Viral videos of Galaxy phones torching through plastic bags are racking up millions of views again. But before you start panicking about your Samsung, here's what really happened.
A flash heat test was conducted on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. In the video posted by @CustomAdventurist, the camera flash's brightness and heat output are pushed to their limits. As it does turn out, the camera is powerful compared to standard smartphone hardware.
It's the case for almost every phone
The most infamous chapter of Samsung's “hot” phones is the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016. Their flagship phablet was catching fire in people's hands, on planes, and in homes due to a battery design flaw where the cells were too tightly packed. Hence, it caused internal short circuits.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a formal recall and airlines had to ban it from flights. Samsung had to kill the entire product line, eating a loss of over $5 billion. It remains one of the most catastrophic product failures in consumer electronics history.
Their phones melting plastic thing isn't an explosion risk this time around. Tom's Guide put both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max to the test under the same conditions, and both melted a plastic bag.
The Galaxy phone did it slightly faster, but Apple's flagship wasn't far behind. Another TikTok user with the account name @neev.akavak tried it and their S25 FE phone burned precise holes into the black bag.
The reason behind it is that modern smartphones have strong LED flashlights designed to assist low-light photography. However, the same power generates concentrated heat at close range, which is enough to burn through thin synthetic materials when you hold them steady long enough.
In particular, the dark color of the plastic bags absorb more light and convert it to heat rather than reflecting it. With nowhere for it to dissipate, it'll burn through the bag. It's the same thing as using a magnifying glass on a sunny day.
The sun itself isn't dangerous from 93 million miles away, but if you focus its energy into a single point, you can start a fire within seconds. The test did not have much effect on white bags.
Keep a watchful eye on your phone
The major takeaway from these tests is to avoid pressing your phone flashlight against a plastic bag, and you'll be fine. That applies to your Galaxy, your iPhone, and probably whatever Android you're carrying.
The real-world risks of a fire or skin burns might be low, but not zero. So, ensure not to accidentally trigger the flash at max brightness against synthetic lining, such as a nylon bag, or a polyester jacket pocket for extended time periods.
Also, avoid cheap plastic or rubber cases sitting directly over the flash as they could trap heat. While staring directly into your phone's LED is not something you might do, kids may not know any better. You'll want to monitor them closely whenever you hand them your device.
