A broken iPhone X screen is more expensive to replace than any other iPhone
- iPhone X screen repairs are a lot more expensive than any other iPhone.
- AppleCare+ isn't much cheaper.
- You should probably buy a case if you don't want to spend money on iPhone X repairs.
You'll want to seriously consider using a good case if you buy the iPhone X.
It'll cost you $280 to repair a cracked iPhone X screen if you don't have AppleCare+. That's $110 more than the cost of repairing an iPhone 8 Plus screen, which costs $170. It's also $130 more than repairing a regular iPhone 8's screen.
And here's another way to look at it: $280 is over a quarter of the iPhone X's $1,000 price tag before taxes.
Even AppleCare+ doesn't soften the blow and cost of a cracked iPhone X screen repair. It'll cost you $200 to get AppleCare+ itself, then an additional $30 for the screen repair, making for a total of $230. That's still just above a quarter of the iPhone X's price tag before taxes.
I can understand why an iPhone X owner wouldn't want a case on their new iPhone. The iPhone X has a gorgeous 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED display, and a case would remove some of the edge-to-edge display's effect. And cases with the highest protection against screen cracks tend to be pretty bulky. But if you don't have AppleCare+, you're much better off getting some sort of protection against accidental drops.
Those who do buy AppleCare+ have less to worry about, as they've already put $200 down towards a screen repair as insurance. Still, a case would protect the iPhone X's shiny metal edges and glass back from scratches, cracks, dings, dents, and scuffs, which are a lot harder to repair than a cracked screen. For a damaged body, you'd have to buy a whole new iPhone X, or live with the fact that your $1,000 phone's body is damaged until you upgrade to a new phone.
The choice is yours: Revel in your iPhone X's gorgeous design and screen, or buy a case.