As smartphone prices climb, many Nigerians are choosing to repair damaged devices instead of buying new ones. Inflation and the naira’s depreciation have made replacement increasingly costly.
Repair shops in Computer Village, Ikeja, are seeing more customers with cracked screens, faulty charging ports and worn batteries.
An engineer at Kornerstone Technology said screen replacements made up about 80 per cent of the shop’s work that month. iPhone 11 and 12 models, along with Samsung A32 and A23 phones, were among the devices commonly brought in.
The engineer said a replacement screen for an iPhone 11 costs about N25,000 for a copy and N45,000 for an original. Battery replacements range from N10,000 to N20,000, while charging port repairs cost between N7,000 and N15,000.
With genuine parts becoming more expensive, some technicians recover usable components from damaged or non-working phones to help keep repair bills down.
The trend is also common among owners of lower and mid-range devices. A repairer at Divine Mercy Enterprises said cracked screens, damaged charging ports and swollen batteries were among the faults he handled most often. Tecno Spark and Infinix Hot models were frequently brought in for repairs.
