Repair or Replace? The Honest Math for a Broken Phone

Every day someone walks in convinced their phone is finished, and walks out twenty minutes later with a repair quote a tenth of a new phone's price. Other days, we honestly advise the opposite. Here is the exact framework we use.

Question 1: What is the repair as a percentage of replacement?

Our rule of thumb: if a repair costs under 30% of the equivalent new phone, repair is almost always right. Between 30–50%, weigh the phone's age. Above 50%, think carefully — unless the phone is under two years old or holds data you need.

Question 2: How old is the platform, not the phone?

A three-year-old flagship often has years of updates left and hardware that still beats new mid-range phones. A screen repair on it is money well spent. A six-year-old budget phone that has stopped receiving security updates is a different story.

Question 3: What is broken — glass or brain?

Screens, batteries, ports and cameras are routine, economical repairs. Logic-board faults on a heavily corroded water-damaged phone can be repaired too, but if the quote approaches replacement cost we will tell you — and often the real goal shifts to recovering your data instead.

The trade-in twist

Here is what most people miss: a working phone with a fresh screen resells or trades in for dramatically more than a cracked one. Sometimes the repair pays for itself in resale value alone.

Get the numbers, decide with facts

Diagnosis at Royal Step is free and the quote is written. Bring the phone in, get both numbers, and make the call with real figures — book here.

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