Samsung Galaxy Buds FE explodes inside ear, user loses hearing: Report

In a startling event, a user in Turkey claims that a Samsung Galaxy Buds FE exploded inside their girlfriend’s ear causing permanent hearing loss. The incident was shared on Samsung’s Turkish community forum. As per the user’s post on the forum, he had recently purchased the earbuds to pair with his Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The earbuds were fresh out of the box, had 36 per cent battery, and had not been charged even once since purchase.
However, the excitement for the new earbuds quickly turned tragic when his girlfriend borrowed the earbuds from him to try them out, and while still in use, one of the earbuds exploded inside her ear. The alleged explosion caused permanent hearing loss to his girlfriend, as per reports.
In a follow-up to the Galaxy Buds FE explosion incident, the user detailed his experience with Samsung’s service centre in Cemalpasa, Adana. According to reports, when he first brought in the damaged earbuds, the staff appeared apologetic upon seeing their condition. However, after a two-day investigation, they reportedly concluded that the buds had simply “deformed” rather than exploded.
Despite the user insisting that the earbuds had indeed exploded while in use, the service centre offered a replacement of the same model with a “take it or leave it” attitude. They also informed him that if he remained dissatisfied, he was free to pursue legal action.
Frustrated by the outcome, the user expressed that he had been dealing with this issue for months. He claimed to have all necessary documentation, including the invoice, before-and-after photos of the device, and medical records linking his hearing loss to the explosion.
Though these claims have not been independently verified, they raise ongoing concerns about the safety of Bluetooth devices.
This isn’t the first time a gadget has caught fire while in use. In fact, within Samsung’s products, there have been several incidents involving product explosions in the past. One of the most infamous was the Galaxy Note 7 debacle in 2016, where the smartphone’s batteries were prone to overheating and exploding. Samsung recalled millions of units worldwide after numerous reports of fires and injuries. The incident significantly damaged the brand’s reputation, leading to a complete discontinuation of the Note 7 model.
In addition to smartphones, Samsung washing machines also made headlines for safety concerns. Between 2015 and 2016, there were reports of Samsung’s top-loading washing machines exploding due to a design flaw that caused excessive vibration. This led to a large recall of 2.8 million units in the US after the machines caused property damage and injuries.