Samsung: Galaxy S III fire caused by ‘external energy source’ – update

Samsung has released an explanation for the burned-out Galaxy S III smartphone that images of recently surfaced. An external source of energy, not the device itself, would have been responsible for the fire.

Samsung claims that the device itself is not responsible for the damage suffered. The Korean manufacturer points to an independent investigation by Fire Investigations UK, which has drawn the aforementioned conclusion. They therefore consider it unlikely that the Galaxy S III will burn due to heat generated by the device itself, so that an external energy source is identified as the cause. In addition, putting the phone in a microwave oven would cause similar fire damage, making it the most likely cause.

The Irish owner of the Galaxy S III, who published images showing fire damage, said he had connected the Galaxy S III with a car kit when the problems arose. He also claimed that white flames came from the device, melting the plastic. Because the bottom is burned, the battery, which usually gets very hot in smartphones, was immediately ruled out as the cause of the problem.

Because the user may have put the device in the microwave himself, thereby causing the fire damage, Samsung does not claim to be responsible for the damage suffered. The manufacturer also refers to a posting by the owner on a forum, in which he states that he is responsible for the fire damage. It therefore does not appear that the Irish owner will receive a new device.

Update 3:40 PM: the article has been updated to include information about the researchers’ microwave hypothesis.