What is an iPhone housing replacement?

Replacing the metal chassis the phone is built into, usually with the rear glass attached, and moving every internal part across into the new one. It is the repair for a bent, dented or split frame rather than for cracked back glass alone.

What is the difference between housing and back glass?

Back glass is the rear panel only, replaced while the frame stays in the phone. Housing is the frame itself. If the phone rocks on a flat table or the screen no longer sits flush, it is the housing.

How much is an iPhone housing replacement in Singapore?

It is quoted after a free diagnosis, because the job depends on how much came apart with the frame. Back glass alone starts from $40 at Citri Mobile, nett.

Is it worth replacing the housing on an old iPhone?

Not usually, once the job approaches half the price of a used replacement in good condition. On a phone you are keeping or selling, and where the bent frame is stopping the screen sealing, it usually is. We will give you the figures and let you decide.

Can you fix a bent iPhone without replacing the housing?

Sometimes, on a mild bow with nothing else broken. A corner impact or a split seam needs the chassis. Straightened metal is weaker where it was bent, so we will tell you which case yours is rather than guess.

Will replacing the housing erase my data?

No. The board and storage move across untouched. Back up before any repair anyway, at any shop, because it costs nothing and covers the unlikely case.

What warranty do I get on housing or back glass work?

A warranty of up to 100 days depending on the repair, honoured at any of our four shops rather than only the one that did the work.

iPhone Housing Replacement Singapore: Is It Worth It?

An iPhone housing replacement means swapping the metal frame the phone is built into, usually with the back glass attached to it, rather than replacing the glass alone. It is the repair for a bent, dented or split frame after a hard drop, not for a cracked back. Back glass on its own starts from $40 at Citri Mobile. A full housing is quoted after a free diagnosis, because what it involves depends on how much came apart with it.

What is the iPhone housing, exactly?

The housing is the chassis. On a modern iPhone it is a machined metal band that forms the sides and buttons, with the rear glass bonded to it and every internal part screwed into it. Antennas run through the band. The screen seals against its top edge. The charging port sits in its base.

So a housing is not a case and not a back cover. It is the structure of the phone, and replacing it means moving every component out of the old one and into the new one, then resealing the whole thing.

Housing, back glass or frame: which do I need?

Three different repairs that people use interchangeably, and getting this right before you ask for a quote saves a lot of confusion.

Back glass replacement. The rear panel is cracked, the frame is straight, and the phone sits flat on a table. The glass is removed from the frame and a new one bonded in. This is the common one and the one with a price on it.
Housing replacement. The frame itself is bent, dented at a corner, split at a seam, or the screen no longer seats flat against it. Everything moves into a new chassis.
Frame straightening. A mild bend, usually from sitting on it, with nothing broken. Sometimes correctable without a new housing. Sometimes not, and forcing it cracks the screen.

Quick test: put the phone face down on a flat table and press one corner, then the diagonal one. If it rocks, the frame is bent. Then run a fingernail along the seam where the screen meets the metal. If it catches or there is a visible gap on one side, the frame has moved and the seal has gone with it.

When is an iPhone housing replacement worth doing?

Four cases where it makes sense.

The screen will not sit flat. A bent frame means a screen that lifts at one edge, and a lifted screen lets dust and humidity in. In Singapore that reaches the board faster than anyone expects. Replacing the screen alone into a bent frame does not fix it and often cracks the new screen within weeks.

The back glass and the frame both went. If the housing has to come off anyway, the incremental cost of the chassis is smaller than doing back glass now and housing later.

You are keeping the phone and it has to survive. A split seam is a water path. A phone you plan to use for two more years is worth sealing properly.

You are selling it. A straight phone with an intact back sells for meaningfully more than a bent one with a cracked back, and the gap is usually wider than the repair.

And the case against: on an older iPhone where the housing job approaches half the price of a used replacement in good condition, we will tell you to put the money towards the replacement instead.

