This quarter, our collection of data reflects one of the most active times of the year: Upgrade Season. This report sheds light on top devices that have been turned in through trade-in and upgrade programs, the average trade-in value of devices, dollars put into the hands of consumers for trading in their devices, and more.

At HYLA, we often stress the important role mobile device trade-in has in helping to protect the environment. Just as important is having the right tools, like mobile apps, to help you continue to improve your sustainability efforts and decisions. There are many sustainability apps available that can help you be more environmentally conscious and enjoy a more sustainable life.

The second quarter of the year is typically the least active for new smartphone sales and thereby for trade-in and upgrade. This year has been no exception. In Q2 2021, U.S. consumers received  $571M through trade-in and upgrade programs. This was a sharp 253% increase over what was returned to consumers in Q2 2020 but was expected as there was the economic turndown during the same period in 2020 due to the pandemic. Comparing  quarter over quarter, we saw a 14% decrease from Q1 to Q2, which is slightly better than the 15% we see during normal circumstances.

We are excited to share with you our expanded trends report coverage. Our quarterly reports now include data on devices turned in through Upgrade programs as well as Trade-in programs. This is reflected in the Top 5 Devices Received and Average Age of Device metrics. Other metrics, such as average trade-in value and money in consumers hands are based solely on Trade-in. We hope you find our quarterly report even more valuable.

The environmental burden of the disposal of mobile devices cannot be ignored. When consumers discard mobile devices because they are no longer in use, not only is it damaging to the environment, but the material that went into making the devices are wasted. According to one report, less than 20% of e-waste is properly recycled, and 80% of it ends up in landfills or is informally recycled.

Every year the climate and environmental crisis becomes ever more severe and Earth Day takes on extra significance. The annual event brings together millions of people worldwide to support the environment and highlight the action needed to save our planet.

In honor of Earth Day, we want to showcase how we enable our customers in the mobile industry to maximize its sustainability efforts. By repurposing, redistributing, and recycling pre-owned devices, we are helping operators, OEMS, retailers, and insurance providers to contribute to a much more sustainable future.

What happens to your old mobile device when you’re ready for an upgrade? In the past, most consumers would toss old devices in a drawer or throw them in the trash.

While 2020 was a challenging year, it could have ended on a worse note for the mobile device ecosystem of carriers, OEMs, and retailers. The slowdown in retail sales in Q1 and Q2, began to improve in Q3, and according to research from Counterpoint, new smartphone sales rose 8% in 4Q over the previous quarter. And, because trade-ins and new phone sales are tightly intertwined, we saw similar trends when analyzing our Mobile Device Trade-In Data.

Each quarter, we analyze the millions of data points we’ve acquired and filtered regarding the mobile device trade-in market. We examine the most-traded devices, total amount of money returned to U.S. consumers, average value of traded devices and more. This quarter we have added trade-in value of wearables to the mix of data we share.

Each quarter, we analyze millions of data points about the mobile device trade-in market. Our research uncovers insights into the most-traded devices, the devices with the highest trade-in values, the total amount of money returned to consumers in the United States, the average value of traded devices, and more.