After Samsung’s phones made the news for exploding (and were subsequently banned from several airlines), Apple may be experiencing its own explosive problem. The company was doing damage control Wednesday after reports of eight phones damaged from internal combustion or explosion, the BBC reported.
“We treat safety as a top priority and have found no cause for concern with these products,” Apple told the BBC.
The Shanghai Consumer Council begged to differ, but Apple said the phones involved in the eight incidents all had external damage which contributed to the problems. Phones reportedly combusted and emitted smoke, but the wording of the council’s report did not indicate whether there was any active fire.
Technology analyst Ziaohan Tay told the BBC there has been no report of iPhone combustion outside China, and the problem may or may not affect all iPhone 6 and 6S models.
There have been some issues with the sixth-generation iPhones in China, however. The Shanghai Consumer Council said reports of problems with iPhone 6 and 6S have risen in the past two months and that some users have reported unexpected shutdowns.
With Apple being examined by the Shanghai Consumer Council and Samsung issuing its worldwide recalls, Chinese phone makers might see these headline-grabbing cases as a way to gain an edge over foreign competitors.
Samsung and Apple are also still in a patent fight. Reuters reported Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court discarded an appeals court ruling that Samsung had to pay $399 million for replicating the iPhone’s patented rounded appearance and icons.