Apple Confirms It's Investigating Reports Of iPhone 8 & 8 Plus Battery Puffing Up Dangerously

One of Apple’s pride points is that, when it launches a product, they believe it’s the finest they could output at the best quality. Sure, sometimes they may take away the headphone jack, or add a new feature you don’t like, but that’s more of a design choice. So what happens when one of the most reliable smartphone companies in the world sees its product goofing up?

A strange issue began surfacing last week, where a few iPhone 8and 8 Plus users in Taiwan and Japan complained their battery was puffing up and splitting open when charged, to the point where even the device’s display panel began falling away from the frame.

Images courtesy: ifeng

The photos, courtesy of tech news outlet ifeng, show a pretty scary sight, considering how much each user shelled out for one of these devices. In addition, they claim they weren’t using counterfeit chargers, so that could indicate a serious problem.

It’s not yet an epidemic à la Samsung’s flammable Galaxy Note 7, but it’s enough of a problem that Apple is looking into the cases. In a brief statement to MacRumours the company only said it was investigating the issue, refusing to comment on a possible cause or whether other owners of the new devices need to be worried.

Then again, it’s not sure yet whether the battery is even the actual problem. One iPhone 8 Plus user tweeted out a picture of his bulging device, still in the box, having arrived that way at his home from delivery.

届いたiPhone8plus、開けたら既に膨らんでた pic.twitter.com/eX3XprSzqv

It’s only a couple of cases so far, so you don’t need to rush in for a refund or exchange just yet. However, it’s probably a good idea to keep a close eye on your new iPhone. Or at least on everything else besides the display you’re likely staring at anyway.