How to replace a broken screen on an iPhone SE

If you've dropped, smashed, or otherwise chipped your iPhone SE's screen, you likely want to repair it. There are several ways to repair or replace a broken iPhone screen, depending on your monetary situation and free time. Here are a couple, in order of easiest (and cheapest) to most complicated.

Buy a screen protector

If your screen is shattered but relatively intact, you can put off a potentially-costly repair by sealing the broken pieces behind a screen protector. I'll note that this is a temporary measure, and one I generally recommend for screens that are cracked, but not completely destroyed — it can keep the cracks from worsening or pieces of the screen from falling apart, but eventually you'll need to replace the screen.

Make an appointment with Apple

The iPhone SE screen has complicated technology embedded within it, including the Touch ID sensor, Home Button, and FaceTime front-facing camera. As such, a cracked iPhone screen can be a bit of a hassle to replace.

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Luckily, if you've purchased AppleCare+ with your iPhone, a screen repair is simple and inexpensive — assuming you have the time to send it to Apple. It's just $29 to fix a broken iPhone SE screen, and any Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Representative store you visit has the equipment necessary to properly remove, replace, and re-calibrate your iPhone for Touch ID.

Even if you don't have AppleCare+, repairs through Apple are often cheaper than attempting to buy and repair the screen yourself: An out of warranty iPhone SE repair is $129. (This is also why I always recommend picking up AppleCare+ when you buy a new iPhone.)

Start a repair request

Repair it yourself

In past years, I would have recommended this option above making an appointment with Apple, but as the iPhone screen has gotten more complicated — and expensive, a home-brew repair can often hinder your device from full operability.

As for pricing, it varies: If you're replacing an iPhone SE screen under the AppleCare+ warranty, Apple's option is much cheaper; if you're out of warranty, however, you'll likely be able to get a much better price buying third-party components. An iPhone SE screen repair currently costs around $50 between the screen and tools. As such, if you're out of warranty and feel comfortable opening up your iPhone yourself, you'll save quite a bit of money using this method.

If you want a detailed guide to repairing your iPhone SE, we recommend watching JerryRigEverything's how-to explainer below.