How Much Does It Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen?

A broken laptop does not spark joy, especially for people who rely on this device in many aspects of their life such as work, communication, gaming and entertainment. Thankfully, a busted laptop does not have to mean the end of the world, especially if your problem were just a damaged screen because this is fairly easy and affordable to fix.

Does My Laptop’s Warranty Cover Screen Repair?

Before incurring any cost, a practical mind would consider going the free route, so if you have a fairly new laptop, you may have already thought of using your laptop’s warranty to cover screen repair. Unfortunately, laptop warranties generally do not cover accidental damage—or damages incurred by the owner or user, under which falls broken screen. This has long been an issue of consumer versus vendor where the former lobbies for gizmo warranties to cover accidental damage, but we have yet to wait and see what happens in the future.

Speaking of future, if you’d want to secure the future of your laptop, you may want to consider purchasing insurance for it. Gadget giant Apple offers AppleCare+ for its line of MacBook, which covers a wide range of hardware repairs including battery, memory and screen.

Going back to the present, however—you have a busted screen and no insurance for your laptop, so your question is, how much does it cost to fix a laptop screen?

Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen – DIY

If you’re accustomed to niggling with your devices, you may have already gained the confidence to perform DIY repairs. Otherwise, this is something you would have to give serious thought. Tinkering with your laptop has dire consequences; it voids your laptop warranty, and, if not done right, could result in more damage than good.

As with most projects, DIY laptop repairs are cheaper than professional repairs. According to Hewlett-Packard, DIY laptop screen repair could cost you around $50 to $100, and takes about an hour or two to perform. Before purchasing a replacement laptop screen and delving into the task, here are some important things you have to understand:

• Identify the exact model of your laptop as this will determine the type of screen you would be needing.
• Make sure that a broken screen is the only problem you have with your laptop. This can be tested by connecting your device to a working monitor. If the laptop appears to be working well, there is a great chance that the problem is, indeed, a broken screen.
• Inspect your laptop thoroughly for other damages. Replacing your screen fixes only the screen and does not address any other issue. Similarly, if your broken screen were a result of other physical damages, then replacing it could be rather complicated.
• Have all the necessary tools handy before you begin with the project. Think of yourself as a surgeon about to perform an operation; you wouldn’t touch your patient without having all your tools and equipment cleanly laid out, would you?
• In connection with the previous item — unless you can perform the screen repair flawlessly simply from memory, prepare an extensive guide to DIY laptop screen repairs and understand each step before you proceed.

Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen – Professional

Taking your laptop for screen repairs to a professional technician is a smart choice if you are far from being tech savvy. Obviously, it would cost you more, about $100 more, but it is a small price to pay for a job expertly done as compared with DIY repairs that could go awry under inexperienced hands.

Hiring a professional to service your broken laptop screen could cost you around $125 to $225+, depending on the extent of damage and the age and model of your device. According to Computer Repair Doctor, a famous chain of computer repair centers in the US, this price range already covers labor and part replacement. As a rule of thumb, the more sophisticated your laptop is, such as a touch screen one, the more expensive the repair is going to be.

Once you have decided to hire a professional to fix your laptop screen, the next choice you have to make is where to take it, whether to the laptop’s manufacturer or to a local computer repair shop. Either of these options has its corresponding advantages and disadvantages. If you pick the first option, you get to maintain your warranty but it could take weeks (or even months!) before you get your laptop back; and if you choose the second, you would void your laptop’s warranty but you would have your device back in just a day or up to a week at most, depending on how busy the store is.

The most important thing you have to remember when hiring a professional for laptop repairs is to do diligent research. Search online, seek recommendations from trusted peers, and do not hesitate to ask experts for advice.