Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G explodes; it is not another Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is reportedly selling well and it is doing better than many had expected. But the foldable just might be too hot. Ask Chad Christian, who teaches people how to trade stocks, options, and cryptocurrency. We have no idea how his strategies have been faring lately, but no stock he's recommended could have been as hot as his Galaxy Z Fold 3. According to a tweet he disseminated on Monday, Christian was preparing to box up the phone to send it back to Samsung for repair after it fell off his bike shattering the screen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 suffers internal damage and then explodes
But as he was boxing it up, the phone exploded and smoke started to come out of the device. Christian was not harmed. Of course, many of you reading this probably had a flashback to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which exploded in several high-profile incidents including once on an airplane while it was on the ground. After a trip back to the drawing board, Samsung released what it thought was a safer version of the device but even those models started exploding.
Eventually, the Galaxy Note 7 was completely recalled by Samsung (costing it an estimated $5 billion in revenue) and it turned out that the batteries sourced by Samsung for the phones were flawed.
This seems to be an isolated event although Christian did bring up a scary hypothetical question. "Can you imagine," he asked, "if it did this in shipping." Since the phone was dropped prior to the explosion, the fall could have damaged something inside the handset.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 blew up on me when I was getting ready to box it up. Had to throw it in the garage. Definitely had some integrity damage. Can you imagine if it did this in shipping pic.twitter.com/OnPHfZmKod
— Chad Christian - American Dream Trading (@CoachCWC) September 26, 2021
Even Christian himself believes this to be a "one and done" issue as he tweeted, "For the record this phone (which I just came back from a Samsung repair center where they said to just mail it in for replacement) fell off my bike a week or so ago. I am sure it had integrity damage which caused this. I don’t suspect this is a Note 7 type issue…." Samsung reportedly assigned a team dedicated to Christian and is sending him a pre-addressed box to return the burnt Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The lesson to be learned here is that a device that has suffered a fall could sustain internal damage that you're not aware of until this damage shows up later one way or another. It isn't clear whether Christian had a case on his Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it is becoming increasingly clear that even if it covers up some of the design of your handset, an expensive device should be protected.
Protecting your new investment with a case is a smart move to make
Just about everyone who buys a new phone tells themselves that a case isn't necessary because this time you won't drop the new device. But everyone is human and frankly, everyone ends up watching hopelessly as they hear that thud and look down to see their pride and joy on the floor. And for some smartphone users, the first time their new handset is dropped, it feels like a little piece of them hit the floor at the same time.
In Mr. Christian's situation, being an options trader, he probably knows plenty about risk and would never lift one leg of a hedged position because that would expose him to the risk he was trying to avoid. For smartphone owners, not buying a case for your new phone exposes you to a risk that you probably wouldn't want to take. In other words, why put yourself in the position of having to replace an expensive new phone when a reasonably priced case can protect your investment.
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