Why Buy AppleCare + for IPhone X
Apple announced how much it would cost to repair an iPhone X without AppleCare + on Friday, and it’s a lot more expensive than it used to be – likely due to that trendy new OLED display . If you’ve missed the protection plan before, think twice this time.
New prices for Apple repairs
Take a look at the table above for the cost of repairs without AppleCare + and you will immediately notice the difference. A simple screen repair for the iPhone X ($ 279) is nearly double the price of the iPhone 8 ($ 149) and 8 Plus ($ 169). Screenless repairs aren’t cheap either – $ 549 compared to $ 349 for the iPhone 8 and $ 399 for the 8 Plus.
AppleCare + is also more expensive than before, at $ 199 for two years of service, up from $ 129 on the iPhone 8 and $ 149 on the 8 Plus. But once you pay for the extended warranty, the cost of repairs drops to $ 29 for screen damage and $ 99 for everything else. (Without AppleCare +, you only cover one year and only for manufacturing defects.)
That’s a lot of numbers, but it all means that if you break the iPhone X screen even once, you’ll save money with AppleCare + by spending $ 228 instead of $ 279. In previous models, it was cheaper to do without a protection plan if you end up hacking the screen just once.
So when you buy an iPhone X (assuming you can even get your hands on it ), consider whether you should pay for AppleCare +. You will thank yourself in a few months if you drop it and the screen breaks.