Stay away from these smartphones: Report lists devices with highest failure rates

Looking for a reliable work phone? Here are the smartphone models to avoid.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 and the iPhone 6 models have the highest failure rate for Android and iPhone, according to the Mobile Device Repair and Security report from Blancco. With iOS and Android operating systems occupying 99% of all smartphone sales, Blancco studied diagnostic reports from Q4 of 2017 to determine which smartphones had the highest failure rates.

In a global market where used smartphones will be worth approximately $30 billion in 2020, according to IDC, smartphone security and efficiency are even more important.

According to the report, Samsung had the highest Android manufacturer diagnostic failure rate at 34%, with Xiaomi and Motorola following behind at 13% and 9%, respectively. While Samsung's failure rate significantly surpasses that of Xiaomi and Motorola, it is at least seeing improvement from its 53% failure rate in Q3 2017.

But the list of top failing Android device models was a little different. Here's the top five:

1.    Xiaomi Redmi 4 (9%)

2.    Motorola Moto G (5S) Plus (6%)

3.    Lenovo Lenovo K8 Note (5%)

4.    HMD Global Nokia 6 (4%)

5.    Samsung Galaxy S7 (3%)

Looking at the iOS ecosystem, the report named the iPhone 6 as having the highest failure rate at 26%. The iPhone 6S follows suit with 14% and the iPhone 6S Plus at 9%, revealing the fallibility of the iPhone 6 family.

Here's the top five list of Apple's least reliable iPhone models:

1.    iPhone 6 (26%)

2.    iPhone 6S (14%)

3.    iPhone 6S Plus (9%)

4.    iPhone 7 Plus (9%)

5.    iPhone 6 Plus (9%)

The main reason for the Android failure rate was performance (27%), while iPhones saw Bluetooth (3%) and Wi-Fi (3%) as their largest operation issues. While it appears iPhones are more successful overall, the rest of their models in the top 10 failure rates actually had higher rates than the rest of Android's top 10.

Interestingly, Blancco's testing found that older Android models and software versions remain popular in the Android market, which makes it even more important for older Androids to be erased before recycling or reselling, said the report.

If you are a business looking to supply reliable work phones to employees, the iPhone 6 and Samsung models may be the smartphones to avoid. Additionally, the research emphasizes the importance of securely erasing data from smartphones before getting rid of them, as they otherwise might still carry sensitive information about your company and clients.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

·         Samsung and iPhone reign as winners of the highest diagnostic failure rate from Android and iPhone — Blancco, 2018.

·         With used smartphones sweeping the market, companies must be sure to wipe phones of sensitive information before selling or recycling — Blancco, 2018.