Cracked back? What it really does to your iPhone's value

A cracked back panel is the damage people most often assume kills their phone's value. It looks dramatic, it sheds little slivers of glass, and it makes the whole phone feel written off. Here is the honest position: it matters far less than you think.

Under our grading, cracked glass on the front or the back leaves you in the picture fine grade, as long as the display itself is original and works perfectly. That grade usually keeps most of the working price, which for a recent iPhone is still serious money; the exact figure depends on the model. What actually drops a phone to the lowest grade is the display: bleeding, lines, blank patches, or a non original replacement screen.

Why so relaxed about backs? Because back glass is a routine workshop repair, while displays are the most expensive component in the phone. We price on what parts cost us to make right, not on how alarming the damage looks in your hand.

So if your phone's back looks like a spider's web but the picture is flawless, do not let a lowball site tell you it is scrap. Pop it in a bag so the glass slivers stay put, and sell it as what it is: a phone with cheap cosmetic damage and an expensive part in perfect health.