Repair or buy new — when is which worth it?

If the repair costs more than about half of what the phone is still worth used, you should take a second look. If it costs less, it is almost always worth it.

You can find the resale value in a few minutes: check on a second-hand marketplace what your model costs in good condition. That is the number you compare against.

This rule is deliberately rough. It doesn't replace a conversation, but it prevents the two most common mistakes: paying a lot to repair an old phone and throwing away a good phone because of a small issue.

Not every fault costs the same. This order applies to almost all smartphones, from cheapest to most expensive.

A three-year-old phone still has resale value and still gets updates. A repair almost always pays off here, because afterwards you have a phone that will keep running for more years.

With a device older than six or seven years, things look different. The resale value drops quickly, and a screen replacement can then cost more than the phone itself.

There is one exception we see often: phones that someone is attached to. A small iPhone that isn't made like that anymore, or a work phone with everything set up on it. If you know this and it is worth it to you, we repair it. We just tell you beforehand that it is not the best decision financially.

A phone without security updates eventually becomes a problem regardless of its condition, especially if you use it for banking.

Apple has traditionally supported iPhones with iOS updates for many years. Samsung has stepped up considerably with its current models and gives long-term update commitments for many devices. With cheap devices from other manufacturers, support often ends sooner.

Check this before you order a bigger repair. If your model hasn't had updates for a while, that points more towards switching.

A repaired phone is ready to use straight away. You don't have to set anything up again, move anything over or sign in to apps again. This effort is regularly underestimated when buying new.

Then there is the environmental side. Making a smartphone uses far more resources than any repair. Using a phone for two more years is the most effective thing you can do as an individual.

And finally: even if you want to sell the phone afterwards, a working phone is worth much more than a broken one. There is a separate article on that.

If we see that a repair probably won't last long or is out of proportion to the value of the phone, we tell you beforehand. You can still order the repair. That is your decision.

Typical cases are water damage that happened weeks ago, a badly bent frame in which a new screen won't sit properly, or a very old device with several faults at once.

Come by, listen to the diagnosis and then decide calmly, even if you decide against the repair.