On September 7th, a 3-year-old boy in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, experienced a mobile phone explosion while watching a video on a Xiaomi device, resulting in burns on his hand and lower limbs, causing widespread concern. The incident quickly gained attention and became a trending topic on Weibo on September 9th.
A viral video circulating online shows the boy bouncing around on a sofa, holding the phone when suddenly it caught fire and exploded. The terrified boy started crying loudly, and the phone, still in his hand, caused damage to the sofa as it burned. A man in the video can be heard saying, “The child was just playing, and then it suddenly exploded.”
According to details shared by the individual who posted the video in the comments section, the boy suffered burns on his left hand and lower limbs, with some skin turned black, water blisters forming, and partial skin peeling off.
Reports from “Decoding News” and “Great Wind News” state that the boy’s aunt, Ms. Song, revealed that the malfunctioning phone was a Xiaomi 13, purchased online for her sister, which had been in normal use for over a year with no modifications or repair records. At the time of the incident, the phone was not charging, and her nephew was watching a video and bouncing on the sofa when the phone suddenly exploded, prompting him to throw it on the ground in panic.
Following the incident, Ms. Song’s family contacted Xiaomi’s customer service. The customer service response indicated that the phone’s remaining parts need to be sent to the research and development center for testing to determine the cause of the explosion. However, as of now, Xiaomi has not conducted any sampling for testing.
Public records show that the Xiaomi 13 was officially released on December 11, 2022, less than three years ago.
On the morning of September 8th, Xiaomi’s customer service responded to Great Wind News, stating that the causes of spontaneous combustion in phones are complex and may involve multiple factors that require professional testing for confirmation, making it currently impossible to determine directly.