Two days before preorders, Apple finally put a price on breaking an iPhone Duo. If you skip AppleCare+, a cracked inner display costs $999, and Apple’s catch-all “other damage” fee is $1,499.
MacRumors spotted the new out-of-warranty estimates on Wednesday. AppleCare+ deductibles for the Duo were already public. Today’s update fills in the side most buyers hadn’t seen: what Apple charges when you pay for the repair yourself.
Without AppleCare+
These are Apple’s estimated U.S. repair fees for the iPhone Duo without coverage:
- Cover layer damage: $49
- Back glass damage: $199
- Battery service: $229
- Rear camera damage: $229
- Outer display damage: $379
- Outer display and back glass damage: $509
- Inner display damage: $999
- Other damage: $1,499
The Duo starts at $1,999. That makes the inner-display fee half the base price of the phone, and “other damage” 75 percent of it, as AppleInsider points out. AppleInsider notes that “other damage” typically covers damage that can’t be fixed with a simple component swap.
The best news on the list is that $49 cover layer. Apple has already said the nano-texture layer over the inner display can be removed and replaced. If a scratch or ding stops at that layer and the panel underneath is fine, you pay $49, not $999.
With AppleCare+
AppleCare+ for the Duo costs $19.99 a month, $199.99 a year, or $399 upfront. The Verge notes those prices are for AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss. With coverage, the fees drop to:
- Battery service (below 80% capacity): $0
- Cover layer damage: $19
- Back glass damage: $29
- Outer display damage: $29
- Inner display damage: $99
- Other accidental damage: $99
- Theft or loss: $149
Those deductibles match the iPhone rows on Apple’s AppleCare+ fees and deductibles page. That page lists separate tiers for cover-layer-only damage ($19) and inner display damage ($99), so the foldable’s extra parts get their own deductibles.
The math on one bad drop
The inner screen is where the numbers stop being close.
- No coverage: $999 for one inner-display repair.
- AppleCare+ upfront: $399 plus a $99 deductible, or $498.
- A year of AppleCare+: $199.99 plus $99, or about $299.
So one inner-screen repair costs more without coverage than the plan and the deductible together. For “other damage,” AppleCare+ takes $1,400 off the bill, from $1,499 to $99. If you would rather self-insure, a cracked outer display ($379) or back glass ($199) won’t ruin you. The folding panel is the part that will.
How it compares to Samsung
Android Authority, citing Samsung’s U.S. repair pricing page, says an inner-screen repair on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 costs $419, and $479 on the Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung’s bigger screen module replacements, which include connected parts, are $579 and $639. Even the highest of those is well under Apple’s $999.
Before Friday
Preorders open Friday, October 16, at 5:00 a.m. PT, and the Duo ships October 23. AppleCare+ is one of the choices in Apple’s Get Ready flow, so you can settle it now instead of at 5 a.m. With supply expected to be tight, that’s one less thing to decide when the order button goes live.
Your carrier plan or credit card may already cover some of this, so check before you add a second plan. If not, Apple’s own numbers make the case: on a $1,999 foldable, the inner screen is the part you want covered.
Reporting reference: MacRumors ↗