The core question
Divide the repair cost by the extra years it realistically buys, then compare that with the cost of a replacement divided by its expected years of service. The lower number wins.
A $90 battery that buys two more years costs $45 a year. A $700 phone expected to last six years costs about $117 a year. The repair wins, even though it feels like patching an old thing.
Work out your own
Pick your device and the two years fields fill themselves in. Both stay editable, so a real quote always beats our estimate. Prices are yours to supply: this site does not know what your local shop charges.
When repair almost always wins
- Wear is the limiting factor, not the security cutoff. The calculator names which one it is.
- The fix is a battery or a screen, the two commonest and cheapest repairs.
- You are within a year or two of the estimate, so a small spend stretches the remaining runway.
When replacing wins instead
- The device is at or past its security cutoff. No repair fixes a security deadline.
- Several things are failing at once. Battery, screen and port together exceed the device’s value.
- You genuinely need capability no repair provides.
A quick gut check
If a repair costs more than 30-40% of a new device, replacement is usually better value: the repaired device is still old everywhere else, while a new one resets the clock on everything.
General guidance, not a quote. Repair prices vary by model and by who does the work.
Run the calculator on your device → · Check your official support date