Cracked screen woes: It's happened to the best of us: you pull out your phone while walking down a street or even your home's hallway, and you stumble ever so slightly – just enough to send your potentially brand-new smartphone careening from your hands into the hard ground. You pick it up, and find that the screen has a nasty fracture right down the middle.
Again, it happens to all of us, and it's always a frustrating experience. Smartphones aren't cheap these days, and neither are screen repairs. Third-party shops may be willing to cut you a deal, but if you want to go the official route, you could be spending hundreds of dollars on an out-of-warranty display replacement, depending on the age of your device.
For many smartphone users, that might not be an amount they're willing or able to spend. Some will go so far as to continue using their damaged device (provided it still functions) to avoid paying these exorbitant replacement fees.
If you do happen to be the not-so-proud owner of a smartphone with a cracked screen, we have some good news for you today. Starting today, Sprint will professionally (we hope) repair your device's display for just $49, no matter who your carrier is. You just have to bring the device into a "participating" store, and they'll take care of it, as long as you can stomach a few inevitable sales pitches from employees.
At any rate, there are a few catches with this offer. For starters, the list of eligible phones only consists of Samsung Galaxy devices (for now): the Galaxy S7, S8, S8+, S9, S9+, and Note 8, specifically.
If your damaged smartphone isn't on that list, but it happens to be an iPhone 6S or Galaxy S5 (or newer), Sprint can take it and give you $150 toward a new device. That side-offer seems to be exclusive to Sprint customers, though, since the deal terms say the cash comes by way of statement credit (applied within two bills).
In either case, Sprint won't "buy" or fix your device if it isn't in "good working order." The majority of phone dropping incidents don't lead to permanently damaged internal components, so we don't think this will be a problem for most people. However, if your screen crack was particularly nasty, you may have to look elsewhere for your repair needs.
If you do decide to take advantage of Sprint's latest deal, be sure to do so soon, because it expires on February 9.
Image credit: Shutterstock (2).