According to a recent study by SquareTrade, iPhones and Android devices are the least likely to malfunction while BlackBerry may be most resilient to our clumsy hands. The report notes that most smartphone manufacturing problems of the past two years seem to have been resolved, with Research in Motion, Apple, and Android makers (HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG and others) have 60% less malfunctions than two years prior. The report notes that “In fact, iPhone and Blackberry malfunction rates have dropped over 60% in the past two years, and owner accidents, not manufacturer problems, are now the #1 reason most smart phones fail, according to the report.”
According to the Square Trade report, owner-caused accidents, such as dropping phones, are the most common cause for smartphone failures, not because of manufacturing defects or malfunctions. The phone that survives the most drops is probably a BlackBerry compared to iOS and Android devices, and the reason behind it is that most BlackBerry devices still lack a touchscreen whereas the other two OS devices have glass touchscreens, making them prone to break upon impact.
That is, unless you drop them. SquareTrade reports that accidents caused over 75% of smart phone failures, with drops wielding the most damage, followed by spills. BlackBerry devices had the lowest one-year accident rate at 6.7%, making them a good choice for clumsy consumers, while iPhone 4 owners had the highest rate of accidents: 9.4%. SquareTrade’s findings suggest, not surprisingly, that the increased use of large glass displays on smart phone makes them more vulnerable to damage. However, Abernethy notes that the use of protective cases and screen covers can help minimize this risk, especially on devices that have the highest drop damage rates.
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