in the absence of a preliminary injunction, it is likely to lose substantial market share in the smartphone market and to lose substantial downstream sales of future smartphone purchases and tag-along products."
With the battle between the feuding rivals spilling from the market arena onto the courtroom, it will be interesting to observe how the market shapes up post the iPhone 5 launch in fall. Apple may be on a winning spree in the courtroom but for now, Samsung can rejoice and enjoy its share of the "Apple pie"!
OK- I'm a product designer so here's my thoughts.... Battery looks fine- no surface damage to indicate internal heat so I doubt that it was the cause of the short so I think it was a short on the charging socket assuming this 'car mount' was also a charger. Could be eiither due to socket itself or the power plug. Genuine power supplies would be expected to trip out on shorting- this one looks like it continued shoving power in suggesting either a faulty genuine power supply or a dodgy unbranded one. As for 'burning his face' how could that happen exactly unless he used it while charging?
- SteeVeeDee, York UK, 23/6/2012 09:58
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