Is It Worth Repairing Your Phone?
A cracked screen on a cheap phone can cost more to fix than the phone is worth. Put in the quote you were given and see how it compares against what your phone would fetch working, what it is worth as it is, and what the same model costs second hand.
Enter the quote you were given.
We will compare it against what your phone is worth and what the same phone costs second hand.
How the sums work
There are only three numbers that matter. What your phone is worth working, what the repair costs, and what the same phone costs second hand. If the repair costs more than buying the same model again, fixing it is the expensive option however attached to it you are.
Selling a faulty phone works differently. A buyer who repairs phones pays what it is worth working, minus what the fix will cost them, minus their margin. That is why paying retail for a repair and then selling rarely gets the money back: you are paying full price for something the buyer would have done at cost.
The pattern in Kenya is fairly consistent. Screens are the most expensive part of most phones, so on budget handsets a cracked screen often writes the phone off, while the same repair on a flagship is a small fraction of what it is worth. That is the reason a two-year-old Tecno with a broken screen is usually worth selling as it is, and a two-year-old iPhone with the same fault is usually worth fixing.
Common questions
When is a phone repair not worth it?
As a rule of thumb, once a repair costs more than about half of what the phone is worth working, you are close to the line. Once it costs more than the phone is worth, buying the same model second hand is cheaper than fixing the one you have.
Can I sell a phone with a cracked screen in Kenya?
Yes. Broken phones sell readily to people who repair them for a living, and to buyers after spare parts. You will get less than a working phone, roughly what it is worth working minus the repair cost and the buyer margin, but a faulty phone is rarely worth nothing.
Why does a screen repair cost more than the phone is worth?
Screen assemblies are the single most expensive component in most phones, and on budget handsets the screen can be a large share of what the whole device cost new. That is why a cracked screen writes off a cheap phone but not an expensive one.
Should I repair a phone before selling it?
Only when the repair costs clearly less than the value it adds. Buyers discount a faulty phone by roughly what the fix costs them plus their margin, so paying full retail for a repair and then selling usually leaves you no better off.