Nokia phones retain their value more so than competitor handsets?

Should you be looking at the choice of purchasing a Windows Phone 7.x smartphone or waiting until Apollo arrives, you may find it interesting that Nokia handsets are reported to retain value more effectively than devices from other manufacturers and brands. According to Envirofone (opens in new tab), leading UK mobile phone recycle specialists, you're likely to receive a larger return on trading in your Nokia mobile phone.

Of course, when trading in your used handsets - whether they be smart or feature devices, you're going to be receiving a lot less than RRP. That said, it's good to know which brands retain their value most when looking to make a purchase, especially when a looming software upgrade is on its way which will not be heading to all current (and previous) generation handsets. The question is: are we talking about older Nokia hardware, or their newer Windows Phones?

I recently traded in my Lumia 800 (I owned two black versions) so I could dignify forking out a few hundred pounds for a new first generation TITAN - always wanted the huge display. I used Enirofone to trade in the Lumia 800 and received £132.54 on April 24th. At the time I found it to be a good deal, which was more than half of what I was paying for the TITAN itself.

Fast-forward a number of months to this day and quickly running a search on Envirofone to see what we'd receive for both the Nokia Lumia 800 and HTC TITAN, the results are somewhat surprising:

  • Nokia Lumia 800 - £108.10
  • HTC TITAN - £154.98

The 800 has dropped almost £30 in value in three months. The TITAN was released prior to the Nokia Lumia 800, but we should of course take into account the availability of the Lumia 900, which is the 800's more advanced brother. That said, there's the TITAN MK II, right? It seems, going by Windows Phones that have been released almost in the same month, Nokia is worth less than HTC at least.

Envirofone Statisitics

Envirofone offers more for old Nokia and Motorola hardware

But this is comparing two Windows Phones. If you're truly old school, it seems 'ancient' Nokia handsets seem to be worth a fair amount with the E72 sitting at £48.06, which is just higher than the Samsung Omnia 7 at £33.02.

We'll have to draw a conclusion that Windows Phone handsets themselves are losing value at a faster rate than competitor platforms, but if you have any old devices sat doing absolutely nothing in that blocked drawer of yours, you might want to check just how much it's worth. Have you visited Envirofone (or similar services) to trade your mobile phones? Let us know your thoughts on handset value in the comments.

Source: NokNok.tv

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

17 Comments
  • Are we surprised? HTC spit out god awful technology on a daily basis.
  • That's what you think
  • Hey at least HTC has the Sound Enhancer feature. Nokia has none of that. That's why I bought a Titan II instead of a Lumia 900.
  • Have to justify buying the second string WP7 somehow, right?
  • Yeah HTC have several features that are cutting edge (I love attentive phone settings) and in terms hardware specs (not design) they're still number 1 in Windows Phone, certainly not second string!
  • Why does anyone need to justify anything they buy? You buy what you want. Just buy what you want and enjoy it if it's a decent product.
  • Titan sound sux that's y they ADDED A SOUND ENHANCER Nokia don't need it lol
  • I'm not sure if 5.1 surround sound through headphones or stereo speakers sucks but whatever.
  • I disagree.  If you look on eBay you will find HD7S still going for $125-150, almost two years after it released.  a Focus regularly brings $100.  Even Dell Venue Pro will sell for $140.  The 900 can be had for $150-200 and that's only a few months after release.  800s go for more because they were never released on a carrier here.  I can't speak for old Symbian Nokias because there are so few offered in the US, but the ones I see on Craigslist are prepaid trash that go for very very little of what they sold for new.
     
     
    also I think it's shorter bar the better in that graph since it represents loss in value.
  • Regarding the graph - definitely. Interesting point you make in your comment about eBay. The issue is with these companies that offer a quick and easy route to trading in old or unwanted mobile phones is that they will offer less, but enough to stay competitive with similar services. On eBay, it's slightly easier with auctions taking place for users to clock in how much they feel like paying for the device. Then again, prices will vary by region, like you mentioned - the 800 is a relatively rare breed in the US. When we compare Windows Phone OEMs, there isn't much between them. That said, £100 for the 800 isn't at all that bad when you can pick one up for £290 from Amazon (possibly cheaper elsewhere).
  • I still keep my nokia butterfly handset around for emergency use. I've had many smartphones (iPhone 3Gx2,3GSx2, Focus, HD7S, TITAN) and when they fail (i.e. iOS devices the others I simply couldn't resist upgrading), it sucks.  The nokia is always there for me to pick up the slack. Its one reason why I want another nokia handset.  But I am waiting on the next... at this point, I'll wait on WP8 handsets.
  • I keep a Nokia 2610 as a backup, I hated it for daily use, but the thing's almost indestructible
  • I specifically bought a 2330 and unlocked it so that no matter what I had an phone (nights out, software faults etc). Sadly now after being dropped hundreds of times the earpiece is degrading and its hard to hear callers. I did get two seasons out of it as a full daily use phone plus the year I abused on a weekly basis. My company handsets were naff so I put their sim in my handset.
  • Last time I checked my HTC HD7 was worth like under £50 like so rubbish.. I paid 400 for it haha.
  • What a load of shit. Second hand mobile phones are worthless & none of the retail outlets or carriers want second hand phones & HTC were the 1st company to make smartphones & have made some great phones & some not so good models just like Nokia & Samsung!
  • Interesting, everything seems to be very expensive in Germany: Lumia 800 about 230-280 €, 900 for 350-420 €. And that's not a new phone. Streetprice on eBay or 2nd hand on amazon. HTC and Samsung is a bit cheaper.
  • Of course! They are as tough as Chuck Norris and more useful :)