What does it cost in Singapore?

Real catalog figures, nett, so the quote after a free diagnosis is what you pay at collection.

Repair	Price
Back glass replacement (Grade AAA)	$40–$190
Back glass, genuine Apple part under the Apple IRP programme	$220
Screen replacement, if the frame damage took the screen too	from $35
Full housing replacement	Quoted after a free diagnosis
Board damage found during diagnosis	Quoted after a free diagnosis

Housing is quoted rather than listed because no two are the same job. A corner dent with everything else intact is a different afternoon from a phone that has split at the seam and taken the charging flex with it. We open it, tell you what it needs, and you decide then. Diagnosis costs nothing either way.

Your model's back glass price is on the iPhone repair page. There is more detail in the iPhone back glass replacement cost guide.

Why is back glass more expensive than it looks?

Because from the iPhone 8 onwards the rear glass is bonded to the frame with structural adhesive, not clipped on. Getting it off means heat and a laser or careful mechanical work to break the bond without damaging the antennas and the wireless charging coil sitting right underneath.

On models from the iPhone 14 onwards Apple redesigned the chassis so the back glass comes off more easily, which brought the repair back down. On the 8 through 13 it is still the fiddliest glass job in the phone, which is why the price spread across models is so wide.

Will my iPhone still be water resistant afterwards?

It is resealed with new adhesive and fine for normal use, rain and splashes. It does not carry a factory IP rating afterwards, from us or from anybody outside Apple, and any shop that promises you the original rating back is promising something they cannot test.

If you swim with your phone or work around water, say so before the repair rather than after, and we will tell you honestly what the sealing will and will not do.

Can a bent iPhone be straightened instead?

Sometimes, on a mild bend, with the screen and battery out first. It is a judgement call rather than a service, and the honest position is this: a frame that has bent has already been stressed, and metal that is straightened once is weaker where it was bent.

On a phone with a mild bow and no other damage, straightening can be the sensible, cheap answer. On a phone with a corner impact or a split seam, it is not, and pushing it back into shape is how a working screen becomes a cracked one. We will say which yours is after the free diagnosis.

iPhone housing FAQs

What is an iPhone housing replacement?: Replacing the metal chassis the phone is built into, usually with the rear glass attached, and moving every internal part across into the new one. It is the repair for a bent, dented or split frame rather than for cracked back glass alone.
What is the difference between housing and back glass?: Back glass is the rear panel only, replaced while the frame stays in the phone. Housing is the frame itself. If the phone rocks on a flat table or the screen no longer sits flush, it is the housing.
How much is an iPhone housing replacement in Singapore?: It is quoted after a free diagnosis, because the job depends on how much came apart with the frame. Back glass alone starts from $40 at Citri Mobile, nett.
Is it worth replacing the housing on an old iPhone?: Not usually, once the job approaches half the price of a used replacement in good condition. On a phone you are keeping or selling, and where the bent frame is stopping the screen sealing, it usually is. We will give you the figures and let you decide.
Can you fix a bent iPhone without replacing the housing?: Sometimes, on a mild bow with nothing else broken. A corner impact or a split seam needs the chassis. Straightened metal is weaker where it was bent, so we will tell you which case yours is rather than guess.
Will replacing the housing erase my data?: No. The board and storage move across untouched. Back up before any repair anyway, at any shop, because it costs nothing and covers the unlikely case.
What warranty do I get on housing or back glass work?: A warranty of up to 100 days depending on the repair, honoured at any of our four shops rather than only the one that did the work.

Getting it looked at

Four shops: People's Park Centre in Chinatown, Tampines, Yishun and Jurong Point, open 11am–9pm daily.

Send photos of the back, both side rails and the seam where the screen meets the frame to WhatsApp, and we can usually tell you whether it is glass or housing before you travel. Walk-ins are fine any day, but message or call first so we can confirm we have your part in stock. Diagnosis is free.