Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Photos show the aftermath of a Galaxy Note 7 that exploded while charging

Published Aug 24th, 2016 9:16AM EDT
Galaxy Note 7 Features
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 is far and away the hottest new Android phone of the year at this point, and it’s unlikely that any new handsets set to launch in the coming months will outdo it. The phone’s design is gorgeous, the display is stunning, the Note software suite is still a class leader, and the new features Samsung introduced have made it one of the most sought-after devices of 2016. One eager user discovered a feature that isn’t quite as appealing as the curved display or Samsung’s new iris scanner, and it could have caused serious injury or property damage had the phone’s owner not been so lucky.

MUST SEE: 5 best new features in Android 7.0 Nougat

A user named “Mr. Ni 666666” on the Chinese forum Baidu posted photos (via Major Droid) of what he claims to be a Galaxy Note 7 that exploded on Tuesday while it was charging. In a series of posts, the user claims that his Galaxy Note 7 was plugged in at night charging when he heard a “sudden bang.” He then discovered his phone on fire, and a series of photos show the aftermath.

Here are the photos he posted:

7e202fd162d9f2d3fb025856a1ec8a136227cc48

3479eeef76094b3650fb6654abcc7cd98c109d76

ca283b178a82b901c088be8a7b8da9773812efb2

ec84102ac65c1038bb5bb37bba119313b17e89b2

Samsung has yet to comment on the incident and it’s not clear whether or not there will be an investigation, but it looks like the Note 7 owner was using a third-party microUSB charger rather than the charger and cable supplied by Samsung, so that may have played a part in the incident.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 ships with a white charger and USB cable, but the user in this case has a black cable that he is using with Samsung’s included USB-C adapter tip. It’s entirely possible that this was a manufacturing defect and the charger had nothing to do with it, but just to be on the safe side, Note 7 owners should probably use the equipment supplied by Samsung until we get to the bottom of this.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.