A new iPhone launch is designed to make your current one feel outdated. But the real comparison isn't the headline price against nothing - it's the full cost of replacing against the cost of extending the life of the phone you already own.

The upfront cost of a new iPhone

Current iPhone models start well above £700, and higher-storage or Pro versions push considerably past that. Financed over a contract, that cost is spread out, but it doesn't disappear.

The hidden costs of switching

A new phone means transferring data, re-setting-up accounts and two-factor logins, and often replacing a case or screen protector that no longer fits. It also means your old phone needs to be traded in, sold, or - too often - left in a drawer, adding to the pile of e-waste that never gets properly reused.

The cost of extending what you have

Most iPhone faults - a battery that no longer holds charge, a cracked screen, a worn charging port - are single, well-priced repairs. Fixing one typically costs a small fraction of a new device, with none of the setup hassle.

Doing the maths

Unless your iPhone has multiple serious faults at once, or has fallen out of software support entirely, extending its life through repair is almost always the cheaper, faster option - and it keeps a functioning device out of landfill.

Repatch makes extending your iPhone's life simple: a courier collects it from home or work, a professional technician repairs the actual fault, and it's returned to you - often within 2 hours - at a fraction of the cost of going new.