Is OnePlus Nord 2 turning out to be the new Galaxy Note 7?
The blasts and their aftermath
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 was considered an ill-fated smartphone. The device was recalled within days of a global launch as phones kept exploding. The South Korean company probed the matter and its lengthy findings revealed a culprit- overheating. Suddenly, we are witnessing a similar scenario with the OnePlus Nord 2, though it seems India-specific for now.
In recent times, at least three issues have been reported where the phone has exploded and in the recent case, it ended up causing second degree burns. On its part, OnePlus went on damage control and announced compensation to the owner of the said device.
However, the manner in which the company has responded to each of the three instances, has been far from consistent. In the first instance, OnePlus had stated that the damage was caused by external factors, which meant that they had little or nothing to do with it.
In the second instance, the company actually slapped a cease-and-desist notice on a lawyer suggesting that the claim made by him was harming their reputation and that the explosion was actually caused by external factors. OnePlus asked the lawyer to remove all information about the incident from social media and refrain from doing so in the future.
@OnePlus_IN Never expected this from you #OnePlusNord2Blast see what your product have done. Please be prepared for the consequences. Stop playing with peoples life. Because of you that boy is suffering contact asap. pic.twitter.com/5Wi9YCbnj8November 3, 2021
However, in the third and most recent instance, reported via Twitter, the relative of the victim claimed that a two-month old OnePlus Nord 2, had exploded while it was in the trouser pocket of the owner who was riding a bike. This time, the company was quick to connect with the victim and agreed to refund the phone cost besides also bearing the medical expenses.
“We take such incidents seriously. Our team has already reached out to the user, and we are in the process of collecting the details to investigate this further," OnePlus India said in a statement. The device was also sent for further investigation.
Some unanswered questions
What raises some concern is that the device was quite new and never had issues on previous occasions related to overheating. Moreover, media reports quoted the family to suggest that the incident occurred during night time when the weather is relatively cooler.
Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
With the company getting ready for the launch of its OnePlus Nord 2 Pac Man Edition, the social media is abuzz with skepticism though the company is assuring them that things are under control.
The company is investigating the cause of the similar and repeated incidents, it might also need to do a through scan at the back end to iron out the issues, if any, and ensure that a repeat of such incidents do not happen.
- What are OnePlus phones? Our guide to the brand and its devices
- Upcoming phone launches in India for November 2021: Specs, launch date, and price
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
Jitendra has been working in the Internet Industry for the last 7 years now and has written about a wide range of topics including gadgets, smartphones, reviews, games, software, apps, deep tech, AI, and consumer electronics.