The Allstate Protection Plans Mobile Mythconceptions Study looked at the common causes of smartphone damage, along with consumers’ attitudes toward repairing and replacing their phones. It found that while Americans believe only 43% of smartphone owners have had an accident that required repair, 61% have actually had damage that needed repair.

In the past year, damaged screens (45%) led the list of most common types of smartphone damage. Battery failure (19%) was second, with damaged corners and sides coming in third (13%). Other study highlights:

• Mythconception versus reality: More than half (54%) of Americans believe smartphone repairs cost $150 or less. In reality, an uninsured iPhone 12 screen repair costs $279 on average, and an uninsured Samsung Galaxy S20 screen repair costs $249 on average.
• Repair or replace? Sixty-three percent have avoided fixing a broken smartphone because of high repair costs, while 44% avoided repairs due to worries about low-quality work. Most often, people choose to upgrade phones instead, with 64% saying they would buy a new phone rather than get a phone fixed.
• Don’t be seen with a cracked screen: Forty-nine percent think being seen with a cracked screen is unprofessional, and 47% admit being embarrassed by it. Thirty-seven percent have tried to hide cracked screens in public.
• Swipe at your own risk: Thirty percent of people have cut their fingers on damaged screens.
• Case in point: Eighty percent of smartphone owners keep their device in a case. However, 21% say they have dropped and damaged a phone even when it was in a case.
• Climate concerns: Forty-nine percent of people say the environmental impact of owning a smartphone is extremely or very important to them. Although 56% say they know how to recycle an old or broken smartphone, only 21% typically do so.
• Old phones stay home: Only 12% of Americans sell their old phones. Sixty-eight percent have an old smartphone in their house, and 47% have two or more. Nearly one-third (31%) say they typically keep old phones as a backup. However, of those with an old smartphone in their house, 68% have at least one that hasn’t been used in four or more years.

“Our survey found that many Americans underestimate the frequency of smartphone damage and the cost of repairs. Many opt to use damaged devices rather than seek repairs, suffering through embarrassment and even bodily harm to their fingers,” said Jason Siciliano, vice president and global creative director at Allstate Protection Plans. “We recommend that consumers invest in cases and screen protectors and consider protection plans to help with repair costs. Considering how much we use our phones every day, it’s worth it.” Smartphone Damage

For more information on how to keep smartphones safe and avoid hefty out-of-pocket repair costs with a protection plan, visit AllstateProtectionPlans.com. (Redirects to SquareTrade.com, an Allstate company.)