Most people charge their phone overnight, right? This unfortunate story might make you reconsider.
Ariel Trolfree, a 13-year old North Texas girl, got a rude awakening last week when the Samsung Galaxy S4 she plugged in to charge just before falling asleep woke her up by emitting an unusual odor. Unfortunately for her, at first she couldn’t figure out exactly what the issue was and started searching around the house for a burning smell. She eventually found that the S4 she had wedged under her pillow had not only burned up her pillow, but been transformed into a blob of melted plastic and electronics.
FOX4 reported on the issue, talking to the victims father:
“The whole phone melted. The plastic, the glass. You can’t even really tell that it was a phone.”
It is suspected that the device, whilst charging, overheated which caused the battery to swell and start a small fire. Samsung does however provide a warning in their customer guide which points out that covering a charging device with bedding or other material is unacceptable as it restricts airflow and can cause such issues. They also pointed out that Ariels phone was using an aftermarket battery and not an official Samsung product.
Nevertheless, Samsung are said to be providing Ariel with a new phone, pillow and bedding – along with asking for the faulty device back for quality control and testing. Their rep has stated that Samsung takes all battery fire related issues very seriously.
Image courtesy of FOX4
It’s why i only ever buy official spare batteries and after market changers by reputable companies.
Heeey kids 😀 Did you know that a cellphone emits radiation and should under no circumstrances be put directly under your pillow because of that? 😮 Now you know 😀
But why on earth would anyone sleep with a charging phone under their pillow if they’re at home? If they’re not at home and worried about it getting swiped then it should be charged prior to putting it under the pillow.