Not so swell? More reports of iPhone 8 battery swelling issues

Apple’s iPhone 8 models are said to be selling well, but not everything is going to plan. There have now been at least seven reports of iPhone 8 models that have suffered from a swelling battery, which results in the display panel popping off. Reports of swelling iPhone 8 models have now surfaced in China, Canada, Greece, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong. Apple is said to be “looking into” the reports, but has yet to announce anything further on the matter.

In lieu of an official explanation of what is going on, a faulty lithium ion battery can swell as a result of a build-up of gas, the result of electrochemical oxidization. If it is not the battery itself that is the problem, overcharging, faulty charging electronics or a faulty battery charger could also cause a similar issue. With the millions of devices that Apple and its partners deliver every month, a single-digit malfunction like this in a small percentage of units is not uncommon.

Of course, at this stage, it is nothing like the problem that Samsung faced when its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 launched last year. Not long after its release, reports of exploding Note 7’s started to emerge from around the globe. It wasn’t until the 35^th incident that Samsung felt obliged to issue a global recall for the device. In this instance, it was determined that Samsung’s engineers hadn’t created enough tolerance in the area immediately surrounding the Note 7’s battery, which could result in its battery short-circuiting.

If the problem that Apple is experiencing with a small number of iPhones persists, it is likely that it will continue its current practice of replacing the faulty devices under warranty, unless it deems this issue to be potentially more serious. In that case, a recall would be likely, but that still seems a remote possibility at this stage.

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