Recently, in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, a college student was watching videos late at night with Bluetooth earphones when suddenly, the earphones exploded in his ears. Fortunately, it only caused temporary ringing in the ears and minor burns without damaging the eardrums. This incident has raised concerns among many netizens about the safety of Bluetooth earphones, as the model of earphones involved has sold millions online.
According to a report from mainland China’s “Xiaoxiang Morning News,” the student involved, Sun, said the incident occurred around 1 a.m. on the 10th. At that time, the dormitory lights were already off, and he was lying in bed watching videos with the earphones on when they exploded without any warning. The explosion was quite loud, and his roommate initially thought it was a phone dropped on the floor.
After the explosion, Sun experienced slight ringing and a burning sensation in his ear. The next morning, he went to the hospital for an examination, which showed that his eardrum was undamaged. Currently, the ringing in his ear has disappeared, but he still feels a slight blockage in his ear, with no impact on his hearing.
Sun expressed his lingering fear, mentioning that the earphones were not cheap knockoff products. He purchased them for about 70 yuan and they are widely available on common e-commerce platforms, with sales reaching into the millions. He had been using them normally for over a year without any issues and only briefly before going to bed.
Following the incident, Sun has contacted the earphone manufacturer. The manufacturer requested that the defective earphones be sent back for testing, and if the problem is confirmed to be a product issue, they will cover the related medical examination costs. Sun stated that he does not plan to continue pursuing responsibility and will not disclose the earphone manufacturer’s information to the public.
Posts about wireless Bluetooth earphones exploding are not uncommon on social platforms. As early as 2022, there were media reports of cases where Bluetooth earphones suddenly caught fire and exploded.
Netizens have expressed their shock, with comments like “it’s too scary” and “try not to wear earphones while sleeping.”