The 13 Deadliest Cell Phone Explosions

Image via Complex Original

To let some scientists tell it, the only reason we need to fear our cell phones is because they transmit radiation that could potentially cause permanent damage to various parts of our body. Fair enough. Lately, however, we've been handling our phones a little more cautiously for another reason: They might explode. Over the past few years there have been a number of detonations reported, with some resulting in minor injuries and others in death. So if you notice your battery pack feels a little enflamed, or peep smoke coming out of your pants pocket—proceed with caution and remind yourself of the 13 Deadliest Cell Phone Explosions.

13. Internal Damage

Date: Aug. 28, 2009

A Belgian teen named Salvatore was about to make a phone call when his iPhone 3GS imploded in his hand, causing no serious arm to his arms, but minor headaches a few days after the incident. Salvatore claimed his phone went “completely black” after expressing a sigh of relief: “Happily, the explosion happened inside [the phone].” During that time, 11 cases had been reported concerning defective iPhone models, all having taken place in France. On a positive note, Apple did promise to replace Salvatore’s phone for free.

12. Burning Sensation

Date: Jun 11, 2008

Dan Lefman took his dog out for a walk in the park and suddenly felt this burning sensation in his pants. No, dude didn't have an STD. His LG enV dumphone combusted and caught fire in his pocket, leaving burn marks on his leg.

“I felt heat, and I said, 'what is that?'", Lefman told ABC News Center 5. "I started to burn and I took it out and my phone was on fire…and there’s a hole in my khakis where it burned through.” Verizon reps said this was the first time they’ve heard of any enV model catching fire. Riiight. They also refused to replace Lefman’s phone, until the negative press sank in and the carrier sent Lefman a new model.

11. Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Date: Dec. 1, 2011

Just one week after the Sydney iPhone 4 fiasco, another iPhone was reported as having exploded in Brazil after being overcharged. The device apparently began sparking a few inches away from Ayla Paulo Mota’s face and transmitted smoke into the air. "At dawn, I woke up seconds before witnessing the burning of my iPhone when I saw a lot of sparks and black smoke out of the cell,"  said Mota. "My room was full with an unbearable smell of smoke!” Apple has yet to release a statement about the incident.

10. The Sydney Explosion

Date: Nov. 25, 2011

A passenger’s iPhone 4 detonated onboard a Sydney flight due to the battery overheating and emitted a large amount of “dense smoke” on the plane. The anonymous smartphone owner claimed his Apple handset was getting extremely hot and started glowing red, alerting a flight attendant immediately, who then applied standard safety procedures to put out the suspicious glow. Thankfully, no one was harmed during the incident. Crickey! Is that why we're asked to turn off all electronics before the plane takes off? 

9. Heat Seeker

Date: Dec. 12, 2011

The lane was open for Samsung to take more shots at Apple and its current iPhone 4 explosion problems. That was until someone posted images of their combusted Galaxy S2 Skyrocket phone on the XDA Developers forum. The anonymous AT&T subcriber says he heard a sound, felt a his leg burning up, and pulled the Android handset out of his pocket, trasmitting smoke from both the phone and his pants. The next big thing is already here, huh?

8. Eye of the Beholder

Date: Aug. 14, 2009

Marie-Dominique Kolega threatened to file a complaint against Apple after her 18-year-old son had been struck in the eye with a piece of glass from an iPhone display. The phone was said to be the property of the French teenager’s girlfriend and had made a “hissing noise” before the screen burst, sending shards of glass flying straight towards his grill. "My son was frightened but he did not lose an eye," said Ms. Kolega. Apple must of laid down a nice settlement for this one.

7. "A Cellphone Exploded In My Face"

Date: May 14, 2010

Gizmodo reader Corey shared a scary tale with the tech site about his Verizon Samsung Rogue handset detonating in his face. He mentions rinsing “black crumbs and remnants” out of his eye for nearly 20 minutes and experiencing a burning sensation in his peepers. Corey spoke with Big Red about receiving a replacement phone, to which a network representative responded by offering a refurbished model instead, then blessing him with a new one. As for Samsung, well, they never returned Corey’s calls, even after he emailed them images of the defective phone. He should have emailed his medical bills or lawyer’s immediate contact instead.

6. Droid Does…Explode!

Date: Dec. 3, 2010

Texas native Aaron Embry, 30 years old, was making a routine call on his Droid 2 handset, when the Motorola device unexpectedly blew up in his ear. He became the recipient of a bloody ear and was hospitalized, receiving four stitches and head bandages in the process. Embry spoke with Fox News and shared his alarming experience: “I heard a pop, I didn’t feel any pain initially, I pulled the phone down, I felt something dripping.” Luckily he didn’t suffer any hearing loss, but considering the Droid 2’s high radiation exposure level (1.47 SAR rating), who knows what long-term damage he might have suffered.

5. Chest Burster

Date: Jan. 20, 2009

Moments after replacing the external battery, a Chinese shop worker was found dead lying in his own pool of blood after his cell phone blew up on his chest. As the story goes, the unnamed Asian had just finished charging his handset before placing it in his chest pocket, then an employee heard a loud bang and discovered her co-worker no longer alive. He was said to have severed an artery in his neck from the explosion. The manufacturer or model was never revealed.

4. Last Call

Date: June 8, 2010

Nikita Thapa, 16 years old, had been identified as the deceased party who lost conscious during her way to the Seti-Ganga Community Hospital in Nepal after her cell phone erupted. The Nokia model burst while she was on the phone and charging it simultaneously, which experts said was the result of the sudden high voltage output from the “hilly parts” of Nepal. The teenager’s mother had also sustained minor injuries.

3. Nokia 1209 Kills Indian Farmer

Date: Aug. 17, 2010

Victim Gopal Gujjar had his Nokia 1209 explode near his head—inflicting serious injuries to his right ear, shoulder and neck—resulting in his death. The 23-year-old’s body was found next to the remains of the phone and battery at his farm in Kota, India. Police claim Guijar had gone into the forest to tend to his cattle, where his body was discovered later that night.

2. The Big Bang Theory

Date: June 19, 2007

Chinese welder Xiao Jinpeng had his Motorola phone explode near his chest and suffered broken ribs, resulting in bone fragments piercing his heart and killing him. Many of his colleagues believed the handset’s lithium-ion battery erupted due to the high-temperature environment Jinpeng worked in, while a Beijing Moto rep took the high road stating the company’s product was “highly unlikely” to be blamed for—questioning if Jinpeng had used a fake Motorola phone or battery. This would become the first fatality ever recorded in relation to a cell phone explosion.

1. Short Circuit

Date: June 28, 2008

A young man from Ghana was recharging his phone and answered a call while the device was still connected to the wall outlet, causing the phone to short circuit and electrocute him to death. The parents heard a loud thud and witnessed their son unconscious on the ground with burnt fingers. Once rushed to the hospital by EMTs, he was officially pronounced dead. Tech experts say the culprit could have been a knock-off handset built with inferior wiring that triggered the electrical outburst.