Troubleshooting · Impact damage

You dropped it. Now what?

Before you panic or assume the worst, spend 90 seconds finding out what's actually wrong. A drop can mean anything from "no damage" to "new screen" — and knowing which changes everything about what to do next.

Check in this order: glass → display → touch → functions. Each step rules a category in or out, and together they tell you whether you're looking at nothing, a cosmetic chip, or a specific repair — before you spend anything or assume the phone's gone.

The 90-second triage

01

The glass (5 seconds)

Look at front and back in good light. Cosmetic chip or hairline? Note it but don't panic — glass damage alone, with everything else working, may not even need a repair. Spider-web shatter or lifting glass with sharp edges is more urgent (cut risk, and it weakens the screen for the next knock).

02

The display (15 seconds)

Look past the glass at the image itself. Coloured lines, dark blooms, blotches, flicker, or dead areas mean the OLED panel is damaged — the costliest screen category, and it can be there with no visible crack. If you see coloured lines specifically, the green-lines guide covers it. Pure black but the phone clearly still works? See the black-screen guide.

03

The touch (20 seconds)

Open the keyboard or notes and tap deliberately across the whole screen, corners included. Dead zones, mis-taps, or the phone tapping itself mean the digitiser is affected — see the ghost-touch guide. Touch problems won't improve on their own and tend to spread.

04

The functions (50 seconds)

Quick pass: make a call (earpiece + mic), front and rear cameras (look for blur, spots, won't-focus — a hard drop can knock a camera), plug in to confirm it charges, press every physical button, check Wi-Fi/signal. And feel the phone — any heat or a swelling/bulging back is a battery red flag: stop using it and get it seen promptly.

Reading your result

  • Everything works, just a cosmetic chip: you may not need a repair at all. A screen protector over the chip to contain it and watching for changes is a reasonable call — see cracked screen, still works for the full decision.
  • Display or touch affected: that's a screen-level repair. The good news is it's a known quantity with a known price, not a mystery.
  • A function is out (camera, charging, calls): that specific part likely took the hit — often repairable on its own, sometimes cheaper than a screen.
  • Heat or battery swelling: the one "don't wait" result. Stop using it and get it checked promptly — a damaged lithium cell is a safety issue, not just a repair.

What the repairs cost

Because "dropped" isn't one fault, the price depends entirely on what the triage found. 2026 Australian independent-shop guide:

  • Cosmetic chip, all working: potentially $0 — a decision, not a mandatory repair.
  • Screen / display assembly: roughly $150–$490 by model.
  • Battery (if swollen/damaged): roughly $69–$149.
  • Charging port: roughly $90–$190.
  • Camera / other single component: varies — often less than a screen; a shop diagnosis pins it down.

For your exact model, the cost calculator and model pages give specific ranges.

DIY, honestly

The triage above is the DIY — and it's the genuinely valuable part, because it turns "I dropped my phone" into a specific, priced problem instead of dread. Knowing exactly what broke is what stops you over-paying or panic-replacing a phone that only has a cosmetic chip.

The repairs themselves we won't walk through: screen, battery and port jobs are all fragile, adhesive-and-heat work with part re-pairing on modern phones, and a hard drop often damages more than one thing in ways only a proper inspection reveals. Once the triage tells you what's wrong, the fix is a shop job — but you'll walk in knowing what you're talking about and what it should cost, which is the whole point of doing the triage first.

In Newcastle or the Hunter? A drop that damaged more than one thing is exactly where an in-person check pays off — a shop can confirm the full picture in one visit rather than you discovering a second fault later. Our Newcastle repair guide has honest local pricing and a workshop we're comfortable pointing people to.

Common questions

It looks completely fine after the drop — am I in the clear?
Probably, but run the full check anyway — internal damage (panel fracture, loose flex, battery, camera) can exist with no visible crack. 90 seconds confirms it rather than finding out the hard way next week.
The back feels warm / looks slightly bulged since the drop — okay?
That's the one result to act on quickly. Heat or a swelling/bulging back points to a damaged battery, which is a safety issue — stop using and charging it and get it looked at promptly rather than waiting.
Only the camera is blurry now — is that from the drop?
Quite possibly — a hard impact can knock a camera module's optical stabilisation or focus. It's often a standalone repair, frequently cheaper than a screen. Note it for the shop so they check the camera specifically.
Should I claim on insurance or just repair it?
Do the maths once the triage tells you the damage: compare a repair quote against your excess plus any premium impact. For a single screen or battery, an out-of-pocket repair is often cheaper than a claim's excess. For multi-part damage, a claim can win. Get the repair number first so you can compare.

Next step

Know what broke? Get the real number.

The triage turned a panic into a priced problem. Check your model's ranges, then a local shop can confirm the full picture in one visit.

Open the cost calculator Find a local shop