Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The end of 2010 is upon us, and it’s time to look back on all of the items that have come in this year. We are still tallying all of the numbers, but by any account 2010 was a record year at YouRenew. Our gadget technicians have processed tens of thousands of orders and devices, and have seen an incredible range of used electronics come through the door.
2010 was the year of the smartphone – the research firm Gartner estimates that globally, smart phone unit sales surged 53% in 2010 – and based on our experience at YouRenew, smartphone reselling and recycling is picking up too. Almost unbelievably, eight of the top ten consumer mobile device trade-ins via YouRenew.com were smart phones. The will likely only increase in 2011, and we look forward to it!
Without further ado, we introduce the Top 5 Most Traded Mobile Devices via YouRenew.com in 2010:
#5: LG ENV2 VX9100
The LG ENV2 was first introduced in 2008, and in 2010 they certainly were traded a great deal! In the first half of the year, the ENV2 was an especially popular trade-in, as many Verizon customers upgraded from this sturdy device to the LG ENV Touch and Android enabled smartphones, including the ever-popular Droid and Droid X. While ENV2 Trade-ins have slowed a bit in the last couple of months, we still see quite a few every week.
#4: Apple iPhone 3G 8GB
If any phone was expected to make our list in 2010, it was the Apple iPhone 3G 8GB. In June and July, this smartphone represented our most-traded device, and with goodreason. With the debut of the iPhone 4, many Apple devotees upgraded to the latest and greatest device, trading in their old 3G for a shiny new work of genius out of Cupertino, CA. We paid out well over $100 for most of these iPhone 3G 8GB, offsetting a good chunk of the cost of a new iPhone, making many Apple fanboys quite happy.
#3: Blackberry Storm 9530
The Storm was never the hit that many Blackberry fans had hoped for, and many a user could not seem to wait to do away with this touchscreen device. YouRenew was pounded with Storm trade-ins this fall, as the two year anniversary of the phone’s debut passed and many Verizon Blackberry users upgraded – many moving to the Tour or Bold 9650, solid devices with real keyboards – a treat after a year or two using the Storm.
#2: Blackberry Curve 8310
The Curves were the real trade-in leaders this year. Day in and day out, without fail YouRenew’s receiving shelves were guaranteed to be filled with Blackberry Curves. These hot devices from ’08 turned over in force during 2010, as AT&T Blackberry customers switched to the Bold 9700, Torch 9800, and the ever popular iPhone.
#1: Blackberry Curve 8330
Pink and Silver Blackberry Curve 8330 Verizon phones have provided constant companionship for the gadget techs at YouRenew in 2010. The team members charged with checking in, data clearing, testing, and processing YouRenew orders have become intimately familiar with the Curve 8330 over the course of the last twelve months, and the rate of trade-ins for this ever popular device shows no sign of slowing down as 2011 begins. With the much anticipated Verizon iPhone likely debuting in the next few months, we would not be surprised to see even more 8330s in the door this winter than we have in the last few months!>
