Repair it, or buy a new phone?

This is the most important question and most people never ask it. A device no longer receiving updates grows less safe every month for banking, email and government logins. Repairing such a phone is money into a closing account. If it still has years of updates ahead, repair is nearly always the thriftier choice — for your wallet and for the pile of electronic waste.

A broken screen on an otherwise healthy device is an easy call. A broken screen plus a battery at seventy percent plus a charging port that no longer grips is a different matter. We always add that up for you before starting, so you do not learn about the next two repairs after paying for the first.

If you were already planning to switch within six months, a major repair is rarely wise — unless it makes the device sellable and the residual value comfortably covers the work. If you want another two years out of it, the calculation tips the other way fast.

Sometimes the repair is not about saving the device but about getting your photos out. That is a perfectly legitimate reason to have a phone opened that you will not use again. Tell us if that is your goal; we will approach it differently.