If you shatter your new Samsung Galaxy S8 display, then be prepared to pay a hefty repair fee for that bezel-less baby.
Yeah, you already purchased Samsung's latest flagship for approximately $700. The world's first Infinity Screen stares at you like it would never be anything less than perfectly bezel-less. Except if you drop it, that is.
If you drop it, which you are bound to do at some point, don't expect the glass to stay intact. Nope. In fact, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is found to be the most fragile smartphone around, according to SquareTrade, the extended warranty provider for consumer electronics.
The Galaxy S8 has a medium to high-risk breakability score of 76 out of 100. It's also the first phone to break on all sides after only one drop.
So now, what will it cost you if you do shatter your Samsung Galaxy S8? Well, you might be able to take your phone to a repair shop.
Motherboard stated that repair shop owners were hoping to get the price of screen replacements under $200, the cost of the average insurance deductible for screen repairs.
Although, Mobile Repair Technician, Mobile Repair Instructor, and Lead Hardware Technician for a refurbishing plant, Juan Manalo, noted to Gadget Hacks that the cost of AMOLED displays are way too high to turn a profit at the average repair shop: "Parts and labor will run about $350 at least on the S8."
That's $350 just for the screen replacement alone, which Justin Carroll, owner of the Fruit Fixed smartphone repair shop in Virginia, noted to Motherboard, wouldn't be worth it.
If we can get repair price under $200 you take away all of the value insurance has. The only thing insurance can usually beat us on price point. If they can't do that, then there's no reason to have it.
If repair shops can't get the cost of replacement screens at a decent price, then you might have a hard time finding a shop that will repair your Samsung phone for under $500. Or pay a decent price, but for a replacement display that might not exactly match the quality of your original Infinity screen:
In smaller shops I used to work in, we used to buy flagged phones with bad IMEI's but mint condition for dirt cheap to scrap for parts. As bad as that sounds, it was the only realistic way to charge cheap.
At the moment, most repair shops don't even have a quote as to how much replacing the S8 will cost. UBreakIFix repair shop in downtown Brooklyn starts at $249 to replace the Galaxy S7 screen, the same AMOLED display that the S8 has but smaller. The shop has yet to figure out the price of parts for the S8 and how much out-of-pocket cost that will mean for the consumer.
Either way, even if repair shops are able to maintain a price point of $200, that's still at least $200 from you with or without insurance from your carrier. You could get a case, though that will surely take away from the phone's design features and defeat the purpose of buying it.
After buying an over $700 phone, the last thing you want to do is ruin it with a case. Although, maybe ruining a $700 phone with a case is better than paying hundreds of dollars just to keep it in shape.
What do you think? Is the Samsung Galaxy S8 worth it? Let us know in the comments below!
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1 Comment
Are you kidding? I've had bad luck and dropped my S8 many times and it's still good... ugh I'm so lucky. Once I dropped it 2x in one morning...
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