A fresh case of Apple’s new iPhone popping open due to a swollen battery has been reported in state media in China, the world’s biggest smartphone market where the US firm is seeking to revive faltering sales.
The incident comes as Apple investigates similar cases reported in Taiwan and Japan of batteries in its latest iPhone 8 Plus becoming bloated, causing the device’s casing to open.
Liu told the paper he bought the handset through an online marketplace of JD.com. He said he did not charge the new device and returned it to the seller.
Pictures taken by Liu and displayed on the paper’s website showed an iPhone 8 plus split open along the side featuring the sim card holding, with the phone’s internal parts visible.
An Apple spokesperson said the company is looking into the matter and declined to comment further.
The incident comes as indifferent reviews of the iPhone 8, which comes 10 years after Apple released the first version of the revolutionary phone, drove down shares of the company since the handset’s launch.
Some investors worry whether pre-orders for the device were well below previous launches, although some Apple fans are waiting for the premium iPhone X due out in early November.
Apple competes in China with local makers, including Huawei Technologies and Oppo which sell phones with high-end features at lower prices.
