A cracked iPhone screen. It happens. The iPhone, whether it’s the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4, or iPhone 4s, like all smart phones is not built to be as rugged as the standard cell phones of the past. The glass touch screen can be very vulnerable to drops and contact with hard surfaces. The unfortunate part is that the screen is what makes the iPhone. It displays everything and is the gateway to control what your iPhone does. You can’t even make a call with a broken screen! Fortunately, there are a few options for you to repair your cracked iPhone screen.
Is my cracked iPhone screen under warranty?
Let’s get the bad news out of the way. A cracked iPhone screen is likely not covered under Apple’s standard one year limited warranty. The Apple warranty states that it does not apply to “damage caused by accident, abuse, or misuse”. No matter how it happened, it’s likely that Apple will consider your cracked iPhone screen to have come about in an accidental way. So unless you happened to have purchased one of those expensive (though useful) accidental damage warranty plans either through Apple or a 3rd party, at this point you cannot utilize your standard warranty to fix your cracked iPhone screen.
So what are my options then?
1. Have your cracked iPhone screen fixed at the Apple store
Pros: Reliability. The workers specialize in fixing all sorts of iPhone related issues, including cracked iPhone screens.
Cons: Cost. The average price of a screen replacement ranges from $199 to $299, depending on your model (iPhone 3G / iPhone 3GS / iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S)
2. Have a iPhone Repair Company fix your cracked iPhone screen for you
Pros: Reliability and lower cost. They specialize in fixing cracked iPhone screens, and they do it for a lower price than Apple does.
Cons: Unless you can find one of them locally, you’d have to send your iPhone in for repair through the mail. These places offer one day turnaround with express shipping however, so the wait shouldn’t be too long.
3. Fix your cracked iPhone screen yourself!
Pros: Lowest cost of all options. You’re paying only for the repair kit itself, with the replacement screen and tools to replace your cracked iPhone screen included.
Cons: Difficulty. The replacement of the cracked iPhone screen can be tough if you’re not used to taking apart electronics and working with small parts.
Weigh the pros and cons of each option, and decide which is the best one for you in repairing your cracked iPhone screen.
