Repairing a smartphone can cost over 1,000 euros: which components are the most expensive

With 1,149 euros you can buy a new smartphone, but it is also the amount that can be used to replace the internal screen of the iPhone Duo. The intervention costs almost half the starting price of the new “bitten apple” leaflet, equal to 2,369 euros. Even on traditional phones, however, a screen or camera can cost hundreds of dollars to repair.

The topic is even more current because today, 22 October 2026, the decree transposing the European directive on the right to repair comes into force in Italy. For certain products, such as washing machines, refrigerators, tablets and even smartphones, the legislation introduces new obligations for producers even outside the legal guarantee, without necessarily making interventions free: it will be forbidden to refuse repairs in certain cases and it will be mandatory to provide some sort of estimate, but there will be no economic incentives for consumers. Apple and Samsung’s service rates allow you to identify the most expensive repairs, understand the reasons for the price differences and evaluate when accidental damage insurance may be worth it.

The ranking of the most expensive smartphones to repair

The screens occupy the top positions, especially the complete modules of foldable phones. The following table collects a selection of indicative costs for paid interventions in Italy, ordered from highest to lowest. The ranking is not exhaustive and uses the official Apple and Samsung price lists.

Note: Prices shown are estimates for repairs not covered by warranty or insurance. Not all interventions are equivalent and the actual cost may change after diagnosis.

The ranking shows that it’s not just which component breaks that matters. Even a battery can have different costs between two models, while the price of a display depends on the parts that need to be replaced together with the panel.

The table concerns individual interventions. Apple also indicates 1,719 euros for the iPhone Duo in the “other damage” category, an entry that does not identify a single component.

Why some components cost so much: the reasons

A foldable screen must continue to display images and respond to touch even after repeated opening and closing. It is therefore not enough to make a traditional display thinner: you need materials capable of bending and layers designed to distribute stress. At the basis of this technology are flexible OLED panels.

The 7.6-inch iPhone Duo display is made up of ten ultra-thin layers. Apple describes high-strength glass above and below the panel and stickers that allow the different layers to slide over each other slightly when the phone closes, kind of like the pages of a book. The nanotexture reduces reflections and a titanium plate supports the structure. The hinge, however, is a distinct element.

Precisely this distinction explains why the price changes depending on the intervention. On the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Samsung estimates 610 euros for the AMOLED panel alone and 765 euros for the complete module, which also includes the metal frame with the hinge. However, replacing just the panel is only possible for certain types of damage and in equipped centres. In the case of the iPhone Duo, Apple also distinguishes the internal covering, the repair of which is estimated at 55 euros, from the actual folding panel.

Traditional displays don’t have the same folding needs, but they can still be expensive. In many smartphones the glass, the touch-sensitive layer and the panel are integrated into a compact whole: depending on the model and the fault, it may be necessary to replace the entire assembly rather than just the broken part. It’s one of the reasons why even the screen of an iPhone 18 Pro Max costs several hundred euros.

Cameras pose different problems. Sensors, lenses and stabilization systems are concentrated in very compact modules and it is not always possible to repair the faulty element separately. Batteries generally cost less, but to change them you have to open the phone and, in many models, remove them, paying attention to the stickers that hold them in place. It may be necessary to replace them even without any incident, because they age even when the phone is used little.

When insurance is worth it and when it isn’t

To evaluate the convenience of an accidental damage policy, you need to add the cost of coverage and the deductible, i.e. the amount that remains borne by the customer when a covered event occurs. The sum must be compared with the price of the same intervention without insurance.

For the iPhone Duo, AppleCare+ costs 359 euros for two years with advance payment. If only the internal screen accidentally breaks during the insured period and the damage is covered, the deductible is 99 euros. The overall cost for a repair would therefore be 458 euros, compared to the 1,149 euros expected without coverage: a difference of 691 euros.

Even for a traditional smartphone, coverage can be convenient. For the iPhone 18 Pro, the two-year AppleCare+ costs 249 euros and the deductible for limited damage to the screen is 29 euros. Considering just one replacement of the display, the total would be 278 euros, compared to 405 euros for the paid repair, or 127 euros difference.

The comparison changes again with the Galaxy Z Flip8. In this case, Samsung Care+ for accidental damage costs 199 euros for 24 months with advance payment, plus a 50 euro excess. In the case of a covered repair of the complete display module, the total of 249 euros would be 96 euros lower than the 345 euros of the Samsung price list. These are examples referring to a single accident in the insured period, not guaranteed savings for anyone who takes out a policy.

If no accident occurs during the two years, the cost of the policy remains the responsibility of the customer. And even when something breaks, a relatively inexpensive repair can cost less than the premium and deductible. For example, the rear glass of the iPhone Duo is estimated at 219 euros without AppleCare+, compared to the 388 euros that would be spent considering the two-year plan and the 29 euro deductible for a single intervention. The coverage would remain valid for other events covered by the contract.

The two services can also offer battery replacement at no additional cost when the capacity drops below 80% of the original one, according to their respective conditions. Theft and loss, however, require plans that expressly include these eventualities. It is therefore important to check coverages and exclusions.

Finally, the policy should not be confused with the legal guarantee of conformity. In Italy, for a new phone purchased by a consumer from a professional seller, the latter is liable for original defects of conformity that appear within two years of delivery. A breakage caused by a fall is not normally covered by protection; for a failure due to a covered defect, however, the consumer can contact the seller without having taken out any insurance. Furthermore, for purchases made from 31 July 2026, if you choose repair under the legal guarantee, the seller’s liability period is extended only once by an additional 12 months.