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So you've ordered your new iPhone - but what if it breaks?

The new iPhone X
The new iPhone X

On November 3, gadget fans around the country will start receiving their new iPhone 8 or - even better - iPhone X.

The iPhone X features an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch OLED display, the brightest and sharpest Apple's ever produced. Other new features include Face ID, allowing the owner to unlock the phone just by looking at it, an improved camera and wireless charging.

See also: You can now pre-order a 24k gold iPhone 8

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But it's also the company's most expensive ever smartphone, with prices starting at £999 - and the 256GB model costing an eye-watering £1,149.

When you've spent this much money, you really don't want anything to go wrong. However, research suggests that one in three iPhones are lost, damaged or stolen.

And according to gadget insurer InMyBag, three in ten incidents happen within the first six months of ownership.

Nearly half a million people had their mobile phones stolen last year - they're targeted in more than a third of all pickpocketing and muggings. Meanwhile, around one in five people have dropped their phone down the loo.

"Like all tech junkies, we're incredibly excited about the new iPhone at InMyBag HQ. But the figures we've highlighted make for sober reading and people need to be aware of the risks," says Gustav Holst Stuge, CEO, InMyBag.

"One in three iPhones are expected to be lost, damaged or stolen – a large proportion of those within six months."

So what should you do if it happens to you?

With iPhones so pricey, many people choose to take out Apple's own AppleCare+ insurance. The service costs £199 for the iPhone X - £50 more than for other models.

This gives you two years of telephone technical support and hardware cover, including two incidents of accidental damage. However, there's an excess to pay for accidents: £25 for screen damage, or £79 for anything else.

If you don't have AppleCare+, then a screen repair costs between £136 and £176, and a non-screen repair can cost hundreds of pounds.

It's also possible, of course, to get your phone insured by a third party. Policies start at as little as £4 a month, although this may only cover damage, and not theft - and you'll also want to check out the amount of excess you'll have to pay.

Apple provides a warranty of a year for its phones, although, as you'd expect, this doesn't cover 'damage resulting from accident, disassembly, unauthorised service and unauthorised modifications'.

However, you may have other rights if something goes wrong with your iPhone. Under EU law, if there's a defect when you receive the phone, you're entitled to a repair or replacement. You should contact the company that actually sold you the phone, which may or may not be Apple itself.

If you don't have insurance, and the problem's your fault, you do have other options.

If your screen breaks, for example, and you don't want to pay Apple's prices, there are plenty of places on the high street that can do the job - Timpsons is one of the most well-known and widespread stores. There are also a number of online repair shops, and even services such as Repairly and Phone Dudes, which will come out to you and do it at your home.

If you're really brave, you could try replacing the screen yourself: iFixit has online tutorials on how to do this, and can sell you the relevant parts.

Meanwhile, if your phone gets soaked, there are certain things you can try - although there's no guarantee it will work.

First, whatever you do, don't turn it on. In fact, even if the phone is still working, you should turn it off immediately: sometimes it takes a while for the water to work its way through the phone, and there's a danger that it could pack up unexpectedly the next day.

You should then, says Carphone Warehouse, remove any case, SIM or MicroSD cards to let the air get to as much of the phone as possible.

When you've done this, just leave it alone in a warm dry place for a day or two. While some people recommend placing it in rice to draw out the water, this doesn't have much effect - and can even introduce dust into the phone.