A MacBook screen is the most expensive single part in the machine after the logic board. The price varies a lot between models, and the difference is neither random nor something you can guess at. Here is what actually decides it.
You are buying a whole display assembly, not a piece of glass
This is the most important thing to understand, and the part that surprises most people.
On some phones the outer glass can be replaced on its own. On a MacBook it cannot. The screen is built as one bonded unit: panel, glass, backlight, cables, camera, microphones, antennas and hinges are all glued and screwed together inside the lid. Apple sells it as a single assembly, and the parts market does the same.
So when a crack runs across the picture, we replace the entire lid. That sounds drastic, but it is genuinely the safer route: no adhesive has to be cut open around a fragile panel, and there is no risk of destroying the camera or the antennas on the way.
Some workshops offer to replace “just the glass” on a MacBook. It is technically possible on some older models, but it means splitting the panel apart and bonding it back together. The result is rarely properly sealed, and dust between the layers shows up as marks that never go away. We do not do it.
Why Air and Pro do not cost the same
Three things separate them.
The size. A 13-inch assembly costs less than a 15- or 16-inch one. That is simple material economics, and it is the most predictable part of the price.
The panel type. The MacBook Air uses a standard IPS panel. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro use Liquid Retina XDR, which is mini-LED with several thousand individually controlled backlight zones, plus ProMotion with a variable refresh rate. That is significantly more expensive to manufacture, and it feeds straight through to the part price.
How much lives inside the lid. Newer Pro models have more antennas, a better camera and more electronics built into the display assembly than an Air does. The more that comes with the part, the more the part costs.
In practice the Air 13″ sits lowest, the Air 15″ and the Pro 14″ sit in the middle, and the Pro 16″ sits highest. The spread between the bottom and the top is wide enough that it is worth looking up your exact model rather than working from an average.
What about the older Intel models?
MacBook Pro models from 2016 to 2019 can still be repaired, but the parts situation is different. The assemblies are no longer in production, so the market is used and refurbished units. Quality varies, and availability varies more.
We check availability for your specific model before you pay. If we cannot source a part we are willing to stand behind, we say so rather than taking payment for something we cannot deliver.
One thing worth knowing about those years: several of them suffer from the so-called flexgate fault, where the ribbon cable to the backlight wears through from the lid being opened and closed. It shows up as a “stage light” effect along the bottom of the screen, or as a picture that cuts out entirely once the lid passes roughly 40 degrees. That is a screen fault, not a logic board fault, and a new assembly fixes it.
What it costs with us
You can see the price for your own model below, and every model is listed on our MacBook screen replacement page. The price is calculated from what the part actually costs us on the day you look, not from a price list written once and never corrected.
VAT and the part are included in the price. Any call-out fee is shown when you enter your address, before you pay. Nothing is added when we are standing in your living room, and there is no inspection fee if you decide not to go ahead.
We come to you in Copenhagen and North Zealand, or you can drop the machine off at our workshop in Kongens Lyngby by appointment.
Is it worth it, or should you buy a new one?
The honest version, without dressing it up.
On a MacBook that is four years old or younger and otherwise running fine, a screen is almost always cheaper than a new machine. The Apple Silicon models last long enough that the repair pays for itself.
On an older Intel machine the maths is different. If the screen is smashed and the battery is worn and the machine is seven years old, you are stacking two repairs onto something already close to losing support for new macOS versions. In that case we are happy to say it out loud: the money is better spent elsewhere.
There is a middle path people often overlook. If the screen still works but is cosmetically damaged in a corner, and the machine is otherwise healthy, you can keep using it and wait. A crack at the edge of a MacBook does not spread on its own the way it does on a phone you carry in your pocket.
What to ask, wherever you go
- Is it a new assembly or a used one? Both are legitimate, but they do not cost the same or last the same. You should know which one you are paying for.
- Is VAT included? Some workshops quote without it, and the number grows by 25 percent at the till.
- What does the warranty cover, and for how long? A warranty on the part alone is not the same as a warranty on part and labour.
- Is there a charge if I decline? Inspection fees are common. Ask before, not after.
- Will True Tone and ProMotion still work? On newer models that requires the display data to be transferred correctly to the new part.
How long does it take?
The replacement itself usually takes under an hour.
You do not have to hand the machine over for days. We replace the screen at your place, and you keep your MacBook until we arrive.