Samsung Galaxy S4 catches fire while charging overnight


A Samsung Galaxy S4 has reportedly burst into flames whilst set to charge, an incident that rises potential safety concerns around the Android 4.2.2 handset.


Something of an isolated incident more than a widespread issue, a Samsung Galaxy S4 owner based in Abu Dhabi has claimed that her iPhone 5 and HTC One rivalling handset caught fire without warning whilst plugged in to charge overnight.


“I cannot explain to you my extreme frustration, disappointment and extreme fear when I found my brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 burning at the charger connection to the phone,” phone owner Sarah Shurrub said in a correspondence to Samsung following the incident.


Describing the incident which took place late last month, less than a month after the S4 in question had been purchased, Shurrub added: “The phone was found burning, while charging. It’s only thanks to God that I woke up in the middle of the night and controlled the burning before it could cause damage to my home and family.”


Not quite a case of negligence on the owner’s part, the dangerous S4 had reportedly only been charging for a matter of hours when it combusted. “I woke up in the middle of the night to [attend to] my toddler, and it was about 2am at night. I think it was charging for about 3 hours by then,” the phone’s owner said.


While it is unclear as to the cause of the S4 started fire, Shurrub has suggested that Samsung has looked to amend the issue with the promise of free phones.


“It was agreed that they would replace [my burnt Galaxy S4] with a new phone, the flip cover that got burnt and as compensation, they will give me another brand new Samsung S4, though they don’t have a compensation policy and this is purely as an exception,” she wrote.


The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the most popular smartphones on the market right now, with more than 20 million units of the 1.9GHz quad-core brimmed device shipping globally during the phones first two months on sale.


It runs a 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera and pairs a raft of premium hardware features with a collection of innovative software additions, including the eye-tracking Smart Pause and Smart Scroll.


Read More: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom review


Via: Emirates24/7