Top Ten of least-reliable phones names Samsung S3 handset as worst for faults

Phone users who pick Samsung’s Galaxy SIII should be ready for repair bills, according to claims data from a mobile insurer - it is the most fault-prone handset on sale today.

Apple’s iPhone 5 does not appear in the Top Ten released by MobileInsurance.co.uk, based on claims data from its users - although iPhone 4 and 4S chart at four and six respectively.

The research looked at insurance claims for faults, rather than breakage or loss, to pinpoint which handsets are reliable.

HTC’s well-reviewed new One handset, another Android smartphone which went on sale this month, is the second-most prone to faults.

An earlier study by mobile repair company FixYa, based on more than 700,000 repairs, found that iPhone 5 was up to three times more reliable than Samsung's handsets.

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The site says it collated the data after it noticed patterns in the faults reported about handsets.

Older, less hi-tech phones appear to have been more reliable, according to the site’s analysis of its claims data.

The handsets which inspired the fewest claims for faults were BlackBerry’s Torch and Apple’s iPhone 3GS.

Handset makers are already working on new technologies to make phones more robust.

At this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Samsung unveiled a working mobile phone screen which can be rolled and unrolled like a sheet of paper - built to be "virtually unbreakable".

The screen uses the same OLED - organic LED - technology as many current smartphones, but encased in plastic instead of glass.

Jason Brockman, Director at MobileInsurance.co.uk, said the following:“Breakdowns and faults with the handset itself often can’t be avoided, so we wanted to let people know which phones most commonly experience faults so that they can avoid them!”

“It seems those looking for reliability need to forget about having the most modern phone and revert back to trusty older handsets like the iPhone 3GS."

Today’s most fault-prone mobiles

1.      Samsung Galaxy S III

2.      HTC One

3.      Nokia Lumia 610

4.      iPhone 4

5.      BlackBerry Bold 9900

6.      iPhone 4S

7.      Sony Xperia S

8.      BlackBerry Curve 9220

9.     Samsung Tocco Lite 2

10.    LG Nexus 4