Most of us have felt the anguish that goes with breaking a smartphone. Toilets, children, sidewalks, keys, and microwaves are all your enemies. And then you’re stuck with the agonizing decision of whether to live with the cracks and quirks or pay to get a new phone. So I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that nearly half of us make do with a broken phone.

Zagg, the mobile device accessories maker behind the popular Invisible Shield screen protector, commissioned a study that found that 48 percent of cellphone users and 27 percent of tablet users are living with a damaged device. To be fair, a screen protector manufacturer has a vested interest in these results. But I do believe them when they say 85 percent of smartphone users worry about breaking their screen. However, that’s not the biggest worry, which is the phone getting lost or stolen.

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With a little digging into the study’s details, I discovered most of that damage is actually superficial scratches found on the body or screen. Smashed glass or broken phone bodies accounted for just 8 percent of damage phones and 10 percent of tablets. Perhaps least surprising, 16 percent of tablets are wrecked by kids. Nearly 40 percent of damaged phones are caused by a phone falling on the ground.

What is surprising is that half of people pay out to fix their phone. The average cost for such repairs? $144. That’s just a tad more than wrapping it up in a durable case. Sure, you’ll lose some of the prettiness of the design, but you’ll likely save yourself some despair in the process.

Zagg’s study was performed through a seven-minute online survey that garnered 768 responses from Americans aged 18 and older who currently use a smartphone or a tablet.

Alex Cranz is the Assistant Reviews Editor at Tom’s Guide. When she’s not devising tests for new tech she’s figuring out the best way to run Plex on it. Follow Alex @alexhcranz. Follow Tom’s Guide at @tomsguide, on Facebook and on Google+.

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