Trade in 3 old devices for an iPhone? *Digital Chat Station*'s buyback prices suddenly soared

Opened a recycling platform on the subway.
I originally just wanted to clear out my drawer.
But when I saw the quoted prices, I was honestly a bit stunned.
Those old phones that used to feel like electronic waste have unexpectedly started soaring in value lately.

On March 25, reports mentioned that the used phone recycling market has recently seen a rare surge in prices.
The recycling prices of many models have directly jumped five to six times.
Phones that used to sell for only around 10 yuan as scrap, even with cracked screens or completely unable to power on, can now generally fetch 150 to 500 yuan.
That range really is a bit absurd.

What’s even more exaggerated is the older models.
The OPPO R9, released ten years ago, used to have a recycling price of about 20 to 30 yuan, but now it can reach 150 to 180 yuan.
Some people even sold two old phones that could not power on at all for a total of 308 yuan.
If it’s a flagship with large storage, the premium can even exceed 100%.
Versions with 256G or more are especially sought after, and there is even a saying in the market that “3 old phones can be exchanged for one iPhone.”

Why is this happening?
The core reason is not that phones have suddenly turned into gold.
It’s that AI is so hot that chip production capacity has been squeezed off balance.
Manufacturers like Samsung and Micron have shifted more than 70% of their advanced production capacity to making higher-profit memory for AI servers.
At the same time, consumer-grade chips used in phones have seen clear production cuts.
The result is that spot prices for new chips have risen by more than 300% in three months, and they are still in short supply.

At times like this, old phones are like spare charging cables you find at home.
Usually they don’t stand out, but when there’s a real shortage, they suddenly become incredibly valuable.
The memory and motherboards recovered through disassembly and refurbishment cost only 40% to 60% of new parts.
For manufacturers of smart door locks and surveillance equipment, any savings are worth taking.
So they are also eyeing old phones.

In addition, new phones have also become more expensive.
After storage costs went up, the prices of new phones were pushed up by 200 to 500 yuan.
A lot of people already do not like changing phones every year.
Now that they see higher prices, they simply keep using their old phones or check out the second-hand market instead.
This also makes old phones harder to collect, so prices naturally keep climbing.

From the perspective of light users, this wave is very practical.
If you have broken phones, backup phones, or old flagships in your drawer, it really is worth checking the quoted prices now.
Especially for large-storage versions, don’t just leave them buried away at the bottom of a box.
But don’t get carried away and rush to hoard old phones either.
These prices are essentially being pushed up by chip supply and demand, and like a short-video trend, they can rise fast and fall just as fast.

One more thing.
If you are thinking about upgrading to a new phone recently, you might as well do two things along the way.
First, estimate the recycling price of your old phone.
Then compare it with how much the new phone’s price has increased.
In some cases, getting a few hundred yuan more for your old phone really can ease the pressure of upgrading.

To put it plainly, it’s not that old phones have suddenly become stronger.
It’s that AI has tightened up upstream resources.
In the end, even the old devices sitting in our drawers have been re-priced.
This kind of chain reaction looks a little surreal.
But for ordinary people, it’s very practical.
When you have a chance to recover some money, don’t let your old phones keep gathering dust.