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iPhone 11 AppleCare or not? That is the question.

Did you purchase AppleCare with your iPhone 11?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 61 53.5%

  • No.

    Votes: 53 46.5%
  • Total voters
    114
81Tiger04

81Tiger04

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 11, 2009
465
37
SC
So my wife and I each had AppleCare on our 8 Plus phones. Luckily, neither of us ever had to use it in 2 years. And that's with kids! I have to give the Lifeproof NEXT a lot of credit. A lot.

That brings us to this - Do we get AppleCare on the 11? Getting it means the added security of knowing our phones can get fixed if something were to happen. Not getting it saves $300. Maybe we're paying for something we don't really need. Maybe.

So what would you do? What have you done?
 
It's a gamble. It's nice to have if you need to use it, but there's no right or wrong answer. Folks will chime in and tell you to see the other 9,000 posts about this, but in the end it's a gamble.
 
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81Tiger04 said:
So my wife and I each had AppleCare on our 8 Plus phones. Luckily, neither of us ever had to use it in 2 years. And that's with kids! I have to give the Lifeproof NEXT a lot of credit. A lot.

That brings us to this - Do we get AppleCare on the 11? Getting it means the added security of knowing our phones can get fixed if something were to happen. Not getting it saves $300. Maybe we're paying for something we don't really need. Maybe.

So what would you do? What have you done?
Click to expand...

How many iPhone's have you both broken in the entire history of owning iPhone's? I'd say if you've only broken a screen once, then might not make sense to get AC. If you've broken 2+ screens then you may be on those people where it pays off. :)

edit: One item to think about with the iPhone 8-11 models is they have glass backs for wireless charging compatibility. I've heard if you break the back glass its actually worse. They basically have to give you a whole new phone, and if you don't have AC its very costly.
 
If you know you are klutz and drops the phone frequently, absolutely, buy the apple care. If you are sure handed and rarely drops the phone, a good case is sufficient.
 
Extended warranties are sold for profit. If electronic devices are going to fail, they usually fail early on, when the device is still under manufacturer warranty (see bathtub curve for electronics). It is exceedingly rare for a device to fail in that 2-3 year window covered by an extended warranty. Additionally, on the rare occasion that something does fail in that 2-3 year window, the warranty still doesn't necessarily pay for itself, because often times you can still repair the problem for less than the cost of the extended warranty (e.g. battery replacement).

My advice is to open a bank account, and every time you're going to purchase an extended warranty, simply put the money in the bank account instead. On the rare occasion a device does fail in that 2-3 year window, pay for it out of the bank account. In the long run, you'll come out far, far ahead.
 
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I get Applecare with Theft Protection, I had my iPhone X stolen and being able to get a new iPhone at a quarter of the price without having to shell out a ton of money really helps.
 
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shoehornhands said:
Extended warranties are sold for profit. If electronic devices are going to fail, they usually fail early on, when the device is still under manufacturer warranty (see bathtub curve for electronics). It is exceedingly rare for a device to fail in that 2-3 year window covered by an extended warranty. Additionally, on the rare occasion that something does fail in that 2-3 year window, the warranty still doesn't necessarily pay for itself, because often times you can still repair the problem for less than the cost of the extended warranty (e.g. battery replacement).

My advice is to open a bank account, and every time you're going to purchase an extended warranty, simply put the money in the bank account instead. On the rare occasion a device does fail in that 2-3 year window, pay for it out of the bank account. In the long run, you'll come out far, far ahead.
Click to expand...

the manufacturer warranty is 90 days right?
 
missbing said:
1 Year
Click to expand...
Oh wow. So if the phone is fully covered for 1 year, I could then save $150 on AC and trade it in after 1 year (instead of 2) and benefit from higher trade in values as well (likely $100 more)? So that's $250 per phone or $500 for both of us. 🤔
 
81Tiger04 said:
Oh wow. So if the phone is fully covered for 1 year, I could then save $150 on AC and trade it in after 1 year (instead of 2) and benefit from higher trade in values as well (likely $100 more)? So that's $250 per phone or $500 for both of us. 🤔
Click to expand...

