Old iPhones flood market as Apple fans trade up to 4G

Out with the old: iPhones are flooding the market as consumers upgrade

12 April 2012

The most recycled mobile in the country is now the iPhone, as users desperately try to sell old models before buying the latest version.

The iPhone 3G — Apple's second-generation handset — was top of the recycling league, as customers tried to raise cash for a new 4G.

Comparison site Sell My Mobile said 10,000 traded in their 3Gs last month, for up to £170, compared with the 2,000 it usually sees.

Consumers have also been selling iPods. Recycler Mopay.co.uk said the number going through its site had risen nearly 70 per cent since the launch of the 4G last month.

Mopay co-founder Simon Walsh said: "For Apple fans it's imperative they have the most up-to-date version."

Apple sold more than 1.7 million iPhone 4s in three days after it went on sale on June 24.

But users have complained of poor reception, caused when the left hand covers antenna points around the side of the device. Apple has advised people to hold it differently, or buy a case.