Iona Bain
It is the scourge of clumsy smartphone users everywhere. One slip of the hand and your screen is shattered, becoming an eyesore and risking further damage to your device.It emerged this week that scientists at Sussex University are developing a new ‘unbreakable’ screen that could be on smartphones by 2018.
But meanwhile getting the problem fixed is not always easy or affordable. Warranties often don’t cover accidental damage, so the cost of repairing devices through their manufacturers can run into three figures.
Apple, which this week launched its long-awaited iPhone7, has also just raised its prices for repairing older smartphones by up to 50 per cent.
The cost of fixing a cracked iPhone 6 screen has risen from £79 to £119 and the 6 Plus from £99 to £139, it was reported.
At high street chain Timpsons, meanwhile, a Samsung Galaxy S5 screen repair costs £150 while iPhone fixes come in at £60 to £180.
A cheaper option is to go online, with web-based companies such as Fone Angels advertising “fast, professional” repairs that start from as little as £30.
Anyone looking to go down this route, however, should be aware that the actual cost could ultimately be higher because, unlike in an actual shop, the phone can’t be viewed prior to giving a quote.
One Edinburgh-based Herald reader, for example, noted that the £34.99 Fone Angels originally quoted to repair her Samsung Galaxy S5 phone screen rose to £134.99 after the company saw the phone.
The rise was due to the company having to remove the screen, which could cause damage to the LCD underneath.
A spokesman for Fone Angels admitted that such rises in quoted costs are one of the by-products of running such a business online, adding: “While we make every effort to warn customers if there is potential for additional faults or complications, this cannot always be known in advance.”
