iPhone X Cracked iPhone X conundrum

[abbstrack]

Finally dropped and cracked the front glass of my iPhone X, 6 months after having the same thing happen to the back glass. I already purchased and returned the iPhone 11 Pro once when I broke the back screen only to return it b/c it didn't feel like a significant enough upgrade and I figured I'd limp through to September, but now i've got shards of glass coming out of the front screen that I can't feasibly use for too much longer.

Wanted to get a 2nd (or 3rd, or whatever) opinion on my options:

1. take it to apple, pay $549 for the "other damage" repair..my question with this option is will they just swap it or repair?
2. 3rd party screen repair - There's a 3rd party screen repair nearby that quoted me $249 for front and back repair. I've never done any 3rd part repairs before and am a bit leery about non-original parts and their potential effect on performance, so any guidance/insights here from anyone who haswould be appreciated.
3. suck it up, buy an unlocked iphone 11pro (face ID is a feature I can't live without anymore), and trade it in and hope to get upwards of $600 (is this a realistic expectation considering the iPhone XS Max only gets $500 right now) from Apple when the iPhone 12 is released. If $600 is realistic, to me this and option 1 are about the same, with this option being more about having a newer phone vs. paying nearly $600 for a 2 year old device.

Any other options I'm not considering? End goal remains being able to easily upgrad to the 12 when it comes out, so just looking for the best temporary option that's cost effective but doesn't completely change my user experiencei with my phone for the next 4 months.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I'd sell the X for whatever you can get for it then go purchase the phone you want to use for the next 2-3 years. I definitely wouldn't let a 3rd party repair the phone because for the price they're quoting, you won't be getting an oled panel plus the phone won't have any water resistance after the rear glass replacement. Paying Apple the $549 will get you a refurbished "white box" iPhone X but the phone won't be worth $549 if you try to sell or trade it in for a newer phone.. Your phone as is can be used for parts so someone will want it.

 

[abbstrack]

I'd sell the X for whatever you can get for it then go purchase the phone you want to use for the next 2-3 years. I definitely wouldn't let a 3rd party repair the phone because for the price they're quoting, you won't be getting an oled panel plus the phone won't have any water resistance after the rear glass replacement. Paying Apple the $549 will get you a refurbished "white box" iPhone X but the phone won't be worth $549 if you try to sell or trade it in for a newer phone.. Your phone as is can be used for parts so someone will want it.

I hadn't considered just selling it as is, so something to consider, thanks. It is unlocked, and has 256GB, so maybe I can get between $150-200 for it.

One other thing I meant to ask is will apple repair just the front screen for the $249 price when the back glass is broken, or is that physically impossible because to disassemble and reassemble the back needs to be in one piece?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I hadn't considered just selling it as is, so something to consider, thanks. It is unlocked, and has 256GB, so maybe I can get between $150-200 for it.

One other thing I meant to ask is will apple repair just the front screen for the $249 price when the back glass is broken, or is that physically impossible because to disassemble and reassemble the back needs to be in one piece?

That I can't answer. They may feel that it's possible they could damage the rear glass more when replacing the screen and might not want to be responsible for that. It never hurts to ask them though.. I would think they'd try and push for an exchange for $549 that way you would get essentially a "like new" device.. You might want to see the process 3rd party repair services follow to replace the rear glass on Youtube. It doesn't look like something I'd trust someone to do to my phone. Unfortunately Apple has made it impossible to replace the rear glass without completely destroying the water resistance as well as possible damage to the wireless charging coil or rear cameras..

 

[Fusionskies]

If that were me, I would just sell it as is for whatever I could get for it. Just curious, how much is it worth on Apple's trade in, though you will almost always get more for it through private sale...

 

[posguy99]

<shrug> Put a screen protector and a case on it, if you don't want to replace it.

 

[ericwn]

I’d sell the broken stuff off or frame it and hang it up as a warning to future self.

The buy the tool you need at that moment.
Or alternatively get something used and sell it off. Or maybe a cellular iPad mini as a way to bridge the time until there’s an iPhone you like.

 

[44267547]

If that were me, I would just sell it as is for whatever I could get for it. Just curious, how much is it worth on Apple's trade in, though you will almost always get more for it through private sale...

You’d be surprised what buyers on eBay will pay for smashed iPhones. They actually go for quite a bit, and that’s just for the recycling of the parts that can be used for other phones. There are hundreds, if not thousands of third-repair shops that purchase smashed iPhones all the time For back up parts in their stores. And they will pay a premium to have them, you just want to make sure that anything that’s not encrypted on the iPhone, is erased/deleted For security reasons, as I don’t trust others intentions of why they want those phones other than for parts.

 

[valinda]

You can also buy a cheap phone on swappa in the meantime.

 

[DevinNj]

You can also buy a cheap phone on swappa in the meantime.

^This. If you were looking at upgrading this year anyway, I'd try and sell it as-is and pick up a phone until the fall. You can actually get some pretty good deals on swappa, which would make a good backup if something happened (knock on wood) to your new phone.