Gold has been an important metal for the technology industry since its first appearance in smartphones.
This happens due to its good conductivity, ease of workability and corrosion resistance, which make it one preferred material among others needed by all manufacturers of smartphones and tablets.
To this day, Gold continues being used as a fundamental ingredient within Smartphone manufacturing.
Gold is not only present on your smartphone’s screen but also inside it. It is the most common element used in modern electronics, with every phone containing at least some gold .
The main reason why this metal became so popular within this area is because it doesn’t react with air, water or any acid. Furthermore, it does not corrode easily when exposed to the elements. Therefore, it is long lasting and does not require replacement.
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How much gold is actually in a smartphone?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey there is around 0.034 grams of gold in each smart phone, the equivalent of 0.001 troy ounces.
This does not include other accessories such as earphones which also use gold in their design.
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Gold recycling in smartphones.
Apple trade in.
One of the biggest companies in this industry is Apple. You can trade in an old device when you buy a new product and they will apply the value towards your new purchase or recycle your device for free.
It is possible that the company encourages this because precious metals have been used in at least 18 components that their phones have and people have been hoarding apple devices without taking out the gold or other precious metals.
Why is Gold still Important in the Smartphone Industry?
The high price of gold is the main reason why some people would only associate it with luxury goods and investment.
However, there are several reasons why this metal is important in many industries and the Smartphone development field is one of these ones. Even though there are other materials that can be used for this industry, manufacturers still use gold due to its unique properties.
Good Conductivity
Gold is one of the best electrical conductors available. It makes this material an important component within batteries and other electric devices that require a good flow of electricity, such as smartphones.
For example, when the battery loses its voltage, it’s possible to recharge it by means of getting in contact with another power source. This is not possible with materials generating poor conductivity, so it’s necessary to incorporate good electrode materials within the batteries.
Gold can be used in different forms within batteries according to its application generating lower or higher electric resistance depending on its thickness.
Due to this fact, gold electrodes are always applied between other metal components that enhance their performance.
Physical Protection
For some other materials, it’s necessary to incorporate other kinds of substances because they are susceptible to corrosion. This is not an issue for gold due to its ability to provide protection against oxidation processes. Therefore, manufacturers can use this metal as a barrier between other products that could be sensitive to corrosion damage like the lithium batteries.
Lithium batteries are of the most important components within smartphones. They generate electricity by means of an oxidation process which is more efficient than other kinds of batteries like nickel metal hydride, but its performance could be severely damaged without protective materials like gold.
Corrosion Resistance
Even though many metals can be found to be durable even in direct contact with water, gold is one of the few that do not need additional substances to remain undamaged under this condition. This fact makes it an important material when other materials are used in contact with liquids, like in smartphones which incorporate several kinds of components in contact with fluids.
It’s because of all these reasons that manufacturers continue using gold as a fundamental material to build the best Smartphones.
Can you use an old smartphone for gold extraction?
Actually, you can. Gold extraction is a practice that has occurred for centuries and even today takes place all over the world. It comes as no surprise that smartphones are part of this process too. What makes this different than the usual gold refineries, is, much less machinery is required to extract the metal from these devices. Although, this process requires a lot of time and patience.
Yes, gold extraction takes place not only with old smartphones but also technology products of other kinds. For instance, there are some jewellery store dealers that buy old gadgets to extract the metal components within them.
This is one of the reasons why it might be a good idea to sell your old smartphone instead of throwing it away.
You can always opt for selling your old devices to an official dealer that offers this kind of service.
The future for gold in smartphones.
Smartphone producers will continue using gold due to its extra functionality compared to other metals such as copper.
Gold offers properties that cannot be found within these other materials. It is one of the best metal conductors and because of this it allows for better battery charging, durability and anti-corrosion, even after being applied with a thin coating of silver or nickel.
The main reason for these particular properties it is because gold has a unique electron configuration that makes it lack a natural affinity for electrons, which allows them move through the metal’s lattice structure with very little resistance. This is the reason why ‘golden’ smartphones are more corrosion resistant and, therefore, last longer compared to other ‘non-golden’ competitors.
It’s fair to say that gold plays a vital role in the smartphone industry.
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