With the unveiling of Apple's iPhone 6 scheduled for next week, users are beginning to think of what to do with their old iPhones if they choose to upgrade to the smartphone's latest model.
Users of old iPhones have many different options to upgrade their older iPhones, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, to be able to purchase the iPhone 6, which will likely have the typical base price of $199 with two-year phone service contract.
The first option is for users to sell their used iPhones on public selling sites such as eBay and Craigslist. Users will be able to set the desired price for their old iPhones. However, users are not sure when or if their iPhone will have a buyer. In addition, it is sometimes very bothersome, and sometimes even unsafe, to make deals with complete strangers.
A safer route that users can take is to avail of the device recycling program of Apple. Through the program, users of iPhone 5 smartphones can get as much as $225 in the form of an Apple gift card, with the amount depending on the condition of the phone being traded in.
After users send in their phone to avail of the program, it will undergo a final evaluation to determine the value that users will get back, which is usually the same as the given quote on the device if the user answers honestly in the initial screening. The gift card will when be sent to the user through their provided e-mail address.
Users can also choose to avail of the trade-in program for Amazon, which determines the device's value according to its condition, carrier, color and storage capacity. Verizon users and unlocked iPhones are usually the ones that get the most value, while Sprint users usually get the lowest trade-in value.
Current Amazon trade-in values for an unlocked black 16GB iPhone 5 in "like new" condition will return a value of $255.25, while a "like new" condition for a Verizon black 64GB iPhone 5 is worth $342.75. A Sprint blue 16GB iPhone 5C, on the other hand, will only return a value of $117.40.
Verizon, AT&T and unlocked iPhone 5s units have a trade-in value of over $300,
Other websites are readying their trade-in programs for older iPhones in anticipation of the iPhone 6, which will be coming in two different sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches.
"While the smartphone market is getting saturated in the U.S., the iPhone 6 will likely have a big impact," said LaptopMag.com editor Mark Spoonauer. "A lot of shoppers have been waiting for Apple to deliver a bigger screen and that alone will spur an impressive upgrade cycle. If two iPhone 6 models debut as expected [with larger screens], it will put immense pressure on Samsung."
