Customers of the various carriers in the US that have already pre-ordered the latest flagship smartphone from Samsung should be receiving their shinny new handsets now, but today we have the worrying news of a Samsung Galaxy S3 suffering a meltdown as the US release sees delays.
The new handset is certainly the hottest smartphone to have at the moment at least until the iPhone 5 is released, but apparently the device can become too hot while in use as according to the Android Authority a UK owner of the Galaxy S3 saw his smartphone burst into flames while placed in a car holder. The owner reported that the device “sparked into white flames, followed by a bang”.
This caused extensive damage to the handset that melted the case and left the smartphone pretty much useless, although the screen surprisingly still worked. The unit was sent back to high street retailer the Carphone Warehouse, and Samsung is already looking into the issue. The company stated that they are taking the issue seriously but the owner wasn’t hurt in the incident, and once the investigation is complete Samsung has promised to provide further details on the situation.
Meanwhile it seems that the high demand for the handset in the US has caused the shipping date to slip for a number of the country’s carriers. The Android Community are reporting that US carriers are selling the Samsung Galaxy S3 quicker than Samsung can make them. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and the Now Network have delayed the launch of the device. AT&T has delayed the launch from today until June 28th, while Verizon has only pushed it back one day.
Customers that have already pre-ordered the handset should be ok but those looking to pick one up now will likely have to wait a few extra days to get their hands on the Galaxy S3. The handset is likely to become the best selling Android smartphone to date and the device is getting many plaudits from those that have tried it out or already purchased it. If you have already pre-ordered the handset let us know if your handset has arrived yet, and are you concerned about the overheating incident? Update: AT&T has released a statement stating that customers that pre-ordered the device and where given a date for today can now expect the handset to arrive by Monday, June 25th, and new pre-orders should arrive within ten business days.