Old phones suddenly "skyrocket in value"! Scrap devices jump from 10 yuan to 500 yuan, recyclers: We'll take any phone

No one expected that old phones, once considered trash and left to gather dust in the corner, would become so popular. Previously, broken screens and non-working devices were worth at most 10 yuan when recycled, but now they can sell for 500 yuan, with prices increasing dozens of times. Recently, the second-hand phone recycling market has experienced a “price surge,” with quotes changing daily, sometimes even twice a day. Many recyclers have openly stated: regardless of whether the phone can turn on or how damaged it is, as long as it’s a phone, they will buy it. There’s also a popular rumor online that three old phones can be exchanged for a new iPhone, completely overturning people’s impression of discarded phones.

This price increase isn’t just hype; multiple factors have come together behind it. The most critical is the explosion of the AI industry, which has driven up the demand for phone chips. As various AI models and AI servers become more prevalent, the need for memory and flash storage chips has skyrocketed. Chip manufacturers are busy producing high-end AI chips, leading to a significant reduction in capacity for consumer-grade chips. The supply of new chips is tight, and prices are soaring. Repair shops and small manufacturers can’t get new chips, so they turn to salvaging chips from old phones—low cost, quick sourcing—pushing up the prices of core components from old devices.

Besides the value of chips, the resource value of old phones has also been tapped. Each phone contains precious metals like gold, silver, copper, and lithium. Even if the device is broken, parts like the motherboard, camera, and storage chips can be disassembled and reused. Legitimate recycling companies can turn these parts into valuable resources, which is environmentally friendly and conserves mineral resources. With increasingly strict environmental regulations, the costs for official recycling are rising, prompting more recyclers to compete for supplies and bid up prices. Even the most broken discarded phones are no longer considered worthless.

As the market heats up, ordinary people are also rummaging through their drawers for old phones. Devices that were casually discarded or left unused for years can now be sold for hundreds or even thousands of yuan. Some people take advantage of trade-in promotions, using several old phones to offset the cost of new devices, truly benefiting from the price surge. On social media platforms, people share recycling prices and methods, and the nationwide enthusiasm for recycling old phones is growing.

However, in the face of this price surge, people should be cautious and not follow blindly. Old phones contain a lot of private information—contacts, photos, payment data—and even after factory reset, data recovery is possible. When selling, always choose legitimate platforms and thoroughly wipe data beforehand. Never sell to unlicensed private recyclers just to get a higher price, to avoid privacy leaks. Also, this price increase is cyclical; once chip production catches up and supply and demand balance out, prices are likely to fall. There’s no need to hoard old phones for speculation; handling and selling them rationally is the safest approach.

From 10 yuan to 500 yuan, the rise in the value of old phones seems to reflect market changes, but it also highlights the importance of resource recycling and is a small snapshot of fluctuations in the global chip industry chain. This trend has not only made ordinary people realize the value of idle phones but also promoted a more regulated recycling industry. As the market gradually stabilizes, second-hand phone recycling will move away from crazy price hikes and develop more maturely, ensuring every old phone can truly be turned into treasure.