Problem hanging over iPhone 8 ahead of X release

Early picture of the iPhone 8 compared to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Photo / Supplied

With the much anticipated release of the iPhone X just weeks away, Apple has yet to publicly diagnose an issue with its iPhone 8, with some users reporting the device is splitting open when charging.

Late last month an iPhone 8 Plus owner in Taiwan said her phone broke open while charging after buying it just five days earlier.

A second report of an iPhone 8 busting open came from Japan, with the customer claiming the device was already broken when it arrived in the box.

In the past week, Canadian man Anthony Wu also reported his battery swelling after being put on charge, causing his iPhone to split open along the edges of the device.

Meanwhile The Guardian has reported the same problem effecting a user in Greece and there has also been a report of the "splitting" defect to come out of Hong Kong.

The iPhone 8 was released on September 22 and is the first iPhone to have wireless charging technology but the issue only appears to occur when the phone is being charged with the regular lightning cord.

Although it's still early days, the problem seems to be very rare.

Apple has not said much about the apparent defect but a spokesperson said the company was aware of the reported incidences, and was looking into them.

It's not the first time the consumer tech giant has had issues with one of its new handset models. When the iPhone 6 was released in 2014 there were multiple reports of the phone being susceptible to bending, leading to the hashtag #bendgate trending on social media.

The splitting issue pales in comparison to the battery-related issue faced by Apple's main rival Samsung last year which was forced to recall the global stock of its Galaxy Note 7, costing the company about $7.2 billion.

Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus also had reports of exploding batteries but they were very isolated incidents which didn't prompt any recall.

The Next Web has previously shared unconfirmed reports that the battery used in the new iPhone 8 was built by the same manufacturer, Amperex Technology Limited, that made the battery for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

Apple's new premium model smartphone, The iPhone X, is due to be released on November 3.