A new case of an exploding smartphone surfaces, and this time around, it's an iPhone 6 Plus.
Darin Hlavaty, a student at Rowan College in Burlington County, New Jersey, claims that his iPhone 6 Plus exploded while it was in his back pocket. The incident burned a hole in his jeans, and needless to say, the handset was completely destroyed.
"Right as class was starting, my phone started smoking in my pocket. It was a fire," the student tells 6ABC, adding that he felt a "crazy, hot burning" in his leg.
Rebecca Bookbinder, one of Hlavaty's fellow students, witnessed the event unfold and gave a statement about what happened.
"Out of nowhere, we heard a fizzing and a popping sound. Suddenly a great mass of smoke comes out from his pocket," she says.
According to Hlavaty, he owned the iPhone 6 Plus in question for about six months.
As the smartphone started to heat up, he had to throw it to the ground because it was "super hot." After that, he had to kick it away because it was on fire.
Hlavaty also says that his iPhone 6 Plus didn't have any problems or damages except for a crack, but that is potentially the root cause of the explosion.
Adding to the fact that the smartphone was in his back pocket and that he may have sat on it, lithium batteries loaded in such devices are prone to burst into flames when handled improperly.
In other related news regarding exploding handsets, a totaled rose gold iPhone 7 that shot fire recently made the headlines, but it should be pointed out that it appears to be an isolated case.
This isn't the first time that an iPhone combusted, though. Back in August, an Australian cyclist also had his iPhone 6 explode and leave third-degree burns on his right thigh after a minor fall. He needed to undergo a skin graft surgery to recover afterward.
It's also worth mentioning that while the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 arguably started the scare of smartphones catching fire, it's apparent that such cases are not limited to the South Korean brand.
With all said and done, what do you think of the "trend" of exploding devices? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know, especially if you're one of the unfortunate owners who had a smartphone with faulty batteries.
