Samsung Galaxy S24 user claims handset exploded in hand while not charging [U: More evidence]

Update 14/05/26 – 11:52 am (IST): The original poster has since shared a follow-up on Reddit with additional close-up photos and part of their hospital treatment records, clarifying several details. The phone was confirmed to be a standard Galaxy S24 in Cobalt Violet, purchased on June 11, 2024, making it just under two years old at the time of the incident.

UPDATE: Additional photos and clarification regarding my Galaxy S24 incident
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u/chocho-789 in
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Notably, the user says there were no obvious warning signs beforehand, with no unusual battery drain, no consistent overheating, and no visible swelling before the phone suddenly caught fire.

On the matter of compensation, the OP clarified they are not seeking a large payout. Their requests are limited to a replacement phone, best-effort data recovery, medical expenses, and property restoration costs. They have already filed a case with the Korea Consumer Agency and say they will follow the official process.

More than monetary compensation, the user says what they genuinely wanted was for someone at Samsung directly responsible for product quality to acknowledge the incident in person and commit to preventing it from happening again.

Original article published on May 13, 2026, follows:

A Samsung Galaxy S24 user in South Korea is claiming their phone suddenly emitted smoke, produced extreme heat, and exploded while they were browsing the internet on May 11, 2026.

They also pointed out that the phone was not charging at the time. The fire department responded, and the user says they are currently receiving medical treatment for smoke inhalation symptoms.

The user, posting anonymously on r/samsunggalaxy, says the phone had no prior drop damage, had never been repaired, and was using original Samsung charging equipment. According to the post, the fire department identified on-site signs consistent with lithium battery ignition.

Samsung has reportedly told the user that they want to collect the device for an internal investigation, but no further explanation has been provided.

The user says they have preserved photos, medical records, and incident evidence, and has already indicated to outlets like BBC and CNN that they are willing to share additional footage. I’ve reached out to the original poster for more details and will update this article if they respond.

That said, whenever there’s a case about a battery swelling or a phone catching fire, it’s hard not to talk about Samsung’s infamous Galaxy Note 7, where widespread battery fires forced a global recall of millions of units. That was a very different scale. This appears, at least for now, to be an isolated incident.

Still, after digging a bit further, it looks like it’s not the first time the S24 lineup has come up in these kinds of discussions. 

A Samsung Community forum post from a European user previously described an S24 battery exploding out of a phone being used by a 12-year-old.

Even before this, a post on X from May 2024 showed an S24 Ultra that allegedly caught fire, though the original post on Reddit is now deleted.

Earlier this year, Samsung actually admitted liability in a separate case involving a Galaxy S25 Plus that exploded while charging, offering to compensate the user and cover medical expenses.

Lithium battery incidents, to be fair, are not exclusive to Samsung. They can and do happen across brands. But given the S25 Plus case from just a few months ago, a new S24 claim probably is not what Samsung wants circulating right now.

The user says they plan to keep the post updated as the investigation moves forward.

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