I’m sure I don’t need to remind you why smartphone build quality has been making the news lately, but unfortunately we humans are a bit clumsy. We need hardware that can withstand the occasional impact or two.

ZAGG, a company which specialises in robust smartphone accessories, has conducted a survey of 768 US residents, to determine the most likely causes of smartphone damage. The hope is that we may all be little more aware of our foibles when it comes to looking after our gadgets.

Sadly the results show that 48% of smartphone users and 27% of tablet owners have a device with at least some sign of physical damage. Simple scratches to the body and screen are the most prevalent forms of smartphone damage, but an astonishing 27% of those surveyed with a broken handset had also suffered a cracked screen or liquid damage at least one time in the past. Interestingly, tablet bodies appear just as likely to crack as their displays.

When it comes to fixing broken products, 49% of smartphone users and 69% of tablet owners continue to use the broken device as it is.  31% of broken smartphones are just simply replaced with a new model, while only 8% are sent off for repairs. But how do clumsy people end up breaking their phones to begin with?

In case anyone has ever questioned the value of a drop test, it turns out that the vast majority of all smartphone damage is caused by users dropping them.

38% of respondents who had damaged their phones did so by dropping it, followed by various forms of liquid damage making up the most of the other responses. Be warned if you regularly use your smartphone as a source of bathroom reading material, 6 percent of users with damaged phones had to fish theirs out of the toilet. Any tech enthusiasts out there planning on starting a family might also want to note that 16% reported “kids” as the most recent cause of damage to their tablet.

If you’re worried about your beloved gadget coming to harm, there’s a wide choice of more resilient Android handsets these days, and many flagships are able to withstand a little dust and water too. Failing that, this survey is a good reminder that a trusty case should help see your smartphone through most of life’s bumps and scrapes.

Source: ZAGG;