Should Buy AppleCare+ for the iPhone X

Why You Should Buy AppleCare+ for the iPhone X

Apple revealed how much it will cost to fix the iPhone X without AppleCare+ on Friday and it’s a lot more expensive than it used to be—probably because of that fancy new OLED display. If you’ve skipped the protection plan before, you may want to think twice this time around.

Apple’s New Repair Prices

Take a look at the chart above, which shows the cost of repairs without AppleCare+, and you’ll notice the difference immediately. Just repairing the iPhone X screen ($279) is almost twice as expensive as it was on the iPhone 8 ($149) and 8 Plus ($169). Non-screen repairs aren’t cheap either at $549, compared to $349 on the iPhone 8 and $399 on the 8 Plus.

AppleCare+ is also more expensive than it used to be, at $199 for two years of coverage, 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 goes down to $29 for screen damage and $99 for everything else. (Without AppleCare+ you’re only covered for one year and only for manufacturing defects).

That’s a lot of numbers, but what it all means is that if you break your iPhone X screen just once, you’ll save money thanks to AppleCare+, spending $228 instead of $279. With previous models, it’s actually been cheaper to go without the protection plan if you only end up cracking the screen once.

So when you’re buying the iPhone X (assuming you can even get your hands on one) take an extra minute to think about whether you should pay for AppleCare+. You’ll thank yourself a few months from now if you drop it and the screen shatters.