Thirteen years after its launch, Apple’s iPhone 5C is attracting renewed interest among younger consumers, with searches for the discontinued smartphone rising sharply as Gen Z users embrace its older camera technology and early-2010s aesthetic.
According to data from device comparison platform Compare and Recycle, online searches for ‘buy iPhone 5C’ increased by 40,500 per cent over the past year. Searches for ‘iPhone 5C camera’ rose by 1,815 per cent, while general searches for the device increased by 264 per cent.
The renewed interest appears to be driven largely by the phone’s 8-megapixel rear camera, which produces lower-resolution images that some users prefer for their grainy, nostalgic appearance – also known as lo-fi aesthetics.
Videos of users unboxing the device and using it to photograph trips have also appeared on TikTok, with some describing its image quality as a distinctive alternative to heavily processed photographs from modern smartphones.
Released on September 20, 2013, the iPhone 5C was marketed by Apple as its ‘most colourful iPhone yet’. It came in five colours and was discontinued in 2015. The handset originally retailed for between £549 and £709 in the UK, although used models can now be found on eBay for around £20, according to a recent report by Daily Mail.
However, the renewed interest comes with security concerns. The iPhone 5C supports only up to iOS 10.3.3, released in 2017, leaving it without subsequent software and security updates.
The trend reflects a broader revival of older technology. Data from Circana’s Retail Tracking Service showed that revenue from wired headphones increased by 20 per cent during the first six weeks of 2026, following five years of declining sales.
