Most people use their laptop as their primary workstation. Which means that they wouldn’t want any kind of damage happening to it. Your laptop’s screen is the most sensitive part of your machine. Because it is quite fragile and therefore prone to damage. It’s pretty common for a laptop screen to break. With old laptops, the damage might even seem random.
But you should remember that it occurred because of a gradual buildup of wear and tear over time. Your laptop will be impossible to use with a broken screen. So you should first start off by figuring out how much it would cost to fix it.
Laptop screen repair can cost a lot of money, and for good reason. Screens are expensive, and the price can vary based on the type of laptop that you have. Gaming laptops will use higher-end screens than regular work machines after all.
So you should factor in the laptop type when researching screen repair prices. Chances are that you will have to replace your laptop screen entirely. Since screen damage is usually not something that can be fixed without a replacement.
Lots of other factors come into play as well. Such as the size of the laptop in question. All of this can result in a pretty hefty bill when you give your laptop to get repaired. But for a lot of people, their laptop is their entire livelihood.
Which means that they would be willing to pay the big bucks in order to get it repaired. The final factor would concern the laptop brand. Since different brands manufacture screens at different price points. And you need to keep this in mind when you are doing your laptop repair research.
Laptop Screen Repair Costs
The first brand we are going to discuss is Acer because Acer is a highly popular brand that people use quite regularly. For a 15.6 inch screen, you would likely need to spend around $400.
That includes $300 for the screen and an additional $100 as payment for the technician. It is important to pay the technician a hefty fee in this instance. Acer laptops have a solid body. This means that taking them apart is a bit more difficult. And you need to take them apart in order to fix the screen.
The good news is that for other brands the cost might be lower. Since there would be less labor involved. This means that you can pay the cost of the screen and minimal labor costs. That would bring your total up to around $350. This is a good ballpark figure for the majority of brands. It will help you get a brand new screen that is original as well.
Be careful of suppliers that would try to pass a fake screen off to you. This screen will not work as well as an original screen. And it might break down a lot more quickly as well. That would make the lower costs less worthwhile. As you would have to pay for a new screen yet again before too long.
Why Your Laptop Screen Might Cost More
The number we have given above is just a rough estimate. Laptop screens can sometimes cost a lot more. Such as if you have an old laptop.
Old laptop screens will have components that are rare and difficult to locate. What’s more, is that the laptops need to be handled with more care and you might not find a lot of people that know how to open older laptops up.
For older models, the screen price can be upwards of $400. And with labor costs, the total would come up to $550 or more. In some instances, the cost of replacing a screen might exceed $600 on older laptops. This is why we suggest that you just purchase a new laptop. At prices like these, you can get a decent laptop with a brand new screen of course. It’s just not worth repairing older laptops unless they have some kind of sentimental value. Because a new laptop can be purchased at a similar price.
Some might assume that a touch screen would be more expensive to replace. But this isn’t true at all. In fact, touch screens cost the same as any other type of screen. In some cases, they could even cost a bit less. You can buy a new touch-based laptop screen for around $250-300. The labor costs would be the same. So don’t worry if your laptop’s touchscreen breaks. It won’t be excessively expensive to repair.
How to Save Money on Laptop Screen Repairs
The most obvious way to save money here would be to replace the screen yourself. You can’t make the screen any cheaper but you can avoid paying some of the labor costs. This is only possible for very experienced people that know the inner workings of a laptop can proceed without any real trouble. Others will have to proceed with caution, though. You don’t want to open your laptop up to replace the screen only to damage it further after all.
You can take a look at this helpful video from CNET on how to replace a laptop screen yourself:
Another tip that some people try to give is that you can give your laptop to the manufacturer if it is under warranty. But screens are often not covered under warranty especially if the damage was caused by a fault of your own.
A disadvantage of this is that warranty repairs can often be subpar. You might be better off giving it to a professional that you would pay in full. But if the screen broke down without you making a mistake, the warranty option can work quite well. Since you can avoid the rather substantial cost of the screen itself. The labor costs are not high enough to cause any concern all in all.
FAQ
Do I Have to Buy an Original Screen?
Original screens are expensive, so you might be tempted to buy a knockoff due to their more reasonable pricing. However, you should know that only original screens would work properly with your laptop. Fake ones might work well initially, but eventually, they would break down, so you might end up spending more money in the long run on repairs and replacements. You might also notice the lower quality if you use your laptop for graphic design or even if you watch a movie on it.
Can I Repair My Screen Instead of Replacing It?
It depends on the issue you are facing, but usually, the answer is no. A blank or unresponsive screen might indicate a problem with the cable, in which case you can replace that instead of the screen. However, most of the time, you will need to replace your screen if it’s not working or broken because it’s impossible to repair the damage.