Apparently Your New iPhone 7 Might Also Explode, According to New Incident

Here’s some potentially ominous news for prospective iPhone users: a Reddit user by the name of kroopthesnoop shared an image on the r/apple Subreddit of what appears to be an iPhone 7 that exploded. Luckily for the user, the device appears to have exploded in transit, as the phone’s smoldering carcass rests against its charred packaging. Users on the Subreddit and elsewhere on the web have leapt at the news, citing that “leading smartphone makers just can’t stop copying each other” in reference to the stories of exploding Samsung devices, including the Note7.

While this appears to be an isolated incident, the story has attracted some serious attention from both tech and investment media; reports have suggested that the news of the potentially incendiary devices has caused a short-term nosedive in Apple (AAPL) stock. At the time of this post’s writing, AAPL stock has dipped 1.61% since the Reddit post gained viral traction.

While details of this incident are still scarce, it bears noting that there have been allegations that the photo above is part of a hoax, namely due to the fact that the phone’s front panel appears to have a black bezel while the sides are rose gold; others on the Subreddit maintained that the explosion may have burnt the black paint to a purplish hue, but these theories are obviously both conjecture at this point.

Does this news of a one-off incident dissuade you from buying a new iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.