The outlook for Apple’s flagship device in China’s market was already looking grim, but it just got a whole lot worse.
Chinese state-owned ThePaper.cn reported a fresh case of an iPhone 8 battery swelling to the point of splitting open its case, after similar reports around the globe.
CNET earlier reported there had been at least six separate accounts of bloated iPhone 8 Plus batteries busting out of their cases. Photos shared on social media, showing nearly identical symptoms have now popped up in China, Canada, Greece, and Japan, according the the CNET report.
Second Taiwan iPhone 8 buyer reports casing split open by swollen battery pic.twitter.com/lf6Tnp7wqc
— Brightwire (@BrightwireInc) October 5, 2017
The defect appears to be less dangerous than Samsung’s Note 7 explosions, with no reports of fire yet, but potentially just as disastrous for sales.
It also comes at a time when Apple appears to be relinquishing its spot atop the throne of China’s high-end phone market. Huawei topped Apple for the first time as Chinese buyers’ top choice for a smartphone in a recent survey.
Apple raises prices and supply an inferior product with less features than its competitors.