Should I repair or replace my broken Phone?
We know breaking your Phone, whether it be an iPhone or a Samsung (you can see our other blogpost on why Samsung are so expensive to repair here ) can be frustrating, inconvenient, and quite frankly expensive. We have customers in the shop and on the phone daily and it’s the one question they ask us – “can you tell me if it’s worth repairing ?” but you can minimize the cost by researching your options for repair and replacement. iPhone repair was always the cheaper option but as iPhones have developed they have become more expensive to repair. A screen on the new 15 Pro Max is currently £398 (as of May 2024) directly from Apple. This will not always be the case as aftermarket technology improves so always check current prices
In conclusion we are going to try and give you guidance to see if your phone is worth repairing or replacing? As the options depend on the make, model and what needs repairing/replacing.
How much does it cost to repair a broken Phone?
While repairing your broken iPhone may seem like the more financially sensible option, the cost can vary wildly depending on the severity of the damage, or indeed what the problem is and you may end up spending more money on a repair than you would on a replacement.
Your iphone may only be broken because it’s battery has gone past it’s useful life and has stopped charging ? Doesn’t charge properly or indeed has died as a redult. Replacing a battery can be a cheap and quick repair making your phone as good as new. You can see our battery prices here to see just how economical it is for an iPhone. Or it could be a cosmetic fault and you can see iPhone back glass replacement prices here .
However when it comes to a water damaged phone which requires specialist knowledge to recover data or a broken screen that needs replacing prices can vary wildly depending on whether you use an authorized retailer like Apple or Samsung or someone independent, like ourselves, to carry out the repair.
What are the best options for repairing broken Phones?
If you believe that your broken Phone is worth saving, there are a few different ways to get it repaired. If you are unable to fix your broken Phone yourself (which we do not recommend – unless you already have transferable skills), your primary options for repairs are to go through Apple directly or visit an independent repair shop.
The best choice for you will depend on several factors such as your budget, the age of your phone, the type of warranty you have (if any), any phone insurance you have. You maybe able to have it repaired under Apple Care for only a small fee or the same with any gadget insurance you may have taken out with your provider or bank maybe if not you could have it repaired by
Apple or Samsung Authorised retailers or an independent repair shop
Send your broken Phone to Apple or Samsung
Both Apple and Samsung have authorised repair centers.
Get your broken iPhone repaired at an independent shop
If you wanated to use an independent repair shop, you’ll find a lot of them far more local to you than you will an Apple or Samsung dealer. They’ll give you a better repair price than any Apple Store, but the quality of their services can vary, so it’s important to check the Google reviews for the location first to make sure other people have had a good experience with the shop.
Even if the shop seems reputable, there’s still a risk To mitigate this risk, you should always see if the shop offers warranties on their service so you can come back if a problem arises during the repair. Also, keep in mind that if you get your broken Phone fixed at an independent shop, it will void your warranty (assuming it’s under warranty). To be honest, it may still be worth the money you’re saving. If your phone is under warranty i’d always suggest dealing directly with where you purchased it from firstly.
How much does it cost to replace a broken phone ?
This is a difficult one to answer and can really only be answered by knowing what is wrong with it. If you want to know you can contact us as we will tell you.
In Conclusion, do you think it's cheaper to repair or replace ?
At the outset I said one of the common questions we get asked is “Can you tell me if my phone is worth repairing ?”. It’s a difficult question to answer sometimes as it’s affected by a lot of factors. Customer budget, the owner’s desire to pay for a repair when the phone maybe old and maybe better suited to spending that money on an upgrade (we may suggest this if we we feel the repair costs outpace the actual second hand cost of that individual device – such as a screen repair on an iphone 8 at £55, when you can pick one up on Facebook Market place for the same price often, but then the customer may not be confident enough to be able to do a data transfer and pay someone such as us to do that , in which case the repair would still be cheaper. But for a tech savvy customer it maybe simple..
I personally think it all depends on what phone you currently own, what it’s intrinsic value to you is and options there are at the time.
Generally though, i’d always recommend repair over replacement unless the phone has outlived it’s useful life as far as it’s operating system goes and whether the cost of repair is greater than the cost of a like for like replacement for a device that has far less wear.
Hope you have found this help you make a decision. If you need any extra help you can email us or call us for specific advice.