There’s a Good Chance You’re Reading This on a Damaged Mobile Device

Your smartphone probably isn’t bent , but it very well may be damaged in other ways. Join the club.

According to the 2014 ZAGG Device Damage Study (pdf download), 48% of smartphone users report that they are currently using a damaged device. Maybe we should stop dropping our phones.

Here are some of the other highlights from the report:

• Scratches are clearly the most prevalent form of damage—54% of users have scratched the bodies of their smartphones at least once and 52% have scratched the screen.
• Scratches, however, are among the least concerning forms of damage. Smartphone users are most afraid of a lost or stolen phone (at 23%).
• Tablet users are much less concerned with damaging their devices—and for good reason. Only 27% of tablet users say they have damaged their device.
• An intrepid 49% of smartphone users have not repaired or replaced their damaged devices (among this group is the author of this story, who for two years has been using an iPhone 5 with a broken lock button—the result of numerous drops).
• 69% of tablet users have not repaired or replaced their damaged device.
• The average cost of repairing or replacing a smartphone is $143.81, while the cost of repairing or replacing a tablet is $117.78. That’s probably because more smartphone users are opting to just replace their devices, while tablet users prefer to get them repaired.

“Putting it in a blender” was not among the most common reasons for a damaged phone. But in case you’re ready to inflict some serious damage, here’s a how-to:

Reprinted with permission from Quartz . The original story can be found here .

( Image via Oleksandr Berezko / Shutterstock.com )