The Old Phone in Your Drawer Is Losing Value Right Now
Take a look around your home. Chances are, you have at least one phone kept away in a drawer, cupboard, or shoebox. It still works, but it stopped being your main phone and was never dealt with.
That phone might be the most valuable unused item in your home, and its value drops every month you leave it there.
This guide explains why phones lose value faster than you might think, when it makes sense to keep a spare, and what to do with the ones you do not need.
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Why a Phone in a Drawer Loses Value Faster Than You Think
There are four main reasons for this, and only one depends on how much you used the phone.
The battery gets older with time, not just with use. Many people do not realize this. Lithium batteries get weaker over time, whether the phone is on or off. Keeping it fully charged or letting it sit empty for months can make things worse. Even if you do not use the phone for two years, the battery will still lose some of its capacity.
New models come out all the time. Apple usually launches in September, and Samsung's S series arrives early in the year. Each new release quickly lowers the price of older models, often within weeks.
Software support eventually ends. When the manufacturer stops sending security updates, far fewer people want to buy the phone. This change happens suddenly, especially for budget phones. More details are below.
Swelling can happen if a battery is left in poor condition for too long. It may push out the back panel or lift the screen. At that point, the phone becomes a safety risk instead of something you can sell. If your phone does not sit flat, take care of it right away.
This matters more than anything else on an older phone, and almost nobody checks it before buying.
Phone Model
Resale Value / Strength
Pixel 8 and newer, including 8a and 9a
77 years
Pixel 6 and 7 series
35 years
Samsung Galaxy S25 series
77 years
Samsung Galaxy S24 series
45 years
Samsung Galaxy A16, A26, A36, A56 5G
66 years
OnePlus 13
46 years
OnePlus Nord series
23 years
Xiaomi 15
46 years
Motorola Edge 50 Neo, Moto G75
55 years
Motorola budget models
12 years
Nothing Phone 3
57 years
(Manufacturer policies as compiled by Android Authority. Support runs from each model's launch, not from when you bought it.)
Look at the table again. A budget Android phone might lose security support just two years after launch, while a Pixel 8 can still get updates after seven years. Two phones bought on the same day can have up to five years' difference in safe use.
What does this mean for your old phone? Search for your model and the words "end of support." If support has ended, your phone is worth less now and will lose value faster. If it still has support, you have more time, but the price will still drop.
iPhones are usually supported for around five to seven years from launch. An iPhone 13, for example, runs iOS 26, is getting iOS 27, and is expected to see security updates to around 2029.
When a Spare Phone Is Actually Worth Keeping
You do not have to sell every old phone. Here is a simple way to decide.
Worth keeping if:
It still gets security updates, which means you could safely use it for banking if you had to
The battery holds enough charge to be useful in a real emergency
You have a real use for it, such as a travel phone, work phone, phone for a child, dashcam, or music player
Someone in your family will actually use it now, not just in theory
Worth selling if:
It is out of security support
The battery will not last a few hours of normal use
It has sat in the drawer for a year and you have not used it once
It cannot run the apps you would actually need in an emergency
Here is the truth about keeping a backup phone. Most spares are never used. When your main phone breaks, you might find the spare has a dead battery and outdated software, so you end up going to a shop anyway. If you really want a working backup, you need to charge it every few months and keep it updated. If you are not willing to do that, it is not a backup it is just extra stock.
If you decide to keep a spare phone, store it the right way. Charge it to about half, not full or empty, keep it in a cool place, and recharge it every few months. This helps the battery last longer.
What Is It Actually Worth?
We have not included a price table here, and there is a good reason for that.
The price of a used phone depends on the exact model, storage, battery health, condition, and even the week you check. Average price tables are often wrong and become outdated quickly. When we compared three popular models to live listings, the published price ranges on several sites were off by tens of thousands of rupees.
Instead, spend two minutes to get a quote from a buyback calculator for your exact model and condition. Then, check what the same variant is listed for on classifieds. Together, these two numbers show you what your phone is worth today. Our guide on checking your phone's resale value explains how to use them.
Do this in order. The order is what decides whether the sale completes.
