Component | Main Rare Earth Elements | Typical Amount per Phone | Function |
---|---|---|---|
Speakers Vibrator (Magnets) | Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), Dysprosium (Dy), Terbium (Tb) | ~250350 mg | Strong NdFeB magnets for speakers, microphones, haptic motor |
Screen (Display Glass Phosphors) | Yttrium (Y), Europium (Eu), Terbium (Tb) | ~2050 mg | Red green phosphors, color brightness |
Camera Lenses | Lanthanum (La) | ~1030 mg | High-refractive index glass for clear lenses |
Battery / Electronics | Cerium (Ce), Lanthanum (La), Neodymium (Nd) | ~510 mg | Polishing powders, additives in battery electrodes |
Other Sensors Components | Gadolinium (Gd), Erbium (Er), Ytterbium (Yb), Samarium (Sm) | ~1020 mg | Optical amplifiers, stabilization, lasers (Face ID, LiDAR) |
?? ~0.5 1.0 grams of rare earth metals
?? Equivalent to ~0.6 1.2 grams of rare earth oxides (REO)
There are ~1.4 billion smartphones produced each year.
That equals roughly 1,0001,500 metric tons of REO used annually in phones alone small compared to EVs or wind turbines, but massive in aggregate.
Category | Amount | Key REEs |
---|---|---|
Per phone | 0.51.0 g metals | Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb, La, Ce, Y, Eu |