Price Comparison of Screen Repairs for iPhone X (Country to Country)

[comicsansms]

The iPhone X was released on the 3rd of November, and like every iPhone release, people were queueing around for days to be the 1st to collect a phone.

The iPhone X is not cheap, costing between $1,579AU and $1,829AU. However, what suprised me the most, was the cost of the screen repair.

 

The prior iPhone's have had a very similar, and predictable cost to repair the screens:

• $209AU for the smaller devices without force touch (5/5C/5S/6/SE)
• $229AU for smaller devices with force touch, or larger devices without force touch (6+/6S/7/8)
• $269AU for larger devices with force touch (6S+/7+/8+)

The iPhone X in the other hand, costs $419AU for a simple screen replacement. Likely because of the new OLED display used in the iPhone X, since they cost more for apple and are more expensive to make.

 

That got me thinking, the screen replacement costs about twice the amount of repairing some iPhones, and costs more than a lot of a lot of phones, and is comparable in cost to a refurbished iPhone 6s (yes, a factory refurbished iPhone). What are your options when the time comes to needing the screen repaired, because you dropped your phone that costs about the same as my car? (2003 BA Falcon XT LPG)

 

The answer is; you could go overseas and get it repaired. Probably not helpful for most people, but if you are going overseas soon, why not just hold out and get it repaired over there? (assuming it is cheaper).

 

 

 

What is the cheapest place to get an iPhone X screen repaired?
Macau, followed by Hong Kong and Japan.

 

 

What is the cheapest place to get an iPhone X replaced due to other damage?

Japan, followed by the UAE, and the US.

 

What have we learnt from this?

If you break your iPhone X in Brazil, you are screwed, well, at least for now. Apple didn't list a price to repair the iPhone X on their Brazilian site, assumingly because they don't offer that service quite yet. Also, Europeans are paying a lot more for the screen repairs, compared with most other nations.

 

What hasn't been taken into account?

I have not included a modifier for tax. I have just done a straight currency to AUD conversion. A lot of countries do have tax included in their prices, and as a foreigner, you may not have to pay that tax. Alternatively, tax could be an addition to the price (Stupid way of doing stuff, I know. Luckily I don't have to think about tax on my everyday goods I'd buy).

 

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/pricing/localeselector

[themctipers]

just.. get applecare

please, i know you will drop it, and break it. 

 

you will. 

its all glass

 

seriously guy, do it

[comicsansms]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

Or buy something that isn't designed to break and costs a ton to repair

Apple has a monopoly over the iOS market. You cannot just buy a Huawei running Android, or force-flash iOS on one.

 

Apple can charge whatever they want, and they can design the phone anyway they want. I'm not saying they should, but there isn't a push, since there isn't any direct competition.

[vanished]

So is cost for "other repairs" proportional to the cost of a screen repair or does that ratio vary by country?  It looks like it varies but the chart is kinda small so it's hard to tell.

 

I think it would be fun to plot the price not in $ but in % of the cost of a new iphone X edit: actually, in % of an iphone 8, I think that would be even better

Edited November 5, 2017 by Ryan_Vickers

[captain_to_fire]

Two words: AppleCare

 

This isn't a surprise since Samsung priced the OLED screens higher for the iPhone X.

[comicsansms]

21 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

So is cost for "other repairs" proportional to the cost of a screen repair or does that ratio vary by country?  It looks like it varies but the chart is kinda small so it's hard to tell.

 

I think it would be fun to plot the price not in $ but in % of the cost of a new iphone X edit: actually, in % of an iphone 8, I think that would be even better

The cost of other repairs is about twice the cost of a screen repair (I think other repairs include everything within reason). The cost stays the same over the low end IPhone X, to the high end iPhone X.

 

Cost of other repairs changes per country too. All 3 graphs contain exactly the same data. (Screen repair cost - blue, other repairs cost -grey, as well as the country that that corresponds to)

 

In hine sight, a cost of the entry level phone would have been a nice addition to the graphs (but apple is very nice with the way they hide that data from plain sight).

[handymanshandle]

1 hour ago, themctipers said:

just.. get applecare

please, i know you will drop it, and break it. 

 

you will. 

its all glass

 

seriously guy, do it

41 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Or buy something that isn't designed to break and costs a ton to repair

Or just get a decent case.

 

[themctipers]

Just now, wcreek said:

Or just get a decent case.

 

still breaks when you drop it

whoops

[handymanshandle]

Just now, themctipers said:

still breaks when you drop it

whoops

I suppose, Apple isn't using Gorilla Glass.

