Samsung Electronics Co. said it will investigate a complaint that a new Galaxy S III smartphone overheated, the day after the world’s top mobile-phone maker began U.S. sales of the latest model in its best-selling series.

CNBC said in its report early Friday that the phone exploded. 

The burned Galaxy S III was mounted in a moving car when a white flame, sparks and a bang came out of it, the phone owner said in a posting on an online message board.

The owner posted photos of a melted, blackened casing. The message didn’t mention whether the owner suffered any injuries, though it said a piece of plastic inside the car was slightly burned.

The customer later received a new phone from Samsung with an offer for other free products, according to an update of the original posting.

There have been no known overheating incidents caused by batteries in the Galaxy S, a spokesman said.

Samsung last month unveiled the handset, powered by Google Inc.’s Android software, to widen its lead over Apple Inc. U.S. sales started yesterday following a May debut in the U.K. Shipments in South Korea are set to begin next week.

In a review, Anick Jesdanun, a technology writer for The Associated Press, raved about the new phone.

“Until I started watching videos on Samsung’s new Galaxy S III phone, I never thought of the iPhone’s display as small,” Jesdanun wrote.

“The Galaxy’s screen measures 4.8 inches diagonally, compared with 3.5 inches for the iPhone. That translates to a display area that’s nearly twice the size. Yet the Galaxy is thinner and lighter.

“Apart from that, the Galaxy shares the iPhone’s curvy and shiny design, along with a center button that wakes up the device from power-saving mode or takes you from whatever you’re doing to a home screen.”

The phone runs on emerging 4G networks, which the iPhone does not, Jesdanun added.

Other pluses include:

  • New technology for sharing files and making purchases
  • Sharper photos
  • Tools for measuring data usage

“All that makes the Galaxy a strong contender to Apple’s popular device,” Jesdanun said.

Samsung introduced the Galaxy S III after selling more than 50 million units of two previous models in the past two years.

Mobile devices can generate excessive heat as they become equipped with more sophisticated features. Apple’s latest iPad ran as hot as 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius), Consumer Reports said in March after testing the product.

(The Associated Press and Bloomberg contributed to this report.)