The strange case of OnePlus phones exploding out of the blue has a new development. Another device blasted to pieces in India - this time it’s the OnePlus Nord CE model and thankfully nobody was hurt in the accident.
The unlucky OnePlus user Dushyant Goswami posted images of his toasted One Plus Nord CE on Twitter, and they look pretty nasty. Goswami says that he was just pulling his phone out of his pocket when the device exploded.
The post was subsequently deleted but 91mobiles managed to get a hold of the text: “I own phone from very popular brand ONEPLUS, which promises the best quality. My phone is only 6 months old & it literally blasted yesterday, while I just pulled it out from my pocket. It’s not only bad but fatal. Is brand gonna answerable 4 the accident?”
Goswami was lucky enough not to get injured during the explosion, and he also claims that OnePlus contacted him (maybe that’s the reason the tweet got deleted), and offered to replace the defective handset with a new one.
“Thank You Everyone for the support. Yesterday at 8 pm Oneplus team called me and promised me that they will send a new unit by Tuesday,” reads another deleted tweet. This is also the first time OnePlus allegedly replaces an exploded model.
OnePlus posted an official statement after the accident, reading: “Our top priority is the health and safety of our customers. We reached out to the concerned user immediately after hearing about this incident and initiated a thorough internal investigation. The results indicate that the damage to this device was caused by an isolated incident involving external factors and not due to any manufacturing or product issue. However, we remain in close touch with this user and have offered our support to address their concerns and ensure their wellbeing."
The images that were posted on Twitter quickly disappeared, suggesting that a deal had been struck. The internet keeps all its secrets alive, though - so you can check out the toasted Nord 2 below.
Then, just a month later, yet another OnePlus phone exploded, this time inside the pocket of Gaurav Gulati, a lawyer, and social activist. He was at work when he felt his pocket getting warmer. When the heat became unbearable, he managed to take off his coat but suffered serious burns.
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“I feel like I've had my death certificate (the Nord 2) in my pocket. I am very happy that I am still alive," wrote Gulati to LetsGoDigital, the site that first picked up the story. Again, images from the accident still exist and some of them are somewhat disturbing, so scroll down only if you can stomach it (it’s a picture of a bandaged wound, nothing too gross).
Possible causes
It’s the third (known) accident involving an exploding OnePlus phone. Judging by the photos, the culprit is the battery (also the only potentially explosive part of a smartphone). It’s hard to tell whether we’re seeing a trend or these are just isolated cases of defective units.
Some users have shared the opinion that the extreme weather in India could be the reason for these explosions. The Indian Summer can be extremely hot with temperatures north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Others pointed out that the explosions took place during the rainy season when the ambient temperature rarely exceeds 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to ResearchGate, manufacturers of Li-ion batteries usually give the operating temperature of a lithium-ion battery to range from 0 to 45°C for charging operations and -20 to 60°C for discharging operations. However, the optimal temperature range for lithium-ion battery operation is between 15 to 35°C.
Furthermore, this could be a quality control issue - there haven’t been any reported cases of exploding OnePlus phones outside India.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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