A recent survey conducted by Allstate Protection Plans found that liquid damage is no longer one of the top five concerns for smartphone owners. The top concern for U.S. smartphone owners, according to the survey, is a damaged screen, with 54% of Americans preferring to watch movies and TV shows on their phones. This could explain why $10.2 billion was spent last year to replace damaged screens, three times the amount spent in 2018.
Wi-Fi and connectivity issues came in second place, followed by touchscreen problems, chipped corners and sides, and charging issues. Surprisingly, water damage came in sixth place on the list of concerns, despite the fact that most high-end phones feature some type of protection from water. However, phone repairs are more expensive than most Americans think, with the majority believing that repairs cost $150 or less. In reality, the cost of a screen replacement for an uninsured iPhone 15 is $279, and a Galaxy S23 Ultra screen replacement could cost as much as $209.
The survey also revealed that despite 83% of Americans using a case to protect their phones, 50% of these phones were still damaged in a case. This suggests that either cases are not as protective as they once were, or the damage is getting more extensive. Allstate also reported that 90 million Americans damaged a phone last year, collectively spending $17.9 billion to repair and replace them. This demonstrates just how much Americans love their smartphones.
