While the 2017-series Galaxy S8 and the Note 8 are beginning to win consumers' faith, after the debacle of Galaxy Note7, a scary video of a Samsung phone catching fire has emerged from Java in Indonesia that might undo all the hard work put in by the South Korean company.
47-year- old Yulianto, was reportedly keeping the 2013- series Galaxy Grand Duos in his chest pocket when it caught fire suddenly, causing minor burns on his face. The entire incident was caught on a CCTV camera in Hotel Ciputra Semarang in the city of Semarang, central Java, where the victim worked as concierge.
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In the video, we can see the person standing in the hotel lobby and suddenly, he feels burning (due to overheating) sensation on his chest pocket area and once his hand reaches it, the phone explodes with a bright blue flame. Within seconds, the man, with the help of a colleague, was able remove his shirt.
"There was a strong sensation of heat and I felt something start to shake. Before I knew what was happening there was fire and I panicked. I took off my shirt as quickly as I could," The Daily Mail quoted Yulianto as saying.
Actually, whose fault is it anyway— Samsung or the device owner?
Taking note of the severity of the incident, Samsung, without wasting time, initiated an internal probe and recovered the burnt-up Galaxy Grand Duos phone.
The company has found that Yuianto reportedly replaced the original Samsung battery in the Galaxy Grand Duos with a third-party branded cell, which also does not have Samsung-approved badge on it.
"We sincerely wish for our customer's swift recovery, and strongly recommend all our consumers to use Samsung's genuine or approved batteries that have been specifically designed for use in Samsung products," Samsung official spokesperson said to CNET.
In a related report, Samsung's arch-rival Apple is also facing similar crisis. Several cases of iPhone 8 series batteries getting swollen during charging and causing the device to split open in the middle, and damaging the display have been reported.
It has been reported in China, Taiwan and Japan. If not investigated properly, Apple might end up with a huge dent on its brand image.
Apple too has taken note of the issue and initiated an investigation, the company's official spokesperson confirmed to International Business Times, India.
Read more: Apple iPhone 8 series battery flaw splits the device open, company starts internal investigation
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