If you’re planning on getting a new smartphone or tablet this Christmas, or you’ll be giving one as a gift, you’ll want to make sure it lasts at least until the next time you upgrade – not as easy as it sounds, especially over the festive period when an excess of excitement, and no little excess wine, can make it that bit easier to drop your device. And there’s nothing quite like that moment of sheer panic and horror as your smartphone slips from your grasp and tumbles towards the floor.
Sometimes it bounces harmlessly, but other times will see a huge crack appear on the screen, so it’s always handy to consider ways in which you can minimise the risk of breakage. Here are some top tips…
How to stop smashing your smartphone
Shattered or cracked screens are the number one cause of customer complaint and reason for smartphone repairs across the world, so here’s how to minimise the risk of damaging yours…
Get a case
Smartphones are designed to look good, and so you may not want hide yours in bulky or boring protector case – they can look ungainly and can add extra bulge, not ideal if you stash your phone in your pocket.
Phone cases do offer a good level of protection for smartphones though, especially those with a raised bezel as this takes the impact whether the phone falls on its corner or face down.
A case can also help with grip – smartphones are sleek and usually have smooth plastic or metal casings that can easily slip from your grasp, but putting it in a case means there’ll be more friction with your hand to stop it from slipping out.
And if your phone is at risk of some really rough treatment – you’re into adrenaline sports, perhaps – then there are cases out there that can protect it from all sorts of extremes.
Fit a screen protector
A case will go a long way to keeping your phone intact if you drop it, but it also helps to fit a screen protector to help reduce the risk of the screen shattering, particularly if the phone is dropped face down on an uneven service.
Fitting both a case and screen protector should make your phone almost indestructible – but not completely, so you also have to make sure you take care when using your phone.
Don’t drop it
It sounds obvious, but the best way to keep your screen from shattering is to just not drop it – so take care when getting it out and using it, and certainly don’t partake in any ‘extreme phone-pinching’…
Get Gorilla Glass?
Gorilla Glass is a brand of toughened glass developed and manufactured by Corning, the pioneering US glass-maker.
Designed to be thin, light and damage-resistant, Gorilla Glass is used in almost two-thirds (70%) of smartphone screens and is favoured by both Apple and Samsung.
Gorilla Glass 5 is its latest iteration and is said to be so tough it can survive more than 80% drops from as high a 1.6 metres – it’s strength can be compromised by individual smartphone design though, so you still need to take care of your tech.
So here are our top tips on how to stop smashing your smartphone…
What to do if you smash your smartphone
Accidents can happen, no matter how careful you are, so here are some top tips on what to do if you do happen to crack your smartphone screen…
Did you know you can set up and run a conference call just using your smartphone?
Image – Droid Eris meets pavement by Robert Nelson on Flickr
