It has been reported that if the main display of a foldable iPhone (tentative name: iPhone Ultra) is damaged, the replacement repair cost will be more than half the price of the device itself.
Based on the estimated selling price of the cheapest model, the cost of replacing the iPhone Ultra display could exceed 150,000 yen including tax.
Estimating the cost of replacing the iPhone Ultra display
Estimates obtained by Forbes from a smartphone repair shop suggest that replacing the iPhone Ultra’s foldable display will cost around $1,155.
The same media expects the selling price of the iPhone Ultra to be over $2,000, and if it were $2,100, the cost of replacing the display would be about 55% of the price of the device.
Regarding the selling price of the iPhone Ultra in Japan, the lowest model is expected to be around 299,800 yen including tax, which is considered to be on the low side, and some believe that the higher priced model will cost more than 350,000 yen including tax.
165,000 yen to 193,000 yen?
Assuming that the display replacement cost will be approximately 55% of the unit price, and applying it to the expected selling price in Japan, the repair cost will be calculated as follows.
If the price is 299,800 yen including tax, it will be approximately 164,900 yen, and if the price is 350,000 yen including tax, it will be approximately 192,500 yen.
Therefore, it is quite possible that the cost of replacing the display without AppleCare+ will exceed 150,000 yen including tax. If the repair costs are this high, it seems more important than ever to consider signing up for AppleCare+ when purchasing an iPhone Ultra.
Even the cheapest estimate is about 125,400 yen
Forbes also reports that repairers predict that the cost of replacing the iPhone Ultra’s display will be more expensive than that of the Galaxy Z Fold8.
According to the Galaxy official website, the display replacement cost for Galaxy Z Fold8 starts from 87,670 yen. If the iPhone Ultra’s display replacement cost is about 1.43 times that of the Galaxy Z Fold8 as reported, it would be estimated to start at about 125,400 yen.
Looking at this comparison, replacing the iPhone Ultra’s main display could cost well over 100,000 yen.
Also pay attention to AppleCare+ pricing structure
Currently, under AppleCare+ in Japan, the service fee for damage to only the iPhone display is 3,700 yen including tax. However, it is not clear whether the same service fee will apply to the iPhone Ultra or whether the AppleCare+ fee itself will be set higher than the existing iPhone.
A Forbes article also points out that AppleCare+ for iPhone Ultra may be more expensive than existing models due to its folding structure and expensive display. Still, if the display replacement cost exceeds 100,000 to 150,000 yen without a warranty, the value of joining AppleCare+ is likely to be higher than that of previous iPhones.
In any case, if the iPhone Ultra’s display is damaged, the repair cost could be enough to buy a new iPhone 17e.
Source: Forbes, Galaxy repair fee/Samsung
Photo: Apple Hub/Facebook
Source: iPhone Mania
