Can you repair the iPhone 11?

In September 2019, Apple introduced new iPhones, and in this article, we’ll explore their colors, price points, and availability. As a repair shop, our focus will be on the reparability of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, rather than minor changes in the camera, battery, or thickness.

We’ll also touch upon the repair possibilities, timing, costs, and what can be fixed. Let’s dive into the details of these “new” iPhones, keeping in mind that Apple’s recent releases have been more of a refresh than a truly innovative leap forward from their previous models, including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR.

Interested in Newer Models: iPhone 13 Reparability / iPhone SE 3rd Gen Reparability / iPhone 14 Reparability

This year, they applied a “Pro” tag to all of the XS models and instead of calling the iPhone XR the iPhone 11R, they just shorted it to the iPhone 11; so for easy reference:

• iPhone XR is now the iPhone 11 $699
• iPhone XS is now the iPhone 11 Pro $999
• iPhone XS Max is now the iPhone 11 Pro Max $1,099

This article is going to discuss the iPhone 11. The iPhone 11 is essentially the iPhone XR, it has the same display, coming in at 6.1” which is bigger than the iPhone 11 Pro, but not as large as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The LCD display is identical to the iPhone XR. That’s a different story under the hood, there are some changes on the cabling of the display, which is good and bad news.

• The good news is, the screens shouldn’t be expensive because it’s the same core.
• The bad news is, it’ll take a few months for the high-quality screens that we offer to become available for the iPhone 11 for the factories to retool to account for the different cabling and positions of those cables. As of July 2020, parts are available.

The iPhone 11 comes in similar colorful options that its iPhone XR predecessor did and is available in these new colors:

• White
• Green
• Yellow
• Purple
• Product Red

The only major difference to write home about is the enhanced camera options on the iPhone 11. The new iPhone 11 has a dual rear camera with an ultra-wide-angle sensor and a wide-angle sensor.

The biggest draw to the iPhone 11 camera compared to the iPhone XR rear camera is the new night mode feature and auto adjustments.

The night mode uses the ultra-wide-angle sensor to capture more light than you could on the iPhone XR, thus allowing significantly better photos in low light environments.

Unless you’re a professional photographer, your everyday Instagram photos will still look great.

For hardware, that’s all I really want to talk about. If you’re looking for a very in-depth article on all the differences between the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR, you can find a great article here.

Will you be able to repair the iPhone 11?

The iPhone 11 is one of the most popular repairs at our facility and other third-party repair shops in the country. It’s still early, and we’ll edit this article as time passes, but after the initial tear down videos of the iPhone 11 by our friends at iFixIt, it looks like we shouldn’t see any major reparability issues for a professional repair shop when it comes to the iPhone 11.

The iPhone 11 for better or worse is just an upgraded iPhone XR.

In 2018, according to our repair system, we had our first request for an iPhone XR repair in November of 2018, and we had our first screen repair in February of 2019.

Photo by iFixit

Historically, screens for iPhones launched in September start to become available in October, but the price in the first 60 – 90 days of launch makes most repairs cost-ineffective.

It takes the factories at least a few months to work out bugs and produce a quality part for professional repairs.

Right before Chinese New Year  we see a big price drop on newer iPhone screens.

Your best option if you break a brand-new iPhone within 2-3 months of launch is the Apple store.

An even better option is to ensure you have a good case for your iPhone 11, we will have these in all of our stores in the next few weeks.

According to some recent drop tests, the iPhone 11 is very fragile, and here’s a photo of what it’ll look like when your previous hits the concrete from about a 3′ drop.

When will you be able to repair the iPhone 11?

We are now capable of repairing the iPhone 11. Most repair shops now have access to iPhone 11 inventory and are capable of servicing any broken screens.

How much will an iPhone 11 repair cost?

Apple current repair pricing for the screen is $199, but if you break the camera, back glass, docking port, rear camera glass, or any peripheral that you can think of on your iPhone 11, you’ll be shelling out at least $399.

If Apple doesn’t cover it under warranty; which they won’t, any physical damages are not covered. Physical damages are covered if you have AppleCare.

iPhone 11 rear camera glass, batteries, docking ports, and cameras usually become available around 2-3 months after the launch, and repair shops charge significantly less than Apple for when those components break.

For example, an iPhone XR rear camera glass is only $69 versus Apple’s $399, so if you break something small within the first few months of the Apple launch, it’s best to wait for your friendly third-party repair store to get the parts, and we’ll repair that for you without breaking the bank.

Repair pricing is as follows for the iPhone 11 (Update 7/11/2023):

• iPhone 11 Screen: $159
• iPhone 11 Back Camera Glass: $69
• iPhone 11 Rear Camera: $119
• iPhone 11 Rear Glass Housing: $199
• iPhone 11 Battery: $99
• iPhone 11 Docking / Charging Port: $99

After being in the iPhone repair business for almost ten years, we have a good track record of anticipating the future costs of repairs, when parts will be available, and what we will be able to service.

What can you repair on the iPhone 11?

Since the iPhone 11 is just like the iPhone XR, we will be able to service all issues ranging from screens, bad batteries, damaged docking ports, broken cameras, to cracked rear camera glass.

For an extensive list for all iPhone 11 repairs that will be offered at Gophermods, you can visit the iPhone 11 repair page. These parts are widely available as of July 2023.

iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Lock Screen Warning

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max will display to customers a warning on the device after any third-party repair facility installs a display after screen replacement. This is simply a maneuver from Apple to force you to their Genius bar for repairs.

This warning will disappear after five days of usage of your iPhone. Apple would like you to believe that only their certified technicians are capable of removing the display and replacing it, which is simply not true.

Gophermods has successfully repaired over 100,000 iPhone since the first very iPhone 1st gen that was launched in 2007.

Countless thousands of independent repair facilities across the country are capable of servicing your iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max display in the event your display needs to be replaced.

I broke my iPhone 11, can you help me!

If you’re in urgent care of repair, please visit any local Gophermods and we should be able to service your broken iPhone 11.