Samsung Galaxy Note Explodes, Burns Customers Leg

A South Korean man was injured over the weekend when his Samsung Galaxy Note exploded.

The man was carrying the smartphone in his pocket when it exploded. The 55-year-old cell phone user was left with second-degree burns on his inner-thigh.

According to South Korean publication Chosun Ilbo the phones spare battery ruptured, leading to the man’s burns and damage to his clothing.

The explosion was bad enough to attract an emergency visit from the Bupyeong Fire Station in Incheon.

Despite the explosion the customer chose not to report any damage to his body or clothing to the team at Samsung. After hearing about the Galaxy Note explosion a company spokesperson at Samsung noted:

“Lithium ion batteries can catch fire due to external pressure or sudden changes in temperature, so we’re trying to understand what really happened.”

Samsung has had several other issues with its Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S II Skyrocket smartphones. In the case of the S2 the customer was also carrying their smartphone in their pocket. Samsung is by far not the only smartphone manufacturer to receive reports of exploding phones. Apple, HTC, Motorola, Nokia and other manufacturers have all dealt with claims of battery and phone failures, some of which led to injury.

In what might be the most odd case of phone failure, a man in Ireland claimed his phone was the victim of spontaneous combustion. It was later discovered that the customer tried to microwave his wet phone in a failed attempt to dry the device.

To avoid smartphone explosions it is recommended that customers purchase OEM (original equipment manufacturer) batteries and remove their smartphones from warm areas in extreme heat, including pockets and the inside of vehicles.

[Image via broadbandgenie]