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Topic: Smartphones

Samsung: Galaxy 'S3' burns not caused by smartphone

Summary: Investigators have found that the only way to replicate the burns on a Galaxy S III that reportedly burst into fire is to put it in a microwave

Karen Friar

By |

Samsung has doused worries that its flagship Galaxy S III could spontaneously burst into flames, after investigators found they could only reproduce the burns on a damaged phone by putting it in a microwave.

An Irish user 'dillo2k10' posted on a messageboard in June that they had been using the Galaxy S III in a car mount "when suddenly a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of the phone".

Samsung S III with burns on bottom

On Saturday, the Korean hardware maker said an independent assessment by Fire Investigations UK (FIUK) found that "the energy source responsible for generating the heat has been determined as external to the device".

The tests looked not only at the damaged smartphone but also other Galaxy S III handsets, Samsung said in a blog post. The Android-powered device has energy-hungry components — a 4.8-inch screen and a 1.4GHz quad-core processor — requiring a hefty 2,100mAh battery.

However, the investigators found "the device was not responsible for the cause of the fire."

"The only way 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," FIUK said in its report, according to Samsung.

In a post to the same Irish messageboard on Friday, 'dillo2k10' retracted their original statement about the incident, saying there was "no fault with the phone" and suggesting someone else had caused the burns when trying to dry out the Galaxy S III.

"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," 'dillo2k10' wrote. "This was not a deliberate act but a stupid mistake."

The user's initial complaint and thread on the messageboard, which showed photos of the damaged phone (above), is now no longer available.

Topics: Smartphones, Samsung

About

Karen Friar is news editor for ZDNet in the UK, based in London. She started out in film journalism in San Francisco, before making the switch to tech coverage at ZDNet.com. Next came a move to CNET News.com, where she looked after west coast coverage of business technology, and finally a return to her homeland with ZDNet UK.

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15 comments
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  • What a jerk

    I hope they go get their handset back!
    slickjim
    Reply 1 Vote

  • What a jackamo

    I hope they go get their handset back!
    slickjim
    Reply 1 Vote

  • They're Good

    Interesting story about how good Samsung is at determining what you are doing with your/their phones. I laid my Galaxy Nexus on my nightstand and came back to see it restarting. When I tried to use it to call, I got static. When I used it as a computer, it worked fine. Nevertheless, it always started this cycle of restarting when it went to sleep. I talked to the tech department, they went through the routine checks and told me to send it in with an RMA. Three weeks later I received the phone/brick back with a little cut-out note (like it had been printed 30 times on a standard piece of colored paper), "An attempt to repair your phone failed due to liquid damage. Your warranty is now void." Longer story short, now I know my ceiling has developed a leak. I can see the discoloration on the ceiling above my nightstand! Thanks Samsung for pointing that out!!
    LetsReason@...
    Reply 10 Votes

    • Water damage.

      Pure water is an insulator. Water from other common sources has contaminants that cause it to conduct. The conduction, depending on where the water is in the phone can short out components and cause the device to permanently fail. If you get liquid in your device when it's off or the battery is removed, you have the best chance of cleaning it. I'd recommend a CRC QD electronic cleaner spray normally found in auto stores. Always use it outdoors in a well ventilated area and keep away from flames or ignition sources (Don't smoke). It is highly flammable. Also, always test it on an inconspicuous portion of plastic surfaces and cover lenses to make sure it does not react with the plastic. The spray acts as a cleaner and will hopefully remove conductive contaminants. Allow to dry and place the phone in a jar, on a bed of dry rice, with a tight fitting lid for a day or two to remove any moisture present. Do this before powering up the device. The dry rice acts as a desiccant.
      Joe.Smetona
      Reply 3 Votes

  • Who would microwave their cell phone?

    That's about as bad as drying to dry the cat out in the microwave!
    intotheapex@...
    Reply 3 Votes

  • From the photo, it looks like a charging cord or connector shorted.

    The battery doesn't look to be involved at all.
    Joe.Smetona
    Reply 1 Vote

  • Microwave?? What a BS lie

    Sorry, but anybody who thinks that putting a device (full of metal) in a microwave is going to product a simple small burn on a little corner is a complete !d!0t.

    Sorry, that photo clearly shows an electric burn, not a "microwave" burn.
    wackoae
    Reply 2 Votes

    • Just to add

      If it was a "microwave" burn, how come metallic area around the the camera lens doesn't show any damage?? Or the area around the metallic screws?? Or the very visible metallic sleeve of the SIM card (and what ever is next to it)??
      wackoae
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Seriously?

      You do realize the metal in a microwave thing is a balance thong right? If the parts are mostly surrounded by plastic or some other substance that the microwave doesn't have an issue with, the metal will never react.

      Crud, there are some Microwaves that have metal Browning rods t the top.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

  • burn baby burn

    I suspect that the microwave was used to "dry out" the device. Then the battery replaced and the unit started up.
    Then when the damaged area was energized, viola FIRE!

    You are just over thinking it.
    Dave Hicks
    Reply Vote

  • How to maximize the battery life

    How to maximize the battery life of a my 3G dual sim android phone?
    ok2phone[dot]com
    First, to maximize the battery life of a dual sim android phone, press the "Menu" key on the Home screen. From, select "Settings" to enter the phone's settings screen.
    Next, go into "Data Synchronization" under "Settings" and disable automatic sync. This will prevent the dual sim android from frequently updating mail and calendar, thus using power. Instead, email and calendars will be updated manually every time you open then.
    Now decrease the screen brightness and also decrease the timeout length for the screen to switch off when not in use. Additionally, to dual sim android Battey life you can press the red End key when you are done using the phone to turn off the screen.
    If you do not use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth often, turn these connectivity features off to conserve power.
    ok2phone[dot]com
    ok2phone-com
    Reply Vote

  • HAhaha

    Some people should not be allowed air.
    Dry it in a microwave then lie about it.
    MoeFugger
    Reply Vote

  • operating system still sucks

    still doesnt change the fact that galaxies use a crappy operating system that crashes all the time
    billwillclark
    Reply 1 Vote

  • Best VoIP Ireland

    VOIP has become so much popular that it is now used in mobile phones to reduce the amount made on international calls. Best VOIP Ireland.
    jeneliapeterson
    Reply Vote

  • Samsung S3

    Our 4 week old Uk Vodafone supplied Samsung S3 just decided to nearly go on fire if we had not pulled the battery, it was in the pocket not plugged in, it was so hot it was hard to hold, we let it cool and plugged it in to charge since the battery was nearly flat within a short time it started boiling so shut it off and requested an exchanged which we have received
    derekkmark
    Reply Vote
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