Report: Apple iPhone 4 Reliable But Accident Prone

Smartphone and electronics warranty provider SquareTrade recently shared its smartphone data in a report comparing the iPhone 4 to other mobile devices. Included in the study were four months of data on the iPhone 4, eight months of data on Motorola and HTC Android devices, and one year of RIM BlackBerry data. The iPhone 4 led the group in reliability, with only 2.1 percent projected to have a non-accident malfunction in the first year of ownership.

Motorola is hot on the iPhone's heels, with only a 2.3 percent non-accident malfunction rate. HTC took third place in the reliability contest, while BlackBerry devices had the highest rate of spontaneous problems at 6.3 percent. Remarkably, 77 percent of smartphone failures from devices made by these four companies are due to accidental damage. When it comes to accidents, the numbers paint a different picture.

BlackBerry phones had the least number of accidental damages at 6.7 percent. A whopping 9.3 percent of iPhone 4 devices were affected by accidental damage, making it the most fragile smartphone of the group. A full 90 percent of failures of the iPhone 4 were due to accidental damage. Apple has been criticized by some for designing the iPhone 4 with a glass back. Reports have indicated that the glass on the back of the latest iPhone is not the same quality as the front touch-screen glass.

What's clear is that smartphones have improved in reliability across the board. SquareTrade released a similar analysis in November 2008. Both BlackBerry and iPhone device manufacturers have cut their first-year non-accident malfunction numbers in half since the earlier report. Although this is good news, the small size and portable nature of smartphones mean that accidents do happen. Make sure to protect your iPhone 4 (or any smartphone for that matter) with a dependable case.