Is it really worth paying $3k+ to recover photos from iPhone X?

So my iPhone X suddenly shut down and Apple told me it’s basically unfixable. Logic board failure. I sent it to DriveSavers and they quoted me $3.3k–$3.5k to recover my data. Honestly, that’s insane money for me since I’m still in college. But the phone has all my photos from years back, never backed them up anywhere else.
Do you guys think it’s worth it? Or am I being scammed and there are cheaper options?

iPhone recovery

All Replies

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

Will

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 6:28 am

That honestly makes me feel better. I’ll check my pc and see if there’s a backup file. If it’s there, I’ll try one of those recovery tools. Maybe I don’t need to burn 3 grand after all. Thanks everyone.

Orin Thorne

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 6:15 am

Exactly. Hardware labs are like last resort when the phone is dead AND there’s zero backup. But since you might have an tTunes backup, try that first. Way less cost, and you’ll at least know if the photos are there.

Nina Calder

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 6:05 am

That’s the thing..itunes backups are kinda locked. But recovery software can read them and pull photos, contacts, chats, etc. If you’ve got even one backup sitting on your PC, you might not need a $3k lab. Just don’t overwrite the backup.

Will

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 5:49 am

I honestly can’t remember. I did plug it into my laptop for updates a few times, so maybe there’s a backup there? But iTunes doesn’t really let me see what’s inside.

Ezra Flint

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 5:32 am

I wouldn’t spend that unless the photos are once in a lifetime moments. If you just want your camera roll back, maybe try a more affordable approach first. There are iphone data recovery tools you can run on a computer that can pull photos out of itunes or icloud backups. Have you ever synced your phone with itunes?

Will

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 5:20 am

Sadly it doesn’t even boot up, completely dead. That’s why apple said no chance. I thought DriveSavers was my only shot. $3k is like a semester’s worth of tuition for me.

Mira Lennox Lennox

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 5:06 am

That’s crazy high imo. For that amount, you could literally buy a new iPhone and a few years of icloud storage. I get the sentimental side though. Did you try other recovery options before sending it out? Sometimes software tools work if the phone at least powers on.

Jace Elric

Participant

August 26, 2025 at 4:58 am

That price isn’t a scam, that’s kinda what pro labs charge when they literally have to work on dead boards under microscopes. Thing is..if the pics are priceless to you, only you can decide.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)