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As you can imagine, knowing how much your phone is worth when looking to sell holds so many advantages and can also have an impact on your decision-making process of where to sell your phone and get the most money for it.
The mountain of trade-in schemes and marketplaces is never ending and the sheer volume of information available online can make it overwhelming. That's why we’ve created this guide to break down what determines how much your phone is worth, paired with a few selling tips to get the highest payout and our expert advice on brands that retain value the most which is quite handy when planning your next upgrade.
In this guide:
What Determines How Much Your Phone Is Worth?
Which Phones Are Worth The Most Money?
How To Evaluate The Condition Of Your Phone
Ready To Sell Your Phone? Here's What You Should Do
How To Take Care Of Your Phone To Maintain Its Resale Value?
Well, there are several factors that influence how much a mobile phone is worth:
Brand
Mobile phones manufactured by reputable brands can generate higher payouts as they retain their value better over the years.
Model
A premium flagship compared to an entry level mobile phone will have more high-quality build and configurations which boost the value of the phone (similarly at launch premium models are more expensive to buy).
Specifications
In newer phones there will be high-performance specifications, for example bigger storage and more processing power which counts towards how much the phone is worth.
Age
Naturally, the age of a phone will of course have an impact on the overall market value. If your phone has been on the market for 5 years, then you can expect there to be a hefty price cut compared to a 3 year old phone being traded in.
Condition
Although you can still sell a phone with a cracked screen and get a pretty penny for it, a phone in good cosmetic condition will be worth much more.
By having this information correct in the first place, it means that you can search your phone on Compare and Recycle and get accurate estimates of trade-in options, because in order to get full working price, the device received by a recycler needs to meet the information provided in the order form.
The most expensive phone of the moment will depend on how long ago it was released and software support, but historically the most valuable models are iPhones, closely followed by Samsung Galaxy S and most recently foldable smartphones. Chinese brands like Huawei and OnePlus tend to cost a lot to buy, but their resale prices drop significantly. Especially for Huawei phones after the trade ban has been introduced and Huawei phones no longer come with Android. Then, there are the budget devices like Honor, Motorola and Nokia, where the recycling prices are going to be lower in relation to their retail price due to these models being less desirable.
The higher the cost of your phone when it was bought new, the more you will make when the time comes to sell it. So, if you splashed out on an iPhone 16 Pro Max for example, the good news is that if you want to sell it in a couple years, you should get a sweet deal. But keep in mind, every new iPhone release gradually decreases the resale value of your iPhone over time.
Sell your Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max nowGet up to £615.00!Here’s an example: the iPhone 7 Plus came with the price tag of £719 for the 32GB version when it was first released back in 2016, which was reasonably expensive at the time, but has since significantly decreased in value dropping to under £50. Not only have other devices vastly superseded this model in terms of price (Apple have been releasing phones that cost twice the price since then), but other flagships now have a much higher resale value.
Sell your Apple iPhone 7 nowGet up to £18.00!Sell your Apple iPhone 7 Plus nowGet up to £34.00!When Apple released iOS 16 in 2022, they excluded the iPhone 7 Plus from the list of supported devices, which has significantly affected its value and the number of recyclers willing to buy it. All of this is to say that if you’re thinking of selling your device and you want to get the most for it, you should do it sooner rather than later.
Given you know the make and model of your phone and its built-in storage capacity, your next step is to evaluate the condition of your phone. Pay attention to the following:
Physical Appearance
Give it a good clean and ensure that you check for any visible signs of damage such as cracks, scratches or dents and assess the overall exterior of the phone.
Screen Condition (Internal)
Check to see whether there are any signs of screen burn in e.g. discoloration and touch responsiveness.
Battery Performance
This is more relevant for iPhones and means checking to see whether there is battery degradation. You will be able to check the battery health in General Settings.
Functionality
Does it power on is a crucial one. It is also worth checking your phone's microphone, camera, buttons and speakers are in working order.
Operating System and Software
This is arguably one of the most important features to check when finding out the value of your phone. By checking the operating system and software updates / capabilities, you are able to determine whether the phone can run smoothly and is up to date.
Camera Quality
Check for any cracks or scratches on the hardware that may affect the lighting, focus and overall quality of your pictures.
Repair History
It’s helpful to remember whether your phone has undergone any past repairs and if genuine parts were used, because this can impact the quality and functionality in the future.
A quick assessment of your phone can help you make sure it’s in good working condition. Power and volume buttons, touchscreen, Wi-Fi connection and camera as well as charging port functionality without a hitch are the essentials that can help get you the most cash for your phone. Evaluate the cosmetic condition as well and bear in mind, excessive wear and tear won’t be accepted by a recycler within “Working” condition as well as small dents and cracked screens.
When selling your phone at Compare and Recycle, phones are graded as ‘New’, ‘Good’, ‘Poor’ or ‘Broken’. Regardless of which condition your mobile phone falls under, you will still be able to bag a decent deal.
As you are probably aware, there is no shortage of choices of where you can sell your old mobile phone. Although this can be seen as a positive, it can certainly cause a headache when trying to find the best price. It’s tempting to use an online marketplace such as Facebook or Ebay, but do you really want to respond to counteless ‘Is this still available?’ messages after which the potential buyer disappears? We thought so. Luckily there’s a much better alternative.
Selling your phone on our comparison site is a no-brainer and certainly has no place for time-wasters. We’ll help you to find the best deal from a network of recyclers in under 60 seconds and all you have to do is fill in your details to lock in the quote and send your phone off. Once you receive your payment, you can put the money towards your next gadget or spend it however you please.
For easier navigation, click the links below to visit different device categories that you can sell at Compare and Recycle:
First things first, it’s important that you ensure your privacy and data are protected before selling your phone. By taking the time to do the necessary steps, you’re making it easier for the next person to use your phone and also making sure you have all the data you need to transfer onto your next device.
Please note that to protect your privacy, encrypt your data manually via the settings menu if you have an Android, because with Android phones factory reset doesn’t always wipe all of your data. Whereas, encryption occurs naturally with iPhones.
Once you have done this, you should have an even more accurate idea of the condition of your phone and ultimately the overall value of it too. Just remember to remove your Google, Samsung or iCloud accounts before you post your device to speed up your order processing when it reaches a recycler. If the device is locked to a cloud account, the recycler won't be able to perform tests on your phone. Removing iCloud remotely might be challenging and the worst case scenario a recycler won't be able to make an offer and you might end up in the situation requiring you to pay a return fee depending on a merchant you've chosen.
For more detailed steps to take before selling your phone, follow the link below:
As we mentioned earlier, a new device will get the most money out of all the device categories that we have listed on our site. If your handset is still new, these are our top tips to help you to get the most money for it when the time to sell it comes:
We can’t stress this enough: put a case and a screen protector on your phone from day one. There’s simply no better way of minimising any cosmetic damage. Once you’ve added both, you’ve protected your phone against common mishaps that could reduce the value of your device in the future.
If you have a device with an OLED screen, these are more susceptible to burn in, which basically means pixel discolouration and is something to be aware of if you want to get the highest price at a later stage. Ways in which you can prevent this from happening include regularly changing the wallpaper, using Dark Mode if your device has this capability. You can find more tips in the blog post we linked to above.
Lastly, you can get cheap phone insurance from certain bank accounts, home insurance, or even as a job perk. Accidents happen and buying phone insurance lowers the cost of repair. It ensures a professional job covered by warranty to maintain a high working price when the time comes to sell your device. Unauthorised parts fitted in a phone will downgrade its resale price, and several recyclers do not offer a working price for a device on which unauthorised repairs were carried out.
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