Repair vs. Replace — How to Decide

Start with the 50% rule

The most common rule of thumb: if the repair costs more than 50% of what it would cost to replace the device with something equivalent, replacing is usually the better financial decision. If the repair is under 50%, repairing almost always wins on pure economics.

The key word is "equivalent" — not a brand new flagship, but whatever you'd actually buy to replace your current device. A 3-year-old mid-range Android might cost $200 to replace with a similar used device. In that context, a $120 screen repair is 60% of replacement cost — probably replace. A $60 battery swap is 30% — definitely repair.

Factor in the age of the device

Age matters, but not in the way most people assume. A 2-year-old flagship phone is often worth repairing even at 60–70% of replacement cost, because you're preserving a device you know works well, has your data configured exactly how you want it, and still has years of software support ahead. A 5-year-old budget phone might not be worth repairing at even 30% of replacement cost if software updates have stopped.

What's actually broken matters a lot

Not all repairs are equal in what they signal about the device's future. A cracked screen or dead battery are wear-and-tear repairs — they say nothing about the health of the rest of the device. Fix them and you should have years more use.

Logic board problems are different. If the main board is failing, that's the heart of the device. Sometimes it's a specific component that can be resoldered — a power management chip, a connector, a filter — and the repair is clean. Other times the board is degraded in ways that make further failures likely. A good technician will tell you which situation you're in.

The hidden cost of replacing

The sticker price of a new device is rarely the real cost of replacing. Factor in: time spent setting up a new device, transferring data, re-downloading apps, re-entering passwords, and adapting to a new interface. If you use your phone for work, there's also the interruption cost. For most people this is worth $50–$150 in time and hassle — which shifts the math toward repairing.

Environmental case for repair

A smartphone requires roughly 80–90% of its lifetime carbon footprint to manufacture. The device you're already using is the greenest device you can own. Every year of extended life through repair is a year of manufacturing emissions avoided. This doesn't mean repair at any cost — but it's worth weighing.

When replacing genuinely makes sense

If your device is out of software support, struggling with current apps, has multiple things failing simultaneously, or is genuinely too old to repair economically — replacing is the right call. We'll tell you when we think that's the case. We'd rather give you an honest answer than take money for a repair that won't extend the device's life meaningfully.