[themctipers]

Just now, wcreek said:

I suppose, Apple isn't using Gorilla Glass.

they are.

[Cookybiscuit]

They kill the battery capacity and ability to use a 3.5mm jack by making phones so thin, then everyone goes and puts a big thick rubber cover on it and a screen protector to hopefully save them $400 when they drop it.

[handymanshandle]

1 minute ago, themctipers said:

they are.

Hmm

I dropped my S6 a few times and my mom dropped hers several times and no cracks or anything. Haven't really dropped my S8+ and hope to keep it that way. But I suppose the S6 has more metal and bezel than at least the S8+

[themctipers]

Just now, wcreek said:

Hmm

I dropped my S6 a few times and my mom dropped hers several times and no cracks or anything. Haven't really dropped my S8+ and hope to keep it that way. But I suppose the S6 has more metal and bezel than at least the S8+

drop it 4ft onto concrete and see what happens

i dropped my 6s+ onto fucking grass and it cracked.

[handymanshandle]

Just now, themctipers said:

drop it 4ft onto concrete and see what happens

i dropped my 6s+ onto fucking grass and it cracked.

I dropped my S6 about 4ft onto asphalt only some minor scuffing on the metal surround.

[themctipers]

Just now, wcreek said:

I dropped my S6 about 4ft onto asphalt only some minor scuffing on the metal surround.

I dropped my 6s+ two stories (window of my bedroom) and only the power button dented. 

[captain_to_fire]

14 minutes ago, wcreek said:

I suppose, Apple isn't using Gorilla Glass.

Actually Apple is using Corning Gorilla Glass but a custom one

Quote

Corning has been an Apple partner for the last decade and put toughened glass known as Gorilla Glass on the very first iPhone.

The partnership hasn't always been smooth — there was a brief blip in 2014 when Apple thought about working with a company that produced synthetic sapphire crystal screens, but Corning returned to supply Gorilla Glass for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus after that partnership fell apart.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-invested-200-million-in-glass-maker-corning-2017-5

Quote

...since Apple wrapped glass around the front and back of the iPhone 8 Plus using a custom blend of materials in collaboration with Corning, the manufacturer of the popular Gorilla Glass parts. The glass material used in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X is supposed to be stronger than Gorilla Glass 5.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2017/10/31/iphone-8-plus-speed-durability-drop-water-tests/#6fa3cdba7515

 

[comicsansms]

23 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

So are you saying that the iPhone X is the only phone that uses iOS?

No. What I am saying is, people who want a flagship phone running iOS still only have one choice, the iPhone X. And that is why people queue Infront of the Apple store, because they want the best, the newest flagship. The iPhone 8 is a step down device, 7 and 6s are previous gen flagships.

23 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Or that the only phones available globally are made by Apple?

Also no. You buy a phone for its OS. It's a bitch to switch OS, you have to rebuy all your apps, and learn difference in the apps.

23 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

I have this OnePlus 3T alien device that apparently no one knows about

OnePlus is a joke. They don't know what they want to be, and don't know who to market to.

 

What's the point of a flagship phone, minus the features of a flagship phone? Nothing for most people, even a budget friendly enthusiast, (which is who they try to market to), a 3 generation old Flagship is still fast enough for really everyone, even power users.

 

Someone who is an enthusiast wants features, and is modable. NFC is essential, you cannot just cut that out to save cost. Previous gen flagship are the way to go for a "budget conscious enthusiast" (irony there).

 

Their parent company, OPPO had a similar crisis, they didn't know who to market themselves to. but got over themself, and became a very consumer device. Their marketing is all about selfies, about design, and pleasure and enjoyment. They now don't have custom ROM support, because that isn't their audience. Recently, their sales went up 154%. That is a successful business model.

[Linus_torvalds]

1 hour ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

Apple can charge whatever they want, and they can design the phone anyway they want. I'm not saying they should, but there isn't a push, since there isn't any direct competition.

LOL how they can push? What competition are you talking about? iOS is shit. It's not going anywhere. They are making new bugs like calculator then fixing it and that's it. Apart from it "new" iOS versions make older phones slower and slugish that's it. Why would normal person buy that shit especially when it costs shitload of money and does not even come with fast charger. An if you break it you will have to buy another one. Apple does everything to get money. For now they even fool people. They said new iphones have fast charging, but tests show that on the same fast charger iphone 7 charges quicker then 8. That's the case with plus versions too. That is exactly why they did not include fast charger in there. Other then that they even make 70-100$ on top of phone price from fast chargers

Only fool can buy that product. Even if you like iOS or apple you should not buy that product because it's not made for people it's made for the company to make money. Yes i know that every company is doing things to make money but many of them listen to their customers and make user oriented product. Iphone is not one of these products.

