# New phone broken already! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 15, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291 "2017-07-15T00:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/21 "2017-07-16T19:04:41Z")
Just use a case and screen protector next time. I always do. I’ve dropped my phones more times than I could count, including on concrete. I have yet to break one. (I’ve cracked the screen protector a couple of times though.) ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/22 "2017-07-16T20:06:13Z")
I got a crack in the glass of my first smart phone ever only a couple of days after I got it. I hurried out of work and elegantly let it slip into the inner pocket of my jacket. Except I missed the pocket. Bang. It felt so weird it was difficult to understand what just had happened. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/23 "2017-07-16T20:14:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’ve kept all of my BlackBerries\* in a leather case. I’m on my 5th or 6th one now. I can’t imagine carrying around a phone with its glass screen exposed. :eek: > > That was something I liked about my flip phone-- screen and keyboard protected. > > \*BlackBerrys? \*BlackBerry[sup][sup]TM[/sup][/sup] Brand Cellular Telephones. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/24 "2017-07-17T13:42:15Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Just use a case and screen protector next time. I always do. I’ve dropped my phones more times than I could count, including on concrete. I have yet to break one. (I’ve cracked the screen protector a couple of times though.) As a couple have said and I’ve personally experienced, most modern phones can take a few drops fine as long as they don’t land sharply on the edge or especially the corner. It’s not the drop, it is how and where the phone impacts the surface. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/25 "2017-07-17T13:58:44Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > As a couple have said and I’ve personally experienced, most modern phones can take a few drops fine as long as they don’t land sharply on the edge or especially the corner. It’s not the drop, it is how and where the phone impacts the surface. But a case + screen protector can usually save the phone even if it lands on the corner. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/26 "2017-07-17T15:32:49Z")
I got my first smartphone, a LG G2, two and a half years ago. Bought a protective case which I’ve barely every used since it makes the phone too bulky in my pocket. Have dropped it from 4-5 feet two or three times but lucked out on how it’s landed. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/27 "2017-07-17T17:23:09Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > But a case + screen protector can usually save the phone even if it lands on the corner. When it happened to me, the only thing the screen protector did was allow me to use the phone with the spiderweb of cracks across the face of the phone. My case, though, was not designed to be impact resistant. I have seen the cases with extra padding on the corners, but I still like to pocket my phone and those cases effectively double the thickness of the phone. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/28 "2017-07-17T17:28:53Z")
I think it all depends on how it falls and the case it’s in. Face-down with no case onto a hard surface seems to be a killer, as does hitting on the corner without a sufficient case on it. Personally I’ve dropped my Galaxy S4 down a flight of hardwood stairs with no damage. I thought for sure it would be dead. It was in a case like this with a rubberized sleeve covered by a plastic frame, so it had rubber and plastic to pad it: [https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/29 "2017-07-17T17:37:11Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think it all depends on how it falls and the case it’s in. Face-down with no case onto a hard surface seems to be a killer, as does hitting on the corner without a sufficient case on it. Personally I’ve dropped my Galaxy S4 down a flight of hardwood stairs with no damage. I thought for sure it would be dead. It was in a case like this with a rubberized sleeve covered by a plastic frame, so it had rubber and plastic to pad it: [https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg) For me, I think it’s the corner hit that did me in. I’ve dropped my phone face down onto concrete several times from about 5 1/2 feet with no issue. But that one freak fall from my pocket onto a wood floor ruined the glass. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/30 "2017-07-17T18:40:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > For me, I think it’s the corner hit that did me in. I’ve dropped my phone face down onto concrete several times from about 5 1/2 feet with no issue. But that one freak fall from my pocket onto a wood floor ruined the glass. While I don’t measure my drops (or drop too often), it was the same. One fall, maybe 3 feet, landing on the phone’s lower right corner, and it was spiderweb city. No other issues. I used the phone for a few months like that because it had a screen protector and that kept everything in place and the surface smooth. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/31 "2017-07-17T18:56:32Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think it all depends on how it falls and the case it’s in. Face-down with no case onto a hard surface seems to be a killer, as does hitting on the corner without a sufficient case on it. Personally I’ve dropped my Galaxy S4 down a flight of hardwood stairs with no damage. I thought for sure it would be dead. It was in a case like this with a rubberized sleeve covered by a plastic frame, so it had rubber and plastic to pad it: [https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/xlarge/public/postimages/444537/seidio-active-galaxy-note-2-11.jpg) Looks like a good case. I have a similar one for my BLU R1 HD. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X3ZXQQJ/ref=oh\_aui\_detailpage\_o00\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X3ZXQQJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/32 "2017-07-17T19:22:05Z")
Must have been 'cause it landed on the corner. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/33 "2017-07-17T23:22:34Z")
This thread proves we can debate anything. _skritches_ to the puppehs! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/34 "2017-07-17T23:23:34Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > While I don’t measure my drops Well, I don’t measure them, either, but it’s pretty easy to estimate. I’m about six feet tall, and I’ve dropped the phone while holding it up to read it. Ergo, about 5 and a half feet (probably more). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/35 "2017-07-18T00:10:29Z")
The one time my tablet dropped and broke a corner, it didn’t touch the screen at all. It was wet, though, so water got inside, and that wound up ruining my power button. But I installed an app that lets me wake the thing up with the volume buttons. The battery takes a hit, but I find myself still using it more than the new one I got to replace it (which I can’t get YouTube to realize is a tablet, not a phone.) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/36 "2017-07-18T00:32:01Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > This thread proves we can debate anything. > > _skritches_ to the puppehs! Hey, did I tell you that Ted took a shit in my wife’s shoe? At least it\* looked\* like one of Ted’s… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/37 "2017-07-18T13:59:19Z")
My specialty was dropping phones in toilets. Now that phones are mostly waterproof I’ve somehow managed to stop doing it, but I’ve cracked the glass on my last three or four. I’m particularly proud that I was able to crack the Gorilla Glass on the front _and back_ of the Sony Xperia Z3\* I had two phones ago with a single drop. \*That thing was a complete piece of shit. The screen began detaching itself from the bezel within a few days of purchase. ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291/38 "2017-07-19T16:47:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’ve kept all of my BlackBerries\* in a leather case. I’m on my 5th or 6th one now. I can’t imagine carrying around a phone with its glass screen exposed. :eek: > > That was something I liked about my flip phone-- screen and keyboard protected. > > \*BlackBerrys? [Hijack] I used to work for one of the UK’s mobile networks. After a heated debate, we asked RIM (the company which made the BlackBerry phones) what the correct plural was. They supplied a definitive answer: BlackBerry Internet Devices [/Hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-broken-already/791291.md?page=1)