I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 that I dropped recently and the screen shattered. The phone works fine, it's just that I can't see anything. I got a quote for $450 to replace the screen at a local shop, but I'm wondering if it's worth fixing or if I should just buy a new one. Does anyone know if there are cheaper options?
Don't do the repair without comparing prices first, because that quote you got is pretty expensive if it's a generic screen. The thing is, even if you find cheaper parts on Mercado Libre or AliExpress, you still have to add labor costs at a reliable shop (because putting it together yourself if you don't know how is risky), so you'll probably end up spending between $25000 and $35000 if you find a good price on parts. Before you decide between repairing or buying a new one, check how much a Redmi Note 11 without a broken screen is going for in your area - if there's a big difference it's worth fixing it, but if they're similar price-wise, better go for a new one and save yourself the hassle.
It depends on how much a new Redmi Note 11 costs in your area, but generally at those prices it's worth fixing it if the phone is in good condition otherwise. Before you pay at the local shop, check online platforms or parts stores to see if you can find cheaper screens, because sometimes the quote they gave you is pretty high. You can also check if the phone still has warranty, though with a cracked screen it probably won't cover it. Have you already compared how much a new device costs in your market?
Don't go with the first quote - $45000 is way overpriced for a screen on that model. Check online platforms like AliExpress or Mercado Libre where they sell original or compatible parts for way less, and there are YouTube tutorials that explain how to change it yourself if you're brave enough (it's really not complicated with a phone like that). If you don't want to risk doing it yourself, find another independent technician who'll do it for less money, because a new Redmi Note 11 is expensive and yours works perfectly.
I've seen people get replacement screens from local Chinese shops or directly from AliExpress for 15-20k, and then pay another 5-10k for labor at lesser-known repair shops, so before spending 45k get quotes from a few different places. If the repair ends up costing less than half what a new phone costs, it's almost always worth keeping it working.
Before you decide, check how much a new Redmi Note 11 costs in your area because if it's around $70-80k, it's clearly worth fixing for $45k. What maybe nobody mentioned is that if you want to do the repair yourself with a YouTube tutorial and buy the screen on AliExpress (like $10-15k), you save on labor costs, though obviously you need a steady hand and patience to not break anything else in the process.
When my phone's screen broke, ending up paying almost as much as a new device was frustrating. In your case, if you can get the screen for 15-20k from Chinese stores or AliExpress and a local repair shop charges 5-10k for installation, you're looking at 25k max, which is definitely worth it compared to buying a new one.
I had something similar happen to me with a phone a while back, and I ended up regretting not looking into it better, because I ended up paying almost as much as a brand new device! What I'd recommend is that you check directly how much a used Redmi Note 11 costs in your area first - if it's going for around 50-60k, clearly the repair isn't worth it. But if a new one goes for 100k or more, then look for those Chinese replacement parts the others mentioned, because the difference in quality between an original screen and a generic one on this model is minimal, and you could save a decent amount of money!
I ended up searching everywhere and the price difference was brutal! What I'd suggest is checking how much a new Redmi Note 11 costs in your area - if it's around 80-100k, it's definitely worth repairing. But watch out, $45000 is pretty expensive! Look for local spare parts shops (the ones that sell screens separately, not the official stores) or even consider buying the screen on AliExpress and taking it to an independent repair shop to install it - that way you save a lot more than what they quoted you.
A new Redmi Note 11 goes for around 50-60k at most places, so technically that repair leaves you pretty close to the price of a brand new one, but there's something nobody mentioned: first check if your phone has screen insurance or extended warranty, because sometimes insurers cover breaks for way less than that. If not, before you go to any repair shop, jump into local Facebook groups for your city or neighborhood where there are independent repair techs who do this kind of work; they'll usually give you a much lower quote if you reach out to them directly without middlemen, plus you get to see reviews from people who've already tried them out.
The Redmi Note 11 is a relatively cheap phone, so before dropping 45k on a repair it's worth checking how much a new one costs in your area - if you can find one for 50-55k, it's clearly not worth it. What nobody mentions is that besides looking for loose screens, you can try contacting small independent repair shops that sometimes do jobs cheaper than official stores, because they don't have the same margins; some people I know who've done it found repairs for 20-25k total with the screen included.
Up the price of a new Redmi Note 11 in your area because if it's going for around 60-70k, the 45k repair doesn't make sense. If the phone works perfectly except for the screen, it's worth fixing, but like they mentioned above, that 45k is inflated - try getting quotes from neighborhood repair shops or just buy the screen directly from Mercado Libre and pay separately for labor at a less well-known workshop to save a lot.
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