It's a limited warranty so will only cover manufacturer defects and not accidental damage.
 
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shoehornhands said:
Extended warranties are sold for profit. If electronic devices are going to fail, they usually fail early on, when the device is still under manufacturer warranty (see bathtub curve for electronics). It is exceedingly rare for a device to fail in that 2-3 year window covered by an extended warranty. Additionally, on the rare occasion that something does fail in that 2-3 year window, the warranty still doesn't necessarily pay for itself, because often times you can still repair the problem for less than the cost of the extended warranty (e.g. battery replacement).

My advice is to open a bank account, and every time you're going to purchase an extended warranty, simply put the money in the bank account instead. On the rare occasion a device does fail in that 2-3 year window, pay for it out of the bank account. In the long run, you'll come out far, far ahead.
Click to expand...
You're right failure rate is low, but in my experience most people I speak with buy AppleCare+ for the accident coverage.

81Tiger04 said:
Oh wow. So if the phone is fully covered for 1 year, I could then save $150 on AC and trade it in after 1 year (instead of 2) and benefit from higher trade in values as well (likely $100 more)? So that's $250 per phone or $500 for both of us. 🤔
Click to expand...

The factory warranty isn't full coverage, it doesn't cover accidental damage, so that may be a factor for some people.
 
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DevinNj said:
You're right failure rate is low, but in my experience most people I speak with buy AppleCare+ for the accident coverage.



The factory warranty isn't full coverage, it doesn't cover accidental damage, so that may be a factor for some people.
Click to expand...

What accidents are most common?
 
81Tiger04 said:
What accidents are most common?
Click to expand...
It depends, the most common would probably be broken glass, if the rear glass breaks, the phone needs to be replaced. Not sure what the out of warranty replacement is on the new models, but its more than the cost of AppleCare+. Camera module, screen, etc. Certain repairs can be more than the cost of insurance, especially if you need more than one repair.
 
The out of warranty repair cost of the newer models is $599. AC+ is $199 plus $99 for each incident ($29 for screen).
 
I all ways buy applecare I had a battery expand and push the screen out of place on my Iphone X a couple of months it would have been an out of warranty repair with out applecare
 
missbing said:
The out of warranty repair cost of the newer models is $599. AC+ is $199 plus $99 for each incident ($29 for screen).
Click to expand...


This. Once back glass break ($599 on the Max) will cost you 4ish years of paying for Applecare ($199 is for 2 years) when counting the $99 deductible

That is assuming phone and repair costs dont go up too
 
If you're not accident prone and/or upgrade annually I would just self insure. Spending $300 AC+ vs $600 replacement cost doesn't seem like much of a savings for a small possibility of something happening. Now if you're accident prone or consistently breaking your phone, AC+ may be worth it.
 
Geez. Y’all have me going back and forth on it. I’ve only cracked one screen since the 3G but I’ve always had cases and screen protectors. Still though ...
 
I went with it since I am on the upgrade program and its required. If I was not doing the program I wouldn't carry it personally. That said I am upgrading my iphone X and planning to go case less this go around. If I have to pay for the insurance then I will save some money on a case and cross my fingers. Figure I will break the screen at least once before investing in a case. Hopefully I don't break it, but 💩 happens.
 
I only get AC+ for Macbook Pro purchases. I dropped my iPhone once and cracked screen pretty seriously and couldn't use it (6s) about 3 years ago during vacation which completely scared me as it was in the beginning of my trip to 7 countries. I had to buy a used iPhone from some reselling store in Prague which got me through my trip perfectly.

Got back to U.S and used one of the reputable service providers on eBay and had my screen replaced for $17.99. They've done thousands screen repairs and have 100% feedback, if your interested dm me. (Don't believe I'm allowed to post links on here) They can do any iPhone or Samsung screen replacement for a very affordable price as long as your screen itself did not get damaged (the one behind the glass)
 
They sell it because it's a profitable service, like all extended warranties. You'd be better served to save your money and replace it yourself if needed.
 
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