iPad glass: costs and prices for repairs

The touchscreen glass of the iPad broke in the event of a fall. What does a repair cost, or is it even a warranty claim?

The iPad glass has broken: what to do?

First of all, the bad news: Even if you still have a guarantee on your iPad - Apple does not pay for certain damages. That's in the fine print. This includes problems caused by the owner such as water damage or display breaks. But the good news immediately afterwards: There are repair options.

10 euros: the protective film & 50 euros: prevention

If there are minor breaks, but the touchscreen continues to function without any problems, it may be sufficient to buy a transparent protective film that costs around 10 euros. Some varieties even promise to heal small display breaks. However, this did not work in the test.

• Now it is of course too late, but to avoid such fall damage in the future, it is worth buying a protective case that promises breakage protection. Devices from Otterbox such as the Otterbox Defender Case performed particularly well in the test for around 45 euros.
• We present you more protective covers in this practical tip.

50 to 100 euros: self-repair

Himself is the man / woman. The lowest costs are incurred if you lend a hand. However, you should be familiar with electronics - or accept certain risks.

• Instructions on how to disassemble an iPad can be found on YouTube under the keyword "iPad disassembly". You can purchase the necessary spare parts yourself from Apple, eBay or specialized online shops. The prices depend on which iPad model you own and how big the damage is. Is only the outer glass affected? Then the price could be limited to around 45 (for the iPad2) to 100 euros. It becomes more expensive if the touchscreen functional part is also affected. And most expensive if it is an iPad Air. In the worst case, the total comes to around 150 euros.
• There is also very cheap polishing paste that advertises that it can repair scratches on the display. For a price around 5 euros, however, this seems suspect.
• Experts strongly advise against self-repair! The reason: Apple no longer accepts a guarantee afterwards - even if you were still entitled to time! The warranty ends as soon as a non-Apple person opens the iPad.
• Caution with self-repair! An iPad is very complicated to build, and specialist workshops ensure that they are aware of many cases in which iPads have been completely destroyed during non-professional repair attempts.

120 to 250 euros: professional repair services

There are many specialized repair services that even offer quick help with free shipping and delivery. In the case of the iPad 2 shown above, an Apple-authorized repair service in Berlin estimated the cost at 250 euros.

• In big cities like Hamburg there are even branches with the www.ihelpstore.de that can repair within 30 minutes, but also offer a nationwide return service with a quotation.
• The same applies to the provider Justcom. For comparison: ihelpstore charges a flat rate of 119 euros for the repair of the iPad2 display including the touchscreen and provides a 24-month warranty. Shipping costs are not added. At Justcom it costs 99 euros, but shipping costs extra. An iPad3 or iPad4 would be 20 euros more expensive.

• Build an SSD using only USB sticks, simply amplify your WLAN and build an iPhone Luper - we show you how!
• In the CHIP kiosk you will find the CHIP special issue either as a booklet or as a PDF for download.

When transporting an iPad with cracks and / or breaks on the touchscreen, it is important that it does not get too cold. Otherwise the situation threatens to worsen. Therefore pack well, especially in winter, ideally wrap it unbreakable in warm cloths - even if you send it to a repair service. In addition, it needs to be carefully considered whether a repair is still worthwhile. Alternatively, you could also sell the broken iPad on eBay & Co. and buy a new, better model. On eBay, for example, a broken iPad2 still costs around 125 euros.