As Samsung battles with a recall of its Galaxy Note 7 due to battery problems that caused handsets to explode, one Reddit user has posted shocking pictures of an iPhone 7 that appears to have been severely damaged while being shipped.

The user, known as kroopthesnoop, from Texas, posted the series of pictures, saying 'Something happened between the factory and delivery'.

It shows a mangled box, and a blackened handset that appears to have exploded in transit.

The user,known as kroopthesnoop, from Texas, posted the series of pictures, saying 'Something happened between the factory and delivery.'

He added 'a coworker preordered the 7 Plus, was very excited, and sent this in the team chat when it arrived.

'The phone wasn't used by my coworker because, well, see picture.'

'At least the package didn't catch on fire.'

The post was later updated to add 'An Account Exec from Apple's Texas offices just reached out to me (verified via LinkedIn), asking for information around this post.

'Ended up giving them coworker's contact information.

'The Apple AE called coworker (about an hour later)!

'AE will work with AT&T to expedite a replacement phone.

'Don't know what the timeline for 'expedited' is with AT&T, but I will update again when the new phone arrives.'

Apple did not respond to a request for information.

It comes soon after the US Consumer Product Commission has issued a formal recall for one million smartphones in the US plagued by incidents of batteries bursting into flames.

This announcement follows reports of 92 incidences of batteries overheating, which includes 26 reports of burns and 55 reports property damage.