It's quite uncommon for smartphones to just combust for no apparent reason, but there are rare cases where it does happen.

A Reddit user from South Korea claims that their Galaxy S24 “exploded” in their hand during use for no clear reason. The device wasn't being charged when it caught fire.

In their post on Reddit today, the user claims that this incident happened on May 11, 2026. The Galaxy S24 emitted smoke suddenly, became extremely hot as the battery swelled up, and then exploded while the device was being used normally to browse the internet. They suffered minor burn blisters as a result.

The user claims that this device wasn't plugged in when the incident happened, doesn't have any drop damage, and has never been repaired or opened. The fire department responded to the incident and found signs consistent with lithium battery ignition. Lithium batteries can combust but that typically tends to happen when there has been some damage. They're quite stable otherwise.

Samsung hasn't commented on the matter as yet. The user claims they have been contacted by a director of a local Samsung service center, after the center was instructed by employees from Samsung headquarters to reach out to the user. The company will likely bring in the device for an investigation as to what has happened.

The way this device is said to have exploded is consistent with battery damage, but since the user claims this Galaxy S24 wasn't damaged in any way, only a thorough investigation will reveal what may have caused this.