The 10 smartphones that break most often

One time you didn’t pay attention and it happened – the cell phone broke. Depending on the design, this is faster with some smartphones than with others. TECHNOLOGY BUTTON names the 10 smartphone models that users * most often send for repairs.

The top 10 smartphones that are most susceptible to repair

The repair marketplace value guarantee , formerly Clickrepair, has determined the smartphones most susceptible to repair based on numerous orders from affected users. The models on the list not only break down the most frequently, they are also difficult to repair. The platform rated a total of 48 models. The overall grade is made up of the frequency of repairs and the degree of difficulty of the repair. Evaluation is based on a school grading system from 1.0 (very good) to 4.0 (sufficient).

To save the honor of the manufacturer, however, it must be emphasized that many repairs are carried out due to display breakage. And: The more popular a device is with users, the more often it is used and the higher the number of reported defects.

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1st place: Apple iPhone Xs Max

2nd place: Apple iPhone Xs

The iPhone XS is still widely used and, unfortunately, not the most resilient model. It comes to an overall score of 2.9 and is one of the worst on the list of smartphones that are most susceptible to repair. The frequency of damage cases is still within a reasonable range with a grade of 2.1, but the repair effort is very high with a grade of 3.6. This could be due to the fact that if the glass breaks on the back, the entire inner workings have to be moved to a new back, as the glass itself cannot be replaced. The costs for this are correspondingly high.

3rd place: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

In addition to the two iPhones, there is also an Android model in the top 3 smartphones that are most susceptible to repair. More precisely, it is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which its owners take to the workshop about as often as the iPhone Xs. Accordingly, it also achieved a score of 2.1 for susceptible to repairs. The effort involved in repairs is not quite as high overall, but at 3.1 it is not good either. This is mainly due to the fact that replacing the display is a difficult operation that requires the front and back to be separated. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 at least achieves an overall score of 2.6, which can be classified as sufficient.

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4th place: Huawei P smart + 2019

5th place: Samsung Galaxy S10 +

The Samsung Galaxy S10 + is still very popular. Introduced in 2019, it is mainly still used by users who have received the smartphone through their mobile phone contract. Accordingly, it can often happen that the device ends up in a repair workshop. The curved infinity display makes the Galaxy S10 + very vulnerable. It has hardly any edges that could cushion a fall. Accordingly, display damage is common here, which drives the score up in the list of smartphones that are most susceptible to repair. Like the Huawei model, the Galaxy S10 + got a grade of 2.9 in terms of effort, but it ends up in the workshop a little less often (1.8). This results in a total score of 2.4.

6th place: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Cracked glass, a scratched camera cover or cracks are the most common reasons why owners of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro send their smartphone for repair. Nevertheless, the damage in this model is still within limits, which is proven by the grade 1.6. The difficult material – a lot of glass, a large camera cover – make the specialists’ work more difficult. Inside, the manufacturer has screwed, glued and otherwise made difficult to access elements, which is why the effort is only rated 3.0. Due to the rather lower number of submissions, however, it was awarded an overall grade of 2.3 and thus sixth place in the ranking of smartphones that were most susceptible to repair.

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7th place: Samsung Galaxy S9 +

8th place: Samsung Galaxy Note 10

We’ll stay with Samsung, but switch to the Note range. Here, the manufacturer needs space inside for the S Pen, which makes the arrangement of the inner elements a little different from that of the S series. However, it did not harm the Galaxy Note 10, as it is a little easier to repair. The grade 2.6 is not particularly good, but it turns out worse in other models. However, the Samsung smartphone ends up in the workshop quite often (1.8), glass breakage in particular is an issue here. Maybe this is due to the large shape of the device. It achieved an overall grade of 2.2.

9th place: Samsung Galaxy S9

In contrast to the Galaxy S9 +, the Galaxy S9 from Samsung comes in ninth place and thus positions itself two ranks lower in the list (which is good for a flop list). Both models are outwardly very similar, but the S9 is a bit more compact overall. Overall, users of this model are even more likely to have this model repaired (1.8), but surprisingly the effort is not as great as with the Plus model. Instead of a score of 2.9, it achieved 2.5 here, which explains the better ranking of 2.2.

10th place: Samsung Galaxy A50

The Galaxy A50 lands in 10th place on the list of smartphones that are most susceptible to repair. The mid-range model from Samsung is very popular due to its low price and good features. Accordingly, it is also widespread among users. This point also explains why the device has to be repaired accordingly frequently (2,6). One consolation is that the work involved, at 1.7, is not considered to be particularly high. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A50 got an overall grade of 2.2.

Results at a glance