By Miracle Onyemuwa
The rising cost of smartphones in Nigeria is forcing more consumers to repair damaged devices rather than replace them with new ones.
This is more so, as inflation and the depreciation of the naira continue to push phone prices higher.
At Computer Village, Ikeja, phone repair shops are seeing increasing numbers of customers bringing in devices with cracked screens, damaged charging ports and faulty batteries.
At a repair centre, Kornerstone Technology, one of the engineers who spoke to TechXtra, said screen replacements currently account for about 80 per cent of the shop’s jobs.
He said: “Eighty per cent of our jobs this month are screen replacements. Today’s screens are more delicate than eggs. I don’t know why phone makers are doing that. iPhone 11, iPhone 12, Samsung A32 and Samsung A23 are among the phones frequently brought in here for repairs and screen replacements.”
Revealing the cost for the screens, he said the shop charges about N25, 000 for a copy screen for an iPhone 11 and N45,000 for an original screen. He also said that battery replacement costs between N10, 000 and N20,000, while charging-port repairs range from N7,000 to N15,000.
For him, the increasing cost of original replacement parts has also encouraged technicians to salvage genuine components from damaged or dead phones to reduce repair costs for customers.
The preference for repairs is also evident among owners of lower- and mid-range smartphones.
At Divine Mercy Enterprises, also in Computer Village, another repairer said charging-port damage, cracked screens and swollen batteries were among the most common faults he handled.
He said Tecno Spark and Infinix Hot models were among the phones customers most frequently brought for repairs.
He explained that children sometimes damage charging ports by forcing USB cables into the phones incorrectly.
Factor fuelling repairs
Other factors fuelling phone repairs, according to the engineers, is the rainy season. Water-damaged phones are also flooding the repair tables .
A lady who introduced herself simply as Aisha who came to repair her phone in one of the shops said her child threw her Infinix Hot 50 into the water.
“I opted to repair this phone because I don’t have the money to replace it. I can’t cough out over N300,000, which I am sure this phone costs now. Even if it costs me N50,000 to repair, I am ready to pay.
Cost of repairs
Repair costs vary according to the phone model and the severity of the fault. Screen replacement for low- and mid-range devices generally costs between N10,000 and N40,000, while repairs for high-end phones can range from N50,000 to N150,000 or more depending on the phone model. Battery replacements cost between N5,000 and N20,000, while charging-port repairs typically range from N3,000 to N15,000.
For many consumers, the difference between repair costs and the price of a replacement phone makes repairing an existing device a more practical option.
Repair culture
Nigeria’s long-standing repair culture has also contributed to the trend, with technicians developing skills in salvaging usable components from damaged electronics and extending the lifespan of devices rather than discarding them.
The growing dependence on smartphones has further increased the importance of keeping existing devices functional. For many Nigerians, phones are used not only for communication but also for mobile banking, business transactions and point-of-sale services.
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