It appears that Samsung is not the only one having problems with exploding smartphones. iPhone owners in China have been reporting cases of iPhone 6 and 6S models suddenly exploding or catching on fire. Consumers were reportedly alerted by a consumer watchdog group in Shanghai about the reported cases that involved the device.
The news arrives just after a month of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 recall and discontinuation after continuous reports of explosions. Quartz has identified that several consumers have approached the Shanghai Consumer Council (SHCC) to report these incidents. A tweet from John Artman, an Editor-in-Chief for Technode.com, said "iPhones explode in China too."
iPhones explode in china too // iPhone在中国也炸了 充电时手机直接炸开差点着火_腾讯网触屏版 https://t.co/zew60BA4Jo pic.twitter.com/APc6w8gZ1r
— John Artman (@KnowsNothing) December 5, 2016
Mr. Zhang, one of the consumers, reported that his iPhone 6 unexpectedly started smoking and self-combusted last September. Ms. Chen, another iPhone owner, complained that her iPhone 6S Plus also unexplainably blew up, she talked to Apple about it, but they issued her a replacement phone without giving an explanation for the explosion.
According to Trusted Reviews, Apple issued a statement to Agence France Presse. They insisted that the iPhones they have investigated were externally damaged in the first place, which "led to the thermal event." The company claims the exploding handsets have all been subjected to external factors, which caused them to blow up.
There have also been reports of the widespread iPhone random shutdown issue. Technode reports that Apple has issued a free repair program, which only applies to phones manufactured between September and October of 2015. The company cited that a manufacturing process exposed the batteries to "ambient air" and is the culprit behind the shutdowns, but does not label it as a safety issue.
The mounting complaints have planted doubt in the Chinese consumer's thoughts, which makes them doubt if the handset is worth its steep price. The SHCC blames Apple for not taking enough action to address the issue.
