A Collector's Guide to Rare Phones: The Classics Worth Owning

Phones used to be wildly different from each other. Sliders, flip phones, keyboards, giant camera lenses, stainless steel, sapphire glass. Today they're mostly glass rectangles, which is exactly why the classics have become collectable.

Whether you want to own the phone you had at school or build a shelf of design icons, this guide covers what makes a phone collectable and the classics we think are worth owning.

What makes a phone collectable?

• A first or a last: the first of a new idea, or the last of an old one, like the final iPod classic.
• Design that broke the rules: phones that looked like nothing else at the time.
• Limited finishes and storage sizes: special colours and top storage options were made in smaller numbers.
• Condition: sealed beats boxed, and boxed beats loose. Original accessories add value.
• Nostalgia: the phones everyone wanted between the late 2000s and 2018 are now what people want back.

The classics worth owning

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte (2008)

Nokia's luxury slider, with a stainless steel body and a sapphire crystal screen that's very hard to scratch. It was made to be shown off, and it still is. Our Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is genuine and graded Excellent. £699.99.

Nokia N8 (2010) and Lumia 1020 (2013)

Two of the most famous camera phones ever made. The Nokia N8 (£136.99) had a 12MP sensor with Carl Zeiss optics in 2010. The Lumia 1020 (£129.99) went further with a 41MP PureView camera that photographers still talk about.

Apple iPod classic 160GB (2009)

The last iPod classic Apple made, with the click wheel and room for tens of thousands of songs. Apple stopped making it in 2014 and it's been a collector's favourite ever since. Ours is graded Good. £189.99.

Apple iPhone 7 Jet Black (2016)

Apple's only high-gloss black iPhone, sold only in the bigger storage sizes. Apple itself warned the finish could show fine scratches with use, so a sealed one is the prize. iPhone 7 256GB Jet Black, £328.99.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (2013)

Half phone, half compact camera, with a proper 10x optical zoom lens on the back. Nothing quite like it has been made since. Sealed Galaxy S4 Zoom, £499.99.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 (2017)

One of the first near bezel-less phones, with a ceramic body. It showed where every phone was heading a year or two early. Sealed Mi Mix 2 64GB, £199.99.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 (2011) and Nokia 6280 (2005)

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 (£129.99, sealed) is the keyboard BlackBerry many fans rate as the best ever made. The Nokia 6280 (£49.99) is a mid-2000s slider that's an affordable way to start a collection.

Looking after your collection

1. Charge batteries every few months. Keep them around half full. A lithium battery left flat for years can stop taking a charge.
2. Keep phones out of sunlight and damp. Sunlight fades boxes and plastics, and damp corrodes contacts.
3. Don't remove the seals if you want to keep a sealed phone's value.
4. Keep everything: boxes, manuals, chargers and even the plastic film all add to the value.
5. Buy from a seller you can return to. Check the listing says genuine, and that you get a warranty and returns.

See everything rare and sealed in our Collectors Hub.

Collector FAQ

Are old phones a good investment?

Some have gone up in value, but prices can go down as well as up. Buy what you love first. If it becomes worth more later, that's a bonus.

Sealed or graded: which should I buy?

For a shelf, sealed. To use and enjoy, a graded phone is better value and you won't feel bad charging it. See our guide to sealed old phones.

How do I know it's genuine?

Buy from a seller who checks every handset and offers returns. Everything we sell is genuine, never a replica or clone.

Buying Retro Tech from XTEC: every handset is genuine, never a replica or clone, and dispatched from our UK warehouse 5 days a week, with 30-day returns. Questions about a model? Message us on WhatsApp at 07599 803768 and a real person will reply.