How bad is the cracked smartphone screen epidemic? Motorola gives us the lowdown

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Motorola shocked the world, or shall I say “shattered” the world, a few days ago when the company introduced the Droid Turbo 2, the first smartphone with a shatterproof display. Thanks to Moto ShatterShield, consumers never have to worry about cracking or shattering their phone’s display again.

Now you might be one of the lucky few who never had to deal with a cracked display, but unfortunately a lot of people have suffered through it. Heck, my wife cracked her screen on two different phones in the same month.

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So how bad is this epidemic? Motorola conducted a survey and shared the results in a monster infographic detailing just how bad things are, and quite frankly, it only reinforces our excitement for this new technology.

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The bottomline is that 50 percent of people globally have experienced a cracked smartphone screen at least once. Ironically the U.S. has the smallest overall percentage at 34 percent, and India has the highest with 65 percent.

Right now, 21 percent of smartphone owners have a cracked screen. In the U.S., that number is much higher, at 30 percent.

Motorola also notes that 23 percent of those with cracked screens continue to use their phone, even after cutting their finger. Why don’t they do something about it? Many feel that the expense of fixing it isn’t worth it, so 43 percent of people don’t bother. They either continue using it or throw it away.

So how do we break our screens? If you were playing Family Feud, you would have to guess dropping as the number one way, and that would be correct. Fifty percent of cracked or shattered screens come from a simple drop. However, there are other ways as well. 32 percent of people say their phone fell out of their pocket, and 27 percent say it fell out of their lap when standing. However, there are some crazier reasons too. 7 percent say their phone’s screen broke while taking a selfie, and 5 percent said it happened when throwing their phone at something.

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motorola shattershield cracked smartphone screen survey infographic 01 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

motorola shattershield cracked smartphone screen survey infographic 02 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

motorola shattershield cracked smartphone screen survey infographic 03 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

motorola shattershield cracked smartphone screen survey infographic 04 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

motorola shattershield cracked smartphone screen survey infographic 05 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Would you rather post a private selfie to social media accidentally than deal with a cracked screen? Seven percent of people say yes.

One can only hope that other manufacturers will follow suit with something similar to Moto ShatterShield, but until then, the Droid Turbo 2 is your only option if you want that peace of mind.

Have you cracked your screen before? If so, let us know your story in the comments.