Cracked Screen? How Much Phone Damage Can Affect Your Resale Price

Two phones can look equally beat up and still get very different offers. That's because grading isn't about how used a phone looks.

The split that decides everything

Every deduction comes down to one distinction: cosmetic damage versus functional damage. Cosmetic wear is expected and priced gently. Functional damage is where the real cuts live. Keep that split in mind and the rest of this makes sense.

Screen damage costs the most

The screen is the most expensive part of the device, so it drives the biggest swings. Fine scratches you only notice with the display off barely register. Visible scratches under normal light take a modest bite. A cracked front glass that still works is a real deduction, often in the 20 to 40% range depending on the model, because that repair isn't cheap. And once the crack affects the display itself, meaning dead spots, unresponsive touch, lines, or discoloration, we're no longer grading a working phone with a bad screen. We're grading closer to a parts device.

Body and frame damage

Light scuffs on the frame are cosmetic and priced as such. Dents and bent frames are more serious, not because a dent looks bad, but because it tells us the phone took a hard hit. That raises the odds of internal damage and usually means water resistance is gone. A bent frame costs you more than the dent itself would suggest.

Back glass and camera lens

Back glass is treated more forgivingly than the front, since it's less critical to using the phone. The exception is the camera area. A cracked or deeply scratched camera lens is graded closer to screen damage, because it shows up in every photo the next owner takes.

Water damage is the harshest cut

This is its own category, and the toughest one. Even if the phone powers on today, any sign of moisture exposure, which we can often see through the liquid indicator, gets the steepest deduction. Water problems tend to surface weeks later, so they carry the most risk to price in.

How to protect your offer

Describe the phone the way we'll grade it. Separate what's cosmetic from what actually affects function, and photograph every side in good light. We test each device on arrival either way, so an accurate description upfront is what protects your offer. Overstating condition doesn't win you a higher price. It just gets the offer revised after inspection.

Get a straight answer on yours

Not sure which side your damage falls on? Enter your device details for a quote and we'll tell you exactly where it lands.