We Love Our Smartphones

We love our smartphones. Research released by Allstate Protection Plans said we spent nearly three times more repairing our smartphone screens from 2022 to 2023. In 2022 the repairs were $3.4 billion.

The figure hit $8.3 billion a year later.

And, the survey said 27% of those needing screen repairs do so within a day of whatever caused the breakage. The importance of our phones to our daily lives is the given reason.

We’re also spending more time on our phones than ever according to Allstate’s third Mobile Mythconceptions Study. It was done between May of 2023 and December of 2023.

Back to breakage. In the last 12 months, 78 million of us reported damage to our phones. That’s down from 87 million in 2020. So, at least, we’re taking better care of them.

And when it comes to repairing or replacing, 53% of smartphone owners say it is important to repair rather than replace. That’s way up from 37% in 2020.

Here’s more information gathered from Allstate Protection Plans’ Mobile Mythconceptions Study:

• 45% say they spend 5 or more hours a day looking at their phone screens
• 82% say their phone has replaced their digital camera
• 39% take 6 or more photos a day
• 31% do 6 or more videos a day
• 54% say they now watch more videos, TV shows and movies on their phones than on TV
• 31% say they’ve damaged their phone in the last year
• 8% say they lost their phone
• 5% had one stolen

Liquid of one sort of another used to be the main cause of damage to smartphones. It has fallen on the damage cause list since they’re made much tighter these days.

• 67% of repairs are for damaged screens
• 28% report connectivity issues
• 24% of problems are touchscreen issues
• 22% of repairs are loose or damaged charging ports
• 21% of repairs are from water damage
• 21% came from battery problems
• 20% of repairs were chipped corners or sides
• 17% are speaker issues
• 15% are dented corners or sides
• 14% are camera issues
• 11% had to do with microphones not working properly

Here are the damages that will cause a person to approach repairs within a day:

• 36% will wait a day or less if a button is broken
• 30% feel the same about damaged speakers
• 29% will wait a day or less for a broken microphone
• 27% seek repairs within a day or less for a cracked screen
• 22% feel that way about a broken camera

And, 38% with damaged smartphones replace them. In spite of the damage, 32% will keep using it.

• 23% take their phone to a repair shop
• 17% attempt a fix themselves

Repair costs are a big worry.

• 49% won’t repair a damaged phone that still works because of the high cost
• The average cost for repairs is $302
• Repair and replacement expenses in the U.S. hit $149 billion so far

By the way, close to half of the people responding to the survey — 49% — said they spent more time on their phones in 2023 than they did in 2022.

Source link: Claims Journal — https://bit.ly/3PUMayT