Throughout a laptop’s entire life, it will go through hundreds of series of opening and closing as laptops, being foldable, make for great portable computers. But the problem here is that, because laptops often open and close a lot of times, it isn’t really rare for the hinges to actually break, which will certainly cause problems in relation to closing and opening the laptop. So, are laptop hinges under warranty?
The laptop hinges are not under warranty. While the things that are covered under warranty usually depend on the company behind the laptop, the consensus is that most of the laptop manufacturers do not cover laptop hinges in their warranty. The best they can do is to cover it under accidental damage.
It really seems odd to think that laptop hinges are not covered under warranty when you consider the fact that they are some of the most important parts of a laptop. So, if a laptop hinge breaks, this essentially renders the machine almost useless. That said, it might make sense if you read more about why laptop hinges are not covered under warranty. In fact, the best you can do is to actually take care of the laptop itself.
Are laptop hinges under warranty?
In case you haven’t seen a laptop, the long-standing and possibly perpetual design that they come with is a clamshell look that has been around for the longest time possible. Even as we have progressed in terms of our technology, there has never been a better design than the clamshell when it comes to the laptop as laptops have always featured this design. After all, this is what works for a laptop because it allows it to fold closed so that it would become more portable.
So, that said, throughout its entire lifetime, it is normal for a laptop to experienced getting opened and closed on a regular basis. Of course, the only way for you to be able to use a laptop is to open it from its closed clamshell look. Meanwhile, when you are done using it and when you put it in your laptop bag, the only way for it to become portable and to stay as safe as possible is to close it back into a clamshell. And when you look at what makes this possible, you have to thank the laptop’s hinges.
The hinges on your laptop are basically the ones that connect the display part to the main portion of the laptop so that you can open and close the machine whenever you need to. It is needless to say that the hinges are very important for the laptop to perform its usual and basic functions such as actually opening and closing. So, if one or all of the hinges get damaged, this would make it almost impossible for you to even use the laptop’s display because the hinges are also responsible for not only opening or closing the laptop but also lock the laptop’s display into the desired angle of your choosing.
However, the problem in relation to the hinges is that these normally undergo a ton of stress because you always open and close your laptop on a regular basis. You probably can’t even count the number of times you open and close your laptop, and that alone would tell you that the hinges actually undergo a lot of wear and tear throughout the laptop’s entire lifetime.
So, what if the hinges eventually wear out and get damaged? Does bringing the laptop to the nearest service center to get the hinges fixed count within the scope of the warranty?
In that regard, while different companies tend to have different things covered under the warranty of their laptops, the consensus is that most laptop companies actually do not include damaged hinges in the thing that are covered by their warranty.
The reasoning behind not covering damaged hinges under the scope of the laptop’s warranty is that hinges are supposed to be made to be free of any defects when the laptop goes out of the factory. And laptop companies also say that hinges undergo the usual wear and tear of using a laptop in a similar way as all of the other components of the laptop go through the usual wear and tear as well.
So, if they were to include hinges in the scope of the warranty, they would also have to include all of the different components found in the laptop under the purview of the warranty. In some cases, the best that laptop companies can do is to cover damaged hinges as part of their accidental damage protection. However, you would still have to prove that the hinges were damaged due to an accident if you want them to cover it.
How to prevent laptop hinges from breaking
In that sense, because laptop manufacturers do not include damaged hinges under the scope of the laptop’s warranty, it befalls on you to make sure that you take good care of your laptop and to see to it that your hinges are not under a lot of stress when you regularly use the laptop.
Here are some of the tips that will allow you to prevent or minimize the chances of breaking your laptop’s hinges:
- Minimize opening and closing the laptop a lot of times. When you open your laptop for the day, make sure that you don’t close it until the end of the work or gaming session unless you really need to close and open it again. If you want to rest and use the laptop again later, just put it into sleep mode without necessarily closing the lid.
- Close the laptop properly and make sure that you don’t slam the lid down. Slamming the lid will not only increase the chances of breaking the hinges but also damaging the laptop’s screen.
- Carry the laptop properly. Make sure that you have a bag with a dedicated laptop sleeve that is cushioned enough so that the hinges don’t get damaged while you are carrying the laptop in your bag. Protect the laptop bag at all times by making sure that it doesn’t bump anything during transportation.
- Choose a better laptop build. There is nothing simpler than that. While laptops with better builds tend to be more expensive, it still is better to go with such laptops because they are built with better materials and a more solid design. Laptops with an aluminum build tend to have hinges that are more solid and durable compared to laptops that come with plastic hinges.