1. Charge it. A dead phone cannot be checked, and the pickup gets rescheduled. Charge it the night before.
2. Back up anything still on it. Old phones often hold photos that were never moved across. Check before you wipe.
3. Move any authenticator app to your current phone if the old one still has login codes on it. This catches people out more than anything else.
4. Sign out of your Google or Apple account. On iPhone: Settings, your name, Find My, switch off Find My iPhone, then Sign Out. On Android: Settings, Accounts, remove your Google account. Remove any Samsung or Mi account too.
5. Take out the SIM and memory card, and remove any eSIM. A reset does not wipe an SD card and does not always clear an eSIM.
6. Then factory reset.
7. Note the IMEI. Dial *#06# and photograph it before you wipe. It is your proof of which phone was yours.
If you reset the phone before signing out, it will lock itself to your account. No one else will be able to set it up, and the sale will not go through. This often happens even when the phone is in perfect condition.
If You Cannot Remember the Password
This happens often with drawer phones, and the answer is not what some sites suggest.
Recover the account first. Go to Google's or Apple's account recovery page and reset the password there. You will need it, because Factory Reset Protection on Android and Activation Lock on iPhone will ask for it when the phone is set up again.
Nobody can legitimately clear that lock without the account credentials. Not a shop, not a buyback service, not us. Any service claiming to bypass it is using tools that are unreliable and frequently malicious, and the lock exists specifically to make stolen phones worthless.
If you cannot recover the account at all, say so when you get a quote. The phone still has part value, but it will be priced as a locked device, which is considerably less.
Selling Several at Once
If you have three or four phones in your drawer, get a separate quote for each one instead of selling them as a group. The condition of each phone is different, and a single price is usually based on the worst phone in the batch.
The E-Waste Angle, With the Real Figure
India generated 13.98 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2024-25, of which about 9.88 lakh tonnes was processed. That is CPCB data, given in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on 24 July 2025.
A phone sitting in a drawer is not e-waste yet. It only becomes e-waste when you finally throw it away, and by then, it is worth nothing to anyone.
Selling a working phone is better than recycling it, because reuse keeps the whole device in service and stops a new one being made. Recycling is for devices that are genuinely finished. Our guide on recycling old devices in India covers the free routes, including brand takeback schemes.
FAQs
1. How much value does an unused phone lose?
It depends on the model, so be careful with anyone who gives a flat monthly rate. What you can count on is that most of the value is lost early, and new launches cause sudden drops in price. A phone left unused for two years will have lost much of its original value.
2. Will your old phone still turn on after years in a drawer?
Often, it will not unless you charge it first, and sometimes it will not turn on at all. A battery left empty for a long time can be damaged beyond repair. If you want to keep a phone as a spare, store it at about half charge and recharge it every few months.
3. Can you sell a phone that will not turn on?
Yes, but for a lower price, since the parts still have value. Be sure to mention that it does not power on when you get a quote, so the price does not change at pickup.
4. What if I have forgotten the password?
Recover your Google or Apple account password first, at the account recovery page. You will need it when the phone is set up again. No buyback service can legitimately clear Factory Reset Protection or Activation Lock without it, and any service claiming to is one to avoid.
5. Do I need the original box?
No. It helps a little and speeds up the check. Not having it will not stop the sale.
6. Is it safe to sell a phone that had banking apps on it?
Yes, once you have signed out of your accounts and factory reset it. Modern phones encrypt their storage, so the reset destroys the key and the data with it. Signing out is the step that actually needs your attention.
7. Should you keep a phone as a backup?
Only if you are willing to keep it charged, updated, and still getting security patches. A spare phone that is dead and out of support is not a real backup. Most people find theirs does not work when they need it.
8. Can I sell several phones in one pickup?
Yes. Get a separate quote for each one rather than a single price for the lot, because condition varies and a blended figure is set by the worst device.
9. Does battery health below 70 percent stop me selling?
No. A weak battery reduces the price rather than blocking the sale. Check your figure before you ask for a quote so there are no surprises.
10. How old is too old to sell?
Very few phones are literally worthless, because the parts have value even when the phone does not work. The question is whether the amount is worth the effort to you. If it is not, the free recycling routes are the right answer.
Yaskar Jung ShahPublished at: May 4, 2026·13 min read
