Watch: Man bites into iPhone battery in China to test if it's genuine and it exploded

A man at an electronics store in China decided to test if a new smartphone battery was genuine by biting into it. His decision to do so, however, proved to be a mistake after the battery ruptured and exploded.

The unidentified man went to an electronics store on 19 January for an iPhone battery replacement, Taiwan News reports. According to security camera footage that has been posted to Chinese video-sharing website Miaopai.com, the man appears to lean in to briefly bite the battery and take it out of his mouth before it explodes into a ball of fire.

Upon the explosion, the man and others standing around him immediately jerk back. Despite the fact that the blast took place just inches from his face and onlookers, no one was injured in the accident.

Footage of the incident has since gone viral on social media with many people questioning why exactly someone would bite into a lithium-ion battery.

Taiwan News notes that it is common for people in China to test the authenticity of gold by biting it. Given that counterfeit electronics, batteries and other goods are widespread in the country, some have speculated that was probably why the man attempted to check whether it was genuine or not.

It is not immediately clear if the battery exploded because it was damaged by the man's teeth or whether it was a fake.

The incident comes after Apple admitted that it has been throttling CPU performance on older devices with degraded batteries in an effort, they claim, to prevent them from shutting down unexpectedly. The revelation has triggered a fierce backlash and multiple lawsuits.

Apple defended the move in a statement saying: "Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

"Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

To address customers' concerns, the company has slashed the price of iPhone battery replacements from $79 (£56) to $29 for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later.