They even did not fix battery issue. Iphones still have much worse battery life and capacity then others. Plus versions are much bigger then many of 5.5 inch phones but they have much smaller battery.

[comicsansms]

1 hour ago, mate_mate91 said:

LOL how they can push? What competition are you talking about? iOS is shit. It's not going anywhere.

iOS is not going out of the scene anytime soon. iOS is a very well rounded, designed echo-system. And is the main mobile OS in the Western World.

Quote

They are making new bugs like calculator then fixing it and that's it.

You forget to mention all of the vulnerabilities that android has.

Quote

Apart from it "new" iOS versions make older phones slower and slugish that's it.

Hate to break it to you, but adding more features requires more power. And due to the fact that it is an older phone is an older phone, they are less powerful than the newer phones. It's not as if the Samsing Galaxy S5 had a lot of issues with the phone being overly bloated, making it unusable using the stock rom. *wink wink*

Quote

Why would normal person buy that shit especially when it costs shitload of money and does not even come with fast charger.

Because they don't want/need a fast charger, or aren't fused that they have to pay more.

Quote

[Charger] An if you break it you will have to buy another one.

What a stupid comment right there. You have to buy a new charger for your whatever your phone is's charger breaks too. You have to repair or replace every essential item when it breaks.

Quote

Apple does everything to get money.

Like literally every successful business. That is the literal point of having a business.

Quote

For now they even fool people. They said new iphones have fast charging, but tests show that on the same fast charger iphone 7 charges quicker then 8. That's the case with plus versions too. That is exactly why they did not include fast charger in there. Other then that they even make 70-100$ on top of phone price from fast chargers

To me, that looks like the iPhone 8 Plus charged significatly faster than the iPhone 7 Plus:

Quote

iPhone 8 Plus - 100 percent in 1 hour and 50 minutes

iPhone 7 Plus - 100 percent in 2 hour and 32 minutes 

http://mashable.com/2017/10/12/apple-iphone-8-plus-quick-charging/#GKi1wLM3kqqa

Quote

Only fool can buy that product. Even if you like iOS or apple you should not buy that product because it's not made for people it's made for the company to make money. Yes i know that every company is doing things to make money but many of them listen to their customers and make user oriented product. Iphone is not one of these products.

Excuse me, what? 1. Apple is here to make money. That is common sense. The reason why they don't make changes to their products, is that only a vocal minority (Mostly filled with people who would never buy apple products) tell them they are doing X wrong. The thing is, brands don't even always follow what their target audience wants. Lenovo has vastly changed the thinkpads, the thinkpad enthusiasts hate it. However, they are probably not the ones buying the devices (they use their thinkpad till it dies, or their work buys it for them), so once again, it actually doesn't matter to lenovo.

Quote

They even did not fix battery issue. Iphones still have much worse battery life and capacity then others. Plus versions are much bigger then many of 5.5 inch phones but they have much smaller battery.

That really isn't true. 

Quote

 the iPhone 8 lasted just over 26 hours...It was such a difference to the poor, 14-hour battery life of the iPhone 7

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/29/iphone-8-review-apple-good-battery-life-wireless-charging-camera-700-pounds

 

 

You know what, you are literally trying to find faults in Apple. Yes, they do a lot of shitty practices, however, that is what is making them sucessful; what is making them money. You can bitch however much you like about how you hate apple, but that doesn't change that they are fucking huge, and they make good products, and most importantly, they do not have the same level of competition that android phone set makers have, they do not have the same level of pressure to make the phone repairable, like android handset maker have.

 

I do not own an iOS device, and I don't think I ever will. Not because they are bad, but because they do not align with what I want in a phone, plus I am fluent with android. If anyone asks me about recommendations for a new phone, I'll recommend the OS that they are currently on, because both are very good. I hate however finding the android phone for people to buy. There isn't an easy way. Just hours of pain and spread sheets ahead. Apple is easy. Buy the phone in whatever your price range is.

[mr moose]

15 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

And is the main mobile OS in the Western World.

 

I think you'll find android has a higher market share.  Something like 63-77% depending on which analyst you ask.

 

16 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

What a stupid comment right there. You have to buy a new charger for your whatever your phone is's charge breaks too. You have to repair or replace every essential item when it breaks.

 

 

I'm pretty sure he means that because nearly all android phones use the same usb charger and haven't changed in 7+ years, that if your charger dies there is an extreme probability that you already have a charger from your old phone that will work. I know I have 3 laying around from old phones that work with my current phone.

