iPhone 3G Overheats, Burns User's Leg

iPhones have always had a tendency to get a little on the warm side when they're working hard or trying to get a signal, but can they actually hurt you? According to one unfortunate iPhone 3G owner on the MacRumors forums, yes it can, and it isn't fun. He says that he fell asleep with his 3G in his pocket, and woke up to a sharp pain on his leg.

When he pulled his iPhone 3G out of his pocket, it was burning hot, and had burned his leg. It had even melted the back plastic, and had even damaged the dock connector port. Surprisingly it was still functional (except for the port, of course), meaning that the internal components are largely intact, though it is still useless since it can't be synced or charged. Fortunately he called Apple support and they will be replacing it for him.

We're not aware of any other incidents of this kind with the iPhone 3G, but we certainly are concerned. He only had it in his pocket while sleeping on the couch, and even had 3G turned off, which sounds like normal phone use to us.

[via MacRumors forums]