How Much You Should Actually Be Paying To Replace A Samsung Phone Screen

Though a smartphone's battery is the component with the most predictable lifespan, there's a good chance you'll end up having to replace the phone's screen first. Despite manufacturers' best efforts to protect these screens — not the least of which is Apple's Sapphire crystal and the newly-announced Gorilla Glass Victus 2 — consumers manage to crack phone displays with nothing more than a fumble of the hands while standing on a sidewalk. The result, more often than not, is a substantial repair bill.

Thus, the consumer is forced into the confusing and sometimes shady world of tech repair, with some shops quoting substantially cheaper screen replacement costs than others. In a best-case scenario, the smartphone — a Samsung handset, in this case — will be covered by an insurance policy like Samsung Care+ that will pay for part or all of the repair costs. You'll need to take your phone to an authorized technician for the repair to be covered by the insurance policy, and the company behind the plan will likely direct you to the center closest to your location that qualifies.

In other scenarios, however, you're free to get your phone fixed wherever you'd like. There's no single standard repair cost for fixing a Galaxy phone screen, and while many shops offer fair prices in order to remain competitive, some will try to rip off unsuspecting customers, and others will offer cheap services with predictably cheap results. How much should you pay to get a Galaxy screen replaced?

The tricky part about budgeting for a phone repair is that the final cost will be influenced by a number of factors, while the fees listed by a repair shop are rough estimates of what you can expect to pay. One of the biggest factors that determine the cost is which Samsung phone model you have — if you broke a brand-new Galaxy flagship, you can expect to pay substantially more for the repair than someone who has a mid-range A-Series model, for example. Part of the higher cost is due to the complexity that comes with servicing phones that have high-end designs.

In addition, the price you pay will depend on whether the shop has the right part in stock or has to order it, as you may be required to pay an extra fee in the latter case. You can save money by accepting a generic replacement screen rather than an OEM component, but this may come with the downside of poorer image quality and even a lower screen resolution. Beyond that, another influencing factor in the price you can expect to pay is the extent of the damage.

What many refer to as a cracked phone screen is simply a crack in the piece of glass that covers the sensitive digitizer underneath — these repairs are typically cheaper, as only the glass needs to be replaced in most cases. If you can still use the damaged screen on your phone, that likely means only the glass is cracked. If, however, the screen is totally black, white, or covered with strips of rainbow-colored artifacts, that means more than just the surface layer of glass is damaged and you'll need to pay more for the full replacement component.

If you shop around for the best prices, you'll likely come across two relatively inexpensive options: independent repair shops that aren't authorized by Samsung to repair Galaxy smartphones, and individuals who can do the repair for you, such as a friend. Neither option is necessarily bad, but there are some risks involved with going either of these routes.

Independent repair shops may not guarantee their work or may fail to honor a guarantee if the repair is performed incorrectly or if the phone ends up damaged during the repair. As well, these repair shops may claim to use an OEM display while actually installing a cheap lower-quality generic replacement, resulting in lackluster colors, poor touch response, a low screen resolution, or similar issues.

Meanwhile, having a friend or some other individual perform a DIY repair can be incredibly inexpensive — they may only ask you to pay for the cost of the replacement screen, for example. However, you are putting your trust in this person who may accidentally damage other components in the phone or fail to replace the display properly. This individual may be unwilling to replace the phone or pay for a certified technician to fix any mistakes they make, leaving you with a larger bill in the long run.

A Samsung Authorized Service Center is a phone repair shop that has Samsung's blessing to fix Galaxy devices that are under warranty — you'll end up using one of these locations if you have Samsung Care+, for example. However, you can take your phone to any of these stores and pay out of pocket for them to repair your device, as well. Due to their partnership with Samsung, you can expect that you'll get genuine components and that the technicians have been trained to properly service these devices. As well, these shops may offer their own limited warranty, and will honor it if their repair fails within a certain period of time.

It's important to note that a shop doesn't necessarily have to be authorized by Samsung in order to offer high-quality repairs, however. Samsung maintains a list of what it calls Independent Service Providers (ISPs) on its website, explaining that while these shops can't perform warranty repairs, they are in the pipeline to receive genuine Galaxy parts from Samsung, which also provides ISPs with the proprietary tools that service technicians need to fix its gadgets. These centers may quote higher costs compared to random indie repair shops that aren't part of an established brand, but the odds of getting quality results are higher, and you may save money in the long run as a result.

If your Galaxy device is covered by an insurance policy, you can find out how much you'll pay for the screen replacement by looking at your coverage documents or calling the company to find your deductible — that's the percentage of the cost that you will have to pay. The exact deductible and terms related to the repair will vary based on whether your coverage is through a wireless carrier, a home or renter's insurance policy, or a third-party gadget coverage provider.

If you have a Samsung Care+ policy for the Galaxy phone that has a broken screen, you can find the repair cost for your phone by logging in to your account and checking your plan's coverage. According to Samsung, the cost to replace a cracked screen ranges from $29 to $249, with the price you pay being hinged on which Samsung Care+ plan you have (Tier 1-4). Keep in mind that there's a limit on how many times a phone can get certain repairs in one year; if you've exceeded that limit, you may have to pay the full price.

If you don't have a Samsung Care+ plan, you'll need to pay for the full cost of the repair. One popular phone repair company is uBreakiFix, which lists its prices on its website. At the time of writing, the estimated cost to replace the screen on a base model Galaxy S22 was $220, for example, while the owner of an older Galaxy S8 will pay $242. Another established company is Batteries+Bulbs, which lists the cost of replacing a Galaxy S8 screen at a slightly cheaper $220, at the time of writing. To get a snapshot look at out-of-warranty Galaxy phone screen replacement prices, check out the cost estimates shared by Swappa.