Samsung user reports 'exploding' Galaxy S III

Smartphone burns up on Irish customer.

Samsung has launched an investigation into the safety of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, after reports of one of the phones exploding in Ireland.

A customer in Dublin last week claimed his Galaxy S III had exploded while mounted on the dashboard of his car, Reuters reported.

He reported seeing white flames and hearing a bang, later finding the smartphone had burned from the inside out and melted the case. 

"There's no confirmation it was a fault with the phone. It may actually have been caused by a combination of my car mount and my car's heating system," the user said.

Samsung said it was investigating the incident and would release its findings this week. 

"Our initial investigation found no fault with the phone, but we'll conduct further investigations to decide the exact cause of the problem," spokesman James Chung told Reuters.

Samsung’s flagship smartphone is not the only device to suffer from overheating. Following Apple’s launch of its new iPad in March, users complained the device was “too hot to hold”.

Apple’s iPad forum lit up with complaints the iPad would overheat in the lower-left hand corner when held in portrait mode with the home-button at the bottom.

HP also came under fire last year when researchers discovered a bug in the company’s LaserJet printers that could allow hackers to set the device on fire.