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Users Complain of iPhone 3GS Overheating

Handset became too hot to handle when used while plugged in

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 27, 2009 7:35 AM CDT

(Newser) – Apple's hot new handset appears to be suffering some serious overheating issues, Melissa Perenson writes for PC World. Users on a French tech site say their white iPhone 3GS handsets became discolored after overheating, Perenson notes. She was aware of some "heat issues" with her own model but nothing major until she tried using it while plugged into the wall outlet, when it became positively scalding.

"I was using a game, and then later the Web browser," Persenson writes, "all over a Wi-Fi connection while plugged in. Toasty doesn't even describe how surprisingly hot it got. It was too hot to even put the phone against my face. No discoloration to report, though—I have the black handset."

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"I thought it curious that handset still got warm in many of the same areas as with the 3G," Perenson writes. "Apple had specifically told me that the components inside were reconfigured." (©renatomitra)

Some users have reported that the iPhone 3G handset is prone to discoloration from overheating. (©Yutaka Tsutano)

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At some point, I became aware the handset had become very hot. Very, very hot—not just on the back, but the entire length of the front face, too. - Melissa Perenson

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Users Complain of iPhone 3GS Overheating