A Samsung Galaxy Buds FE user in Ankara has reported a harrowing incident in which his girlfriend experienced a life-threatening situation when the earbuds allegedly exploded inside her ear, resulting in permanent hearing loss.
In a post on the Turkish Samsung forum, the man detailed his experience, which soon caught the attention of various media outlets. He explained that he had purchased the new Galaxy Buds FE to pair with his Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. At the time of the incident, the earbuds were only 36 percent charged and had not been used extensively.
According to the user, he let his girlfriend try the earbuds, but they unexpectedly exploded while in her ear, leading to serious health consequences. He shared images of the damaged earbud on the forum to illustrate the incident.
After reaching out to Samsung, he took the exploded device to a service center in Cemalpasa, Adana. He stated that the staff were initially shocked and offered apologies, but the situation took a turn when they reported that the earbuds had merely “deformed” rather than exploded. They offered to replace the earbuds as a goodwill gesture.
In his post, the user quoted Samsung as saying, “Take it or leave it. If you wish, you can pursue your legal rights.” He expressed frustration over the lack of accountability, noting that he has been dealing with the issue for months. He possesses the invoice, documentation of the explosion, before-and-after photos, and a medical report confirming hearing loss attributed to the incident.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has faced scrutiny over safety concerns; the company previously dealt with serious issues related to exploding batteries in the Galaxy Note 7, which led to its discontinuation in 2016.