Mobile World Congress 2015 was set in Barcelona, Spain. This year, the two big manufacturers which had new device announcements are HTC and Samsung, expected to release the new HTC One M9 and Galaxy S6 respectively. I’m sure that these announcements will be making some of our readers considering upgrading from their current device, perhaps only a year old, for one of the new flagship models. Or perhaps you are thinking of picking up the newly announced Motorola Moto E now that it comes with a new generation processor and 4G LTE? Regardless; if you are upgrading from an old device to a new one, you have the decision of what to do with your old technology? Some of our readers will already know the answer to this – we have a friend or usually a family member hankering for our old device. Problem solved, then; just remember to backup all information that you need, give the device a factory reset and take your SIM and MicroSD cards with you before you hand it over!
Another option is to keep your old device in some form of limited service. Perhaps you have a wireless speaker and pairing up your normal ‘phone is fine, but sometimes your battery is a bit low in the evening when you want to listen to music? You can use your old device. Or if you have a Chromecast; you can use your old device as a sort of universal remote control. If it’s a cell ‘phone or a data-equipped model and you’re using it without a SIM card around the home, you can put it into airplane or flight mode and manually turn on WiFi to save battery. Whilst this isn’t a bad idea, sometimes having two tablets or two cell ‘phones doesn’t so much help things around the home! You might find your old device runs out of charge, you forget to use it and before you know it, it’s collecting dust somewhere.
The third option is the one that often makes the most sense: sell or recycle the device. Not only will you get cash for your old device, but it means that it’ll be put to good use by somebody else. If you are planning on selling your old device, first things first: be sure to back up any information you need and then factory reset it. You’ll also want to remove your SIM and MicroSD cards. And if you do decide to sell it, there’s good news: many second hand stores and online auctions see a temporary increase the trade in values of devices around and about the time of a new product launch, to encourage people to trade in their old handsets when buying a new one.
You might only realize a little bit more, but it could be enough to pay for a new case for your shiny new smartphone or tablet. There are many places you can sell your device, from the simplicity of going into a dedicated store to the bigger names such as Amazon or eBay. Are you planning an upgrade and if so, what are you going to do with your old device? What have you done with old devices in the past? Do you have a drawer full of them or do your immediate family benefit from your constant upgrading? Let us know in the comments below.