An iPhone 13 contains a very small but significant amount of gold, with estimates around 0.034 grams, primarily used for plating connectors and wires on the main logic board and cameras, with Apple confirming they use 100% recycled gold in these components for environmental reasons. While the amount per phone is tiny (requiring hundreds of phones to get one gram), the collective gold from discarded devices is substantial.
According to 911Metallurgist.com, each iPhone contains an average of $1.58 worth of gold, $0.36 of silver, $0.12 of copper, $0.05 of aluminum, and $0.02 of platinum.
Recycling and Gold Recovery
The program recovers valuable materials like gold, which can be reused in new devices. On average, it takes 41 smartphones to recover just one gram of gold.
The amount of gold in SIM cards is very small, usually measured in milligrams or even micrograms. For example, a typical SIM card may contain around 8 milligrams of gold, which is equivalent to 0.00028 ounces.
Gold has maintained a high financial value, reaching over $2,000 an ounce. At these prices, a skilled recycler extracting gold from electronics can expect to receive over $10,000 worth of gold from just one ton of computer circuit boards.
Among consumer electronics, computer components are the richest in gold. Circuit boards, especially motherboards, feature gold in their connectors and pins. CPUs are particularly valuable, with older processors containing 0.2 to 0.5 grams of gold each.
An unopened, factory-sealed, first-generation 4GB iPhone from 2007 sold for over $190,000 (specifically $190,372.80) at a LCG Auctions auction in July 2023, becoming a highly prized collector's item due to its rarity and pristine condition, far exceeding its original price.
Here are a few examples:
Some other sources estimate that your average computer contains about 1/5th of a gram, or about $12 worth, of gold in them. On the other hand, laptops typically contain about 1/10th of a gram of gold, or around $6 worth. However, the actual value will depend entirely on the type of e-waste you are looking at.
Its natural flexibility means it can be made very thin, perfect for the tiny electronic components in modern phones. This precious metal can be found in the pins that carry electrical signals, the connectors that link different components, and the circuit boards that control everything.
Unlike conventional luxury editions, we don't just gold plate the bezel and camera rings—we meticulously apply 24K gold plating to the entire body of the iPhone, ensuring an unmatched level of refinement.
How Much is a Used iPhone 13 Worth? (Resale Value) Today's best resale price is $369.00 with an average market value of $90.80. This model was launched in 2021, and just like any other iPhone model, it still holds a good value.
Gold in the iPhone
Inside every iPhone are layers of intricate circuit boards, connectors, and wires that carry signals, power, and data. Many of these components are plated with gold. Gold appears in the printed circuit boards (PCBs), camera modules, and internal connectors.
Apple discontinued the iPhone 13 (and older models) to streamline its product line, focus resources on newer devices like the iPhone 16 series, simplify supply chains, and encourage upgrades to current, more advanced, and energy-efficient technology, following its typical annual product cycle. The iPhone 13, a 2021 release, was retired in September 2024 when newer iPhones were launched, making way for current models to occupy lower price points.
The 4GB iPhone is the rarest of all original iPhones, as it was discontinued by Apple on September 5, 2007, just over two months after the pioneering product's debut. Priced at $499, the 4GB iPhone model encountered lackluster sales as most consumers opted for the $100 upgrade to double its storage capacity to 8GB.
Have you ever thought about who owns the world's most expensive phone? It's Nita Ambani, a person known for her luxurious lifestyle. She possesses the Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond Edition, which is valued at an astonishing $48.5 million.
According to my knowledge, you can get 15.5 grams of gold from 1 kilogram of rams. This is because the gold content in rams is about 0.155%, which means that there is 15.5 milligrams of gold in every gram of rams. So, if you have 1 kilogram of rams, which is equal to 1000 grams, you will have 15.5 grams of gold.
With e-waste reaching record levels, scientists have unveiled a sustainable method to extract gold from discarded electronics. The technique offers a cleaner alternative to current practices. As the digital age accelerates, the world is facing a mounting challenge: electronic waste.
Laptops: The gold content in laptops varies, but a central processing unit (CPU) typically contains between 0.2 and 0.5 grams of gold. Additionally, motherboards and connectors contain small amounts of gold, contributing to the total value of recycled laptops.
Scrap gold prices per gram vary significantly by purity (karat) and current market rates, but generally range from around $50-$80 USD for 10K/12K, $80-$110 USD for 14K, to $100-$130+ USD for 18K, with 22K and 24K being higher; you must check current spot prices and specific buyer rates for your karat to get an exact value, as these are just examples based on recent data.
Here are some “golden age” items that have large printed circuit boards and therefore, comparatively large quantities of gold.