Is AppleCare+ Worth Buying for Your iPhone?
Given the high costs of iPhones and repairs, it may be time to think about protecting your investment
With starting prices of $1,199 and $1,299, Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expensive pieces of tech. So it should come as no surprise that they’re costly to fix.
Have a cracked screen? Your friendly neighborhood Apple Store will replace it for $379, assuming Apple’s repair prices stay the same for this year’s Pro models. A new screen and back glass? That will set you back about $469. And if you need the phone’s rear camera fixed, that’ll cost about $249.
Need a phone that lasts all day? CR tests the battery life of every iPhone model in our ratings with this robot that mimics real-world usage.
But if you shell out $149.99 for an annual AppleCare+ plan, these problems become cheaper to deal with. Replacing the screen or back glass will run you just $29. For other accidental damage, it’s $99. To replace a lost or stolen phone, it’s $149. (AppleCare+ covers two loss or theft incidents per year.) The plan also gets you priority 24/7 tech support.
So is it worth it? The cost of AppleCare+ coverage has gone up in recent years, but so have the prices for certain iPhone repairs. AppleCare+ might give you some peace of mind, especially if you (or others in your family) are prone to dropping phones.
But that doesn’t make AppleCare+ a wise investment for everyone.
Here’s a deeper look at how much AppleCare+ plans cost and what they cover.
What AppleCare+ Costs
You can buy AppleCare+ at any point during the first 60 days of owning a new iPhone. It covers unlimited incidents of accidental damage, though you’ll pay the associated service fee for each. It also includes battery service or a replacement battery if your phone retains less than 80 percent of its original capacity. Conveniently, if you don’t have an Apple Store near you or need to have a working phone ASAP, AppleCare+ also covers the rush shipment of a replacement phone to your home and pays to have you send the broken one in for repair.
iPhone Air, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max
• AppleCare+ with theft and loss protection: $149.99 (annual coverage) or $14.99 per month.
iPhone 17 and 16
• AppleCare+ with theft and loss protection: $129.99 (annual coverage) or $12.99 per month.
iPhone 17e
• AppleCare+ with theft and loss protection: $109.99 (annual coverage) or $10.99 per month.
Whether those prices are worth it depends on what kind of phone you have and how much risk you’re comfortable with.
Let’s say you lose your iPhone 18 Pro within the first year of owning it. The cost of replacing it is $298 (a $149 deductible, plus the $149 you paid for the AppleCare+ plan). That’s a significant savings when you’re talking about a $1,199 phone.
But the savings aren’t as substantial in every scenario. If you drop your iPhone 17e and crack the screen, you’ll have to pay a $29 deductible to get the screen replaced. Add the $110 fee for AppleCare+, and your total cost is $139. If you don’t have the protection plan and need that repair, you’ll be paying $229. That’s a difference of only $90. If that level of risk seems acceptable to you, you’re probably better off skipping AppleCare+, especially if you protect your phone in a case and rarely drop it.
In CR’s annual smartphone survey, members reported that the most common reason they had their iPhones repaired was to replace the battery. For the iPhone 17 Pro (and presumably the iPhone 18 Pro, once Apple updates its pricing), the cost is $119 without AppleCare+; replacing the battery on an iPhone 13 costs $89.
These prices are less than the $120 annual fee for AppleCare+, so if your main concern is the battery wearing out, it’s cheaper to just have the battery replaced without the plan.
Keep in mind that every iPhone automatically comes with a one-year limited warranty, but this only covers hardware problems that aren’t the result of accidental damage. You’ll still be on the hook for, say, a cracked screen or broken camera from dropping your device.
Coverage under AppleCare+ also has restrictions. The plan doesn’t cover damage caused by “reckless, abusive, willful, or intentional conduct.” So if you were planning to test out your new phone’s toughness by running over it with a car, don’t. And you can’t collect on a theft or loss claim if you don’t have Find My iPhone activated at the time your device disappears.
Also, the repair costs we’re citing here are for work done by Apple. You might be able to get cheaper battery or screen replacements, for instance, at an independent shop. And if you’re not afraid to take apart your expensive phone, Apple now offers a self-service repair option that gives you access to genuine Apple parts, the repair manual, and rental tools. But the process is . . . difficult. Most people are better off leaving the repairs to professionals.
Why Is It So Expensive to Fix an iPhone?
When we’re talking about hundreds of dollars to replace a screen, it’s worth asking why all of these repairs are so expensive.
iPhones dating back to the iPhone 8 are sheathed in glass on the back and front, making them vulnerable to damage in a fall.
The front and back glass of the latest iPhone 18 Pro feature a durable "Ceramic Shield" material that fuses ceramic into the glass. But when it does break, that glass is expensive to repair.
Why do today’s phones use so much glass? Because metal interferes with wireless charging, according to Henry Parra, head of smartphone testing for Consumer Reports. “Apple’s designers could have used plastic, but that has a cheap look and doesn’t feel appropriate for a premium phone,” he says.
Still, Apple has made a concerted effort to improve the iPhone’s repairability.
Starting with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models, the company redesigned the frame to allow for the rear glass to be replaced more easily, substantially reducing repair costs for rear glass damage. Repairing it on the iPhone 14 Pro Max costs a whopping $609 without AppleCare+, but only $159 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
In any event, it’s smart to protect your iPhone with a sturdy case.
Watch the iPhone 15 Pro Max Drop Test
Viral videos claimed the phone cracked easily. See what CR’s test found.
Bottom Line
There’s really no right or wrong answer about whether you should pay for AppleCare+ coverage. It’s all about how much risk you’re willing to assume.
But the higher the price of the device, the more it might make sense to pay for a little peace of mind.
If the thought of having to unexpectedly shell out nearly $600 to repair your phone is worrisome, the $110 to $150 AppleCare+ cost might well be worth it.
If you’re buying the phone for a teenager whose smartphone takes some abuse, the added insurance might save you some grief, too.
Unlike automotive insurance, Apple’s coverage doesn’t hinge on past behavior. A serial phone smasher pays the same as someone who has never cracked a screen. As a result, AppleCare+ costs and restrictions are designed with high-risk people in mind.
And that means if you’re a klutz or just prone to bad luck, AppleCare+ coverage is probably a better deal for you than it is for others.
