Gallery of Broken iPhones Will Make You Run for a Good Case

The iPhone is a great looking gadget, but we recommend putting a case on the iPhone shortly after purchasing it to provide protection from drops and damage.

iPhone 5 cases won’t protect the iPhone from every fall, but they do help prevent an early tip to get the new iPhone repaired. Same goes for iPhone 4S cases, that can prevent the damage shown below.

Mike Lovell is an iPhone and iPad repair guru in Halifax, Canada that specializes in bringing busted iPhones and iPads back to life. Lovell shares the gallery of broken iPhones and iPads below, all of which spent time on his repair table.

Lovell tells GottaBeMobile, “Good cases save phones. Cheap cases aren’t worth the plastic they are made with.” I’ve seen many of these cheap cases fall apart when dropped. Users who are lucky only need to buy a new case, but too often the break goes right through a cheap case damaging the iPhone.

Read: Best iPhone 5 Cases

On the other hand, a good case can prevent most iPhone damage from falls and drops. Lovell says, “When I see a customer by a good case (like an OtterBox) I know I will probably never see them again.”

This is one of the reasons we like the OtterBox iPhone 5 Defender Series case. This $50 iPhone 5 case isn’t indestructible, but it will prevent many trips to an iPhone repairman like Lovell or to a local Apple store.

Lovell charges $70 to $80 for an iPhone 4/4S screen repair, which he says most shops in the area charge $100 for. Here in the U.S., Radio Shack offers iPhone 4S screen replacement for $99 with a 72 hour turn around. Users near Lovell are able to drop the device off and save on service.

Lovell also fixes iPad 2 displays for $120, which beats Radio Shack by $80 and according to Lovell, many local shops by $20 to $40. He will also replace buttons and other parts for $30 to $50.

For most users, a case will help with a drop, but as drop test after drop test shows, there’s no way to keep an iPhone safe from every tumble. Not everyone is located close to a qualified iphone repair person with affordable prices, which is why we recommend checking out iPhone warranties.

Read: iPhone 5 Warranties Compared

Not all iPhone warranties are the same, so it’s important to find one that offers the level of protection needed. Most warranties won’t cover a repair from an independent shop like Lovell, so if you plan to go that route, it’s worth looking up a local iPhone repair person to keep on hand, since your iPhone may not let you search for reviews after it falls to the pavement.

Gallery of Broken iPhones

The gallery below shows a collection of broken iPhones that made their way across Lovell’s repair bench. It’s not a pretty sight, but it could be your iPhone after one accidental drop.