In the AI era, Generation Z are obsessed with collecting "e-waste".

While the world is abuzz with discussions about large AI models, foldable phones, and Apple Vision Pro, and as ChatGPT evolves into a multimodal version, the pixel count of phone cameras surpasses 200 million, and AI photo editing and AI image generation become standard features on social platforms, a striking phenomenon is quietly spreading among the younger generation: a group of post - 2010 kids are flocking to platforms like Xianyu and Xiaohongshu, frantically "scoring deals" on old - fashioned electronic products that the previous generation regarded as "e - waste" - flip phones, MP3 players, old - style CCD cameras, and even discontinued Walkmans and tape recorders.

These old devices with simple functions and retro appearances have unexpectedly become the "trendy items" pursued by post - 2010 kids in the AI - dominated technological wave. So, while tech giants are fully committed to AI and the iteration of smart devices, post - 2010 kids are choosing to "go back to the past" and are indulging in old - fashioned electronic products with no smart features, no algorithms, and extremely simple functions.

In 2026, when smartphone sales are continuously declining and the AI concept is bombarding the market, this "reverse consumption" phenomenon is particularly thought - provoking.

Is it a throwback or a trend?

"I bought this flip phone on Xianyu for 85 yuan. The original battery still works, and it makes a crisp 'click' sound when you close the cover. It has a much better texture than my mom's foldable phone," said 13 - year - old Zhang Yutong (a pseudonym), holding up a silver flip phone with pride. In one corner of her desk, there are three different models of flip phones, a silver MP3 player, and a Canon IXUS series CCD camera neatly arranged. These are the "treasures" she got by saving her pocket money and helping with household chores in the past year, and they are also the "hard currency" in her social circle.

Zhang Yutong is a junior high school student. She first encountered a flip phone at a classmate's birthday party. "One of my classmates brought a pink flip phone. It had a built - in blurry filter for photos, which created a really great atmosphere on the Moments. Everyone gathered around to have a look." After that, Zhang Yutong became obsessed with these "old things". She downloaded Xianyu and spends half an hour scrolling through it every day after school to find cost - effective flip phones. She also joined several "post - 2010 retro electronics exchange groups" to share experiences of buying phones and photo - taking tips with her group mates.

Like Zhang Yutong, 12 - year - old Li Zixuan (a pseudonym) is a "CCD enthusiast". His first CCD camera was a Canon A480 that his grandfather found in an old box. "The camera couldn't turn on properly at that time. I found a master online to fix it. The first time I used it to take photos, I fell in love with that blurry grainy feeling." Now, Li Zixuan has upgraded to his third CCD camera. Each camera has a different imaging style. He uses these cameras to take pictures of the sycamore trees on campus and his classmates' smiling faces, then adjusts the brightness with the simplest photo - editing software and posts them on Xiaohongshu. He always gets a lot of likes.

Netizens' posts of "e - waste collections". Image source: Xiaohongshu

"I don't like the high - definition texture of phone photos. It's too fake. The photos taken by CCD cameras have flaws, but they are very real," Li Zixuan said. Many of his classmates around him are also into CCD cameras. They often go to parks and old streets together to take pictures and compete to see whose photos have a better "atmosphere". To find rare CCD models, he also bargains with sellers on Xianyu and exchanges models.

On social platforms like Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and Douban, as well as short - video platforms like Douyin, there are many post - 2010 kids like Zhang Yutong and Li Zixuan. Some people specialize in collecting old - fashioned MP3 players, including iPod Nano, Patriot MP3 players, and even old - style Walkmans. "I like the feeling of pressing the buttons on the MP3. Every time I press the play button, I feel like I'm back in my parents' youth." Some are addicted to collecting BlackBerry full - keyboard phones, and some have brought back the popularity of wired earphones...

Surprisingly, in the field of electronic products, the current hot items are not the latest flagship phones, but the "small e - waste" that emerged around the millennium - iPods, CCD cameras, flip phones, MP3 players... These electronic relics that should have been gathering dust in the corners of the second - hand market have now become trendy items in the eyes of post - 2000s and even post - 2010s, and are regarded as "beautiful but useless things" and "cute old - fashioned items".

According to iiMedia Research data, the market size of the retro economy in China increased by 11.7% year - on - year in 2025, and it is expected to exceed 587.85 billion yuan by 2030. The data from Xianyu is even more straightforward: in the first quarter of 2025, the sales volume of Chinese dream - core items increased by 70% quarter - on - quarter, and 80% of the buyers were post - 1995s. The search volume for old items like CCD cameras and Game Boy consoles soared by 200%.

Among them, in February 2026, the average transaction price of CCD cameras soared from 210 yuan in the same period of 2025 to 1860 yuan, nearly nine times the price in just half a year. In the first quarter of 2026, the sales of wired earphones, which had been cold due to the popularity of wireless devices, achieved a 20% reverse growth. The classic white and transparent - shell models have become popular fashion items due to their versatile nature. The 15 - year - old iPhone 4 has had a "value reversal", rising from a recycling price of 5 yuan per unit to a second - hand transaction price of 150 - 300 yuan, with the highest increase of up to 60 times. The unopened version has directly exceeded 1000 yuan, and the scarce white version has been hyped up to a high price of 2999 yuan.

