Apple Has Raised The Repair Cost For The iPhone Again, Up To $500 Now

Dhir Acharya - Oct 20, 2020

If you have decided to buy the new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, you should consider whether or not to pass on Apple Care.

If you have decided to buy the new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, you should consider whether or not to pass on Apple Care. The reason is that Apple may change the repair costs again.

As for the iPhone 12 Pro, if you crack the screen, the repair cost is still $280 out of warranty. But with Apple Care, the fee remains at $30.

However, for the standard iPhone 12, the repair cost has increased to $280 from $200 out of warranty. According to 9to5Mac, the reason could be that it comes with the same OLED display as the iPhone 12 Pro. In other cases such as water damage, the repair cost is still $550 like with the iPhone 11 Pro. If you have Apple Care+, it costs $100 for other damages on both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro.

It’s unclear how much it costs to repair the iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max, but if the iPhone 12 Pro Max is under the same policy as the iPhone 11 Pro Max and XS Max, the out-of-warranty repair cost could reach $600. That’s if the company doesn’t raise the cost due to new components such as the new telephoto lens and the LiDAR sensor.

Apple claims that the new iPhone models will sport the toughest glass ever found on a smartphone with Ceramic Shield with additional nano-ceramic crystals. This means the phone is supposedly 4 times more resistant to drops and scratches than previous models.

The out-of-warranty repair cost at Apple has always been hefty, so if you think you will likely drop your iPhone 12, you should consider getting Apple Care. Apple Care+ for the iPhone 12 models is $200 for two incidents of accidental damage per year. That means if you crack the screen, you will pay $230 instead of $280. If you get some sand into the lightning port of your iPhone 12 Pro, you will have to pay $300 instead of $550.

The 1-year warranty coming with the new iPhone 12 lineup doesn’t apply to physical or accidental damages. The warranty is only applicable for manufacturing defects, for example, if the phone shorts out even when you haven’t done anything to it. You can instead insure your iPhone through your carries if that costs less with better loss/theft coverage or better deductibles.