Apple ‘looking into’ iPhone 8 battery flaw that’s breaking new phones – report
Apple is investigating what looks to be a very serious battery issue with the new iPhone 8 Plus, according to reports.
When you’re manufacturing incredibly complex smartphones by the millions, it’s not improbable that something is going to go wrong. We saw South Korean tech giant Samsung brought to its knees publicly over a battery issue with last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone – is Apple next up for the chopping block?
A report by The Independent notes that Apple is “investigating reports of its new iPhone bursting open”. Apparently, some iPhone 8 Plus handsets are splitting open along the sides, which is not something you’d expect from a £799 smartphone. Worse still, this startling claim comes mere days after the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones went on sale.
Several users have posted images of the phenomenon to Twitter, with some customers claiming that the casing cracked open during charging. Others suggested that their handsets were broken straight out of the box.
届いたiPhone8plus、開けたら既に膨らんでた pic.twitter.com/eX3XprSzqv
— マゴコロ (@Magokoro0511) September 24, 2017
iPhoneが昨日より膨らんでる。
Apple、早く回収しにきて！ pic.twitter.com/sRx6orgxi6— マゴコロ (@Magokoro0511) September 25, 2017
Apple reportedly told The Independent that it was “looking into” these claims, but it’s not clear what action (if any) the Californian tech powerhouse plans to take.
The issue is believed to be the result of battery swelling, which is causing the case to split along the side. However, reports online are mixed regarding how widespread the issue is. Until we hear otherwise, it’s probably safe to assume your iPhone will be fine. That said, if you do notice any issues, it’s worth hauling your new handset over to your local Apple Store Genius Bar for tech support.
Apple will likely be fearful that the issue is widespread, however. Phone makers had a significant wake-up call last year, when a battery issue affected Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handsets resulted in Samsung having to issue two global recalls, eventually halting manufacturing of the phone and killing the device off indefinitely.
However, it’s entirely possible that these alleged iPhone 8 Plus issues are very infrequent, and Apple customer support is generally good at resolving such issues for customers on a case-by-case basis. Don’t let this put you off buying an otherwise brilliant phone, is what we’re saying.
Related: iPhone 9
What’s your take on Apple’s latest additions to its iPhone roster? Let us know via Facebook or Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