E - waste has become a new trend

More interestingly, post - 2010 kids have given these old - fashioned electronic products new values. They stick stickers on flip phones, change their shells, and turn them into personalized accessories. They use CCD cameras to take pictures of retro - style outfits and campus life to create their own social personas. They hang MP3 players on their schoolbags, which are both practical and fashionable. Driven by them, "retro electronics" is no longer a synonym for "outdated", but has become a new trend, and has even influenced post - 1990s and post - 2000s, creating a "cross - generational" retro consumption boom.

Why "scavenge for e - waste"?

"I didn't expect that the flip phone I used when I was a kid would now be regarded as a treasure by my daughter," said 30 - year - old Liu Yin with a smile. There was an idle Nokia flip phone at home. She originally wanted to throw it away, but her daughter found it and regarded it as a "collectible". She even asked her mom to teach her how to send text messages and take pictures. "Seeing my daughter happy with the flip phone, I also recalled my own youth. It's a wonderful feeling."

Perhaps, just as Liu Yin felt, the generational gap brings a unique consumption experience: post - 2010 kids buy flip phones and MP3 players not for "nostalgia", but for "trying something new". They look at these old products from a brand - new perspective and discover the fun that contemporary tech products don't have - the texture of the plastic shell, the feedback of the buttons, and the sense of ritual in manual operation, which are all things that today's smartphones can't provide.

Of course, the social significance carried by these e - waste products cannot be ignored. On Xiaohongshu, the topic #Did you play with a CCD today?# has a reading volume of over 970 million; #Vinyl records# has a reading volume of over 570 million; #Antique phones# has a reading volume of over 240 million; #Nostalgic Game Boy consoles# has a reading volume of over 47.206 million. As the "2025 Z - Generation Emotional Consumption Report" shows, the proportion of people who choose "happy consumption, paying for emotional value/interest" is 56.3%, an increase of 16.2 percentage points compared to 2024. For post - 2010 kids, choosing these seemingly outdated electronic products is not for practical use, but for the emotional value behind them.

Especially nowadays, smartphones tightly bind users' attention with algorithmic push and infinite content, while small e - waste products with simple functions are like a breath of fresh air. As a netizen wrote on Xiaohongshu, "Phones in that era had no distinctiveness, regardless of brand or performance. You could occasionally check if there were any messages on the 3G browser. There was no over - usage of data, and you could spend 5 yuan a month on phone bills and use it as you like... Although it's much more convenient now, that era is really memorable."

"Why do phones become more boring as technology develops?" Some netizens also posted notes with such feelings. "It seems that everyone has grown up overnight and become the same type of influencers. Suddenly, I really miss the old days. Technology was far less developed then, there were no sophisticated algorithms and AI, but why did it feel like there were more choices and it was more interesting?"

The Nokia 3210 4G is a replica of the 1999 Nokia 3210

It's worth mentioning that this has also become a new business opportunity. In 2024, Nokia launched a classic phone replica, which was out of stock three days after it was put on the shelves. On the other hand, supporting industries such as repair and accessories have also emerged. Many merchants specifically provide repair services for flip phones, CCD cameras, and MP3 players, and also launch personalized accessories (such as flip - phone stickers, CCD camera lanyards, and MP3 protective cases) to further explore the market value.

However, there are also some hidden concerns in the retro electronics market. Firstly, the product quality is uneven. Most of the old - fashioned electronic products in the second - hand market have been used for many years, with problems such as battery aging and functional failures. Some unscrupulous merchants also "pass off inferior products as good ones", which damages consumers' rights and interests. Secondly, there is a lack of relevant standards. There is no unified industry standard for the repair and refurbishment of retro electronic products, which makes it difficult to guarantee the repair quality. Thirdly, the rise of the retro electronics trend largely depends on the traffic promotion on social platforms, and such traffic always comes and goes quickly.

Undoubtedly, as AI technology advances by leaps and bounds and smart devices are continuously iterated, post - 2010 kids are embracing "e - waste" in the opposite direction and indulging in flip phones, MP3 players, and CCD cameras from the last century. This seemingly contradictory phenomenon is actually an inevitable product of the development of the times. In the high - speed technological era, people are being wrapped up by algorithms and bombarded with information. Deep in their hearts, they long for something pure and peaceful. These old - fashioned electronic products happen to be the link between the past and the present, providing an outlet for post - 2010 kids to escape digital anxiety and express themselves.

Technology is moving forward, and trends are cyclical. The phenomenon of "post - 2010 kids scavenging for e - waste" may just be a short - lived trend, but the consumption concept and lifestyle it conveys may have a long - term impact on the development of the technology consumption market - when tech products reach the inflection point of over - functionality, "less is more" may be becoming a new product philosophy.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Zinc Scale" (ID: znkedu), written by Li Xuanqi, and is published by 36Kr with authorization.