A new iPhone is out, the one in your pocket has a crack across the corner and the battery is not what it was, and suddenly three options are on the table at once. Fix it, keep it. Fix it, sell it. Or hand it over as a trade-in and start again. The right answer is usually obvious once you know two numbers: what the repair costs and what the phone is worth today rather than what it was worth when you bought it.
START HERE · THE THREE-QUESTION TEST
- Is the repair less than about half of what the phone is worth now? If yes, repair usually wins.
- Do you actually want the new one, or are you only looking because it broke?
- Has this phone had a second fault in the last year? Two faults in twelve months is a pattern, not bad luck.
- Is the data on it backed up? Decide nothing until it is.
⚠ A phone that is worth selling this month is worth noticeably less by the new year. Whatever you decide, decide it soon.
The Rule We Use When People Ask
If the repair costs more than about half of what the phone would fetch today, stop and think about replacing it. That is the whole rule, and it settles most of these conversations in under a minute. We wrote the long version of it here: phone repair or replacement, and which saves more money.
The catch in launch month is that the second number moves. The value of your current phone drops fastest in the weeks right after a new model lands, so the same repair that looked sensible in August can look marginal by November on the same phone. That is not a reason to rush into a new one. It is a reason to make the decision now instead of leaving the phone in a drawer while you think about it.
When Repairing Is Clearly the Better Move
- The screen is cracked but the picture underneath is clean and touch works everywhere. This is the cheapest repair there is and it restores most of the resale value.
- The battery is the only complaint. A phone that needs charging by lunchtime and is otherwise fine is a battery, not an old phone.
- The charging port has got fussy. Often it is lint rather than a failed port, and a cleaning costs a fraction of a replacement.
- You like the phone. Two more years out of hardware you already own is the cheapest upgrade available.
All four are same-day work in most cases. You can start a quote online or read what an iPhone repair covers before you bring it in.
Skip the DIY with Computer Cave!
When It Is Time to Move On
- The repair is a large share of what the phone is worth. The half rule, applied.
- It is a second fault in a year on the same phone. Something structural has usually happened, often an old drop you had forgotten about.
- The phone is past software support, or close to it. A phone that stops getting security updates is a different kind of problem from a cracked screen.
- It got wet, dried out, and has been odd ever since. Corrosion does not stop, it just goes slowly.
None of those mean the old phone is worthless. They mean it is worth more as cash toward the new one than as the phone you keep carrying.
What Actually Moves Your Old iPhone’s Value
Buyback quotes are not mysterious. Four things do almost all the work, and three of them you can influence in an afternoon.
Biggest single factor
THE SCREEN
Second biggest
THE BATTERY
Working or broken
WHAT WE BUY
The fourth is storage, and there is nothing to be done about that one. What is worth knowing is that a cracked screen usually costs less to fix than it costs you in resale value, which is why “repair it, then sell it” is a real strategy rather than a sales line. Ask for both numbers before you decide.
Our instant buyback quote takes a few questions and gives you a figure you can hold the rest of this decision against. We buy phones in any condition, including ones that no longer power on.
Trade It In With Apple, or Sell It Locally?
What you get
Damaged Phones
Timing
Where
Apple Store
Computer Cave
Get It Ready Before You Hand It Over
✓ DO
- Back the phone up, then check the backup actually restored something before you wipe it.
- Sign out of your Apple account and turn off Find My. A phone still locked to an account cannot be resold.
- Erase all content and settings from the phone itself rather than from another device.
- Take the case and the screen protector off and give it a clean. It reads as a better-kept phone, because it is one.
✕ DON'T
- Leave the SIM or eSIM active. Move your number first.
- Wipe it before you have the backup. This is the one that people cannot undo.
- Assume a broken phone is worth nothing and bin it. That is money in the drawer.
- Wait until January. The value curve after a launch is steep and it only goes one way.
Your old device is worth cash - get paid same day!
Instant quote · +10% as trade-in credit · In store or by mail
