- Samsung will offer zero dollar screen repairs for Galaxy phones covered with Care+ with Theft and Loss
- The change will ditch the current $29 charge and take effect on January 15
- Samsung may be taking aim at AppleCare+, which also charges a $29 deductible for screen repairs
Samsung will soon offer free repairs for cracked and chipped smartphone screens as part of its highest tier device protection plan, a fix which currently costs $29 on top of the service’s regular premiums.
From January 15 onwards, Samsung Care Plus with Theft and Loss customers will be able to enjoy free screen repairs as a benefit of their coverage.
With the reveal of the rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup supposedly landing in January also, and murmurs of price hikes across the lineup, this change may offer prospective buyers more peace of mind when protecting their investment.
Those signed up to the regular Care Plus plan will still have to pay $29 to get their cracked screen repaired, though – it’s only the Care Plus with Theft and Loss plan that’s getting this upgrade.
Samsung’s Cracked Screen Repair service can be purchased to repair cracks and chips on the front and rear glass of a Galaxy phone.
And as Android Authority notes, it doesn’t seem like the folding displays fitted to Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold handsets are covered either (given how expensive even self-repair can be for folding phones, we can’t say we’re surprised).
9to5Google notes that Samsung has been alerting customers to the upcoming change via email, and that users will automatically gain access to zero dollar screen repairs on January 15.
The change may be a direct effort to undermine AppleCare+, the protection and repair plan sold by (wait for it) Apple.
A covered screen repair under AppleCare+ will cost $29, no matter if you’re covered for theft and loss or not – still much sweeter than the $279 price for an uncovered iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro screen repair, which rises to $329 for iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max models.
This probably won’t be enough to convert die-hard iPhone users, but it may help to retain Galaxy users. And on the sustainability front, we have to commend anything that helps people hold onto their phones for longer.
Furthermore, it’s encouraging in today’s climate to see the price of, well, anything decreasing – Samsung seems keen to keep improving the value of Care Plus, having added unlimited battery replacements to the plan earlier this year.
Whichever brand you trust to protect your phone purchases, we’ve got you covered with the latest updates via our Samsung Galaxy phones coverage and iPhone coverage.