 

 

 

 

[Linus_torvalds]

25 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

What a stupid comment right there. You have to buy a new charger for your whatever your phone is's charge breaks too.

Sorry, i was talking about the phone itself. Because if you break it repair prices are so high that it's like buying a new phone. In my country there is almost no difference in repair price for broken screen and new iphone.

 

But mr moose argument is still valid. Apple has it's own connectors. And it changes them constantly. I laugh when someone wants to charge older iphone and everyone has newer chargers and it's not compatible. You are the only company who makes ios products. If you do not want use connector which others are using and you want to fragment market well it's your choice, but your products must be compatible with each other.

[comicsansms]

22 minutes ago, mr moose said:

I think you'll find android has a higher market share.  Something like 63-77% depending on which analyst you ask.

You are right about android having market share of amount of sold devices. However, that doesn't say the whole truth: "What percentage of the population actually uses that particular OS?". or "What are the gross income from sales, from the amount of phones sold by each manufacture?". However, there really isn't a nice way to get that data, so I'll just leave that there.

Quote

Between October and December, Apple iOS accounted for 44.9% of sales in Australia, up 5.3% year-on-year. While Android is still leading in terms of overall market share, sale of Android devices dropped 1.2% year-on-year to 52.3% in the last quarter.

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/02/android-lost-market-share-in-australia-in-late-2016/

Quote

I'm pretty sure he means that because nearly all android phones use the same usb charger and haven't changed in 7+ years, that if your charger dies there is an extreme probability that you already have a charger from your old phone that will work. I know I have 3 laying around from old phones that work with my current phone.

Quote

But mr moose argument is still valid. Apple has it's own connectors. And it changes them constantly. I laugh when someone wants to charge older iphone and everyone has newer chargers and it's not compatible. You are the only company who makes ios products. If you want to fragment market well it's your choice, but your products must be compatible with each other.

But the thing, the iPhone 5 got released over 5 years ago. I don't think I know anyone who still uses an iPhone 4s or older. And chances are, if a person has a iPhone (and is older than 17 years old), they have upgraded from another iPhone in the past 5 years.

 

Also, Android is moving towards USB type C, and that push has only started to happen in the past year or so. So, chances are you only have one cable.

 

However, the licensing fee on Lightning cables makes them expensive. But USB type C is also very expensive, due to the lack of availability, making apple have the lead, because so many people have lightning cables, so they are so easy to borrow from a colleague at work.

Cheapest USB type C cable at Officeworks - $19.88

Cheapest MFI Lightning cable at Officeworks - $19.88

14 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

Sorry, i was talking about the phone itself. Because if you break it repair prices are so high that it's like buying a new phone. In my country there is almost no difference in repair price for broken screen and new iphone.

Once again, that goes down to lack of competition. And I do not agree with it, but it exists, and you cannot stop it.

[Prysin]

3 hours ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

Apple has a monopoly over the iOS market. You cannot just buy a Huawei running Android, or force-flash iOS on one.

 

Apple can charge whatever they want, and they can design the phone anyway they want. I'm not saying they should, but there isn't a push, since there isn't any direct competition.

lay off the brown snake tea

[comicsansms]

2 minutes ago, Prysin said:

lay off the brown snake tea

I don't know what that means.

[mr moose]

4 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

You are right about android having market share of amount of sold devices. However, that doesn't say the whole truth: "What percentage of the population actually uses that particular OS?". or "What are the gross income from sales, from the amount of phones sold by each manufacture?". However, there really isn't a nice way to get that data, so I'll just leave that there.

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/02/android-lost-market-share-in-australia-in-late-2016/

But the thing, the iPhone 5 got released over 5 years ago. I don't think I know anyone who still uses an iPhone 4s or older. And chances are, if a person has a iPhone (and is older than 17 years old), they have upgraded from another iPhone in the past 5 years.

 

Also, Android is moving towards USB type C, and that push has only started to happen in the past year or so. So, chances are you only have one cable.

 

However, the licensing fee on Lightning cables makes them expensive. But USB type C is also very expensive, due to the lack of availability, making apple have the lead, because so many people have lightning cables, so they are so easy to borrow from a colleague at work.

Cheapest USB type C cable at Officeworks - $19.88

Cheapest MFI Lightning cable at Officeworks - $19.88

Once again, that goes down to lack of competition. And I do not agree with it, but it exists, and you cannot stop it.

If you can't qualify the statistics beyond basic market share in Australia, then maybe don't make comments about IOS being a specific attribute of the market of the whole western world.

 

With regard to the charger thing, I already stated what chargers I have and what chargers I need.