Koreans wary about swelling iPhone
Korean customers are increasingly wary of the “swelling” iPhone 8 ahead of its expected launch here early next month.
Apple launched the smartphone last month with much fanfare, drawing keen attention mostly with the iPhone X released to mark the 10th anniversary of the flagship handset series.
Even if the iPhone X has yet to hit the market, the company has begun shipping the iPhone 8 since late last month.
Initially, things looked to be going smoothly as usual, as the iPhone series boasts tens of millions of fans here and abroad and has been a top-selling smartphone each year.
But the iPhone 8 has hit a snag with continuing reports over its swelling batteries. The latest iPhone series has yet to arrive on the Korean market, but overseas reports in such countries as Japan, China and the United States have shown photos of the device’s display panel separated from its body.
The latest in a series of reports came last week in the U.S. where an employee of the country’s leading consumer electronics shop, Best Buy, posted an online photo of a bulging iPhone returned to the store.
This was almost identical with other reports that emerged earlier in Japan and China. Apple has not released the exact causes of the reported cases, stating: “We are aware and looking into it.”
The issue has not been officially reported in Korea where the iPhone 8 has not made its debut. The nation’s mobile industry estimates the device will arrive here early next month.
But the defect reports of the iPhone are creating a wave of anxiety in local handset users.
A battery industry official said this is a very rare case that a battery swells after little use.
“A smartphone battery consists of the positive and negative poles, a separator film and an electrolyte,” said a battery industry source who asked for anonymity. “When the electrolyte is used up, the battery can swell as shown in the recent iPhone cases. But this can occur in only a few batteries that have been in use for at least six months.”
To avoid growing customers concerns, Apple may have to unveil the exact causes behind the reported iPhone 8 defect, according to him.
An online user said in a post on one of the nation’s biggest online communities, Ppomppu: “I am hesitant to buy the new iPhone over its battery issue.”
“I have used the iPhone 6, but the unconfirmed launch date and the battery controversy are holding back my appetite to purchase the new iPhone,” the user said.
Last year, Apple’s arch-rival Samsung Electronics conducted an unprecedented smartphone recall amid growing safety concerns after continuing reports of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device catching fire while charging.