UPDATE (January 23, 2026): Samsung recently reached out to us to share an official statement on the matter. While the fire department confirmed a thermal runaway event while charging, the company attributed the incident to “external force.” You can read the full statement below: 

“We stand behind the quality and safety of the millions of Samsung mobile devices in use across the world. While our analysis concluded external force was the cause, there was insufficient evidence to determine what was responsible for this isolated incident. We remain in contact with our customer to reach a resolution.”

The original article, published on January 22, 2026, follows:

Well, battery explosions are the last thing you’ll want your phone to surprise you with. In one such case, Galaxy S25+ reportedly overheated and exploded while charging overnight last year. But as Samsung should, it has accepted responsibility and agreed to compensate the user.

Galaxy S25+ suffered a thermal runaway event while charging

In a post on Reddit, the user shared the incident in detail. They said their 2-month-old Galaxy S25+ experienced a thermal runaway event while charging at night with the official charger and cable. The phone caught fire and burned through the carpet. You can see the image below, showing the damaged back panel of the phone.

The family provided all the necessary documentation to Samsung. These include a local fire department report that confirms the fire was triggered because of a thermal runaway event. They submitted medical records of doctor visits for smoke inhalation and respiratory symptoms. Moreover, they provided purchase proof for the device, official charger, and cleaning supplies.

It took around a month for the local fire department to complete its investigation. Later, the device was sent to Samsung’s forensic team for their own internal investigation. After two months, Samsung admitted fault and agreed to reimburse the family for the cost of the phone, medical bills, and cleaning or restoration expenses.

The company’s Fire and Marine Insurance team offered $500 for each person in the family for “pain and suffering.” However, the family feels this amount is an extreme lowball considering the trauma of waking up to a chemical fire and the possible long-term health effects.

In June 2025, we saw another case of a Galaxy S25+ that caught fire while charging. However, it was unclear whether the user was using the original charger or a third-party charger. These incidents show that even high-end smartphones are not safe from battery explosions, though it’s extremely rare nowadays.