Living with the CHEAPEST Apple Ecosystem in 2025

The last few years have seen a massive drop in prices for used Apple products- and that got me wondering how little you can spend to get a usable experience! Today with a budget of just $300 to buy an iPhone, MacBook, and Apple Watch, we'll find out!

time stamps
0:00 The landscape has changed
0:47 What did I buy?
3:08 Setting up the devices
5:06 Living with the cheapest ecosystem
9:16 Recommendations
10:10 MacBook weak spots
11:09 Other iPhone options?
12:43 Wowza

#apple #appleecosystem #tech #esr #esriphone16 #esrmagsafe

Gear:
*Amazon Links are affiliate codes and generate small commission to support the channel*

[luiggyorlandi]

Please do more videos like this. This is one of the reason why I keep following this channel all those M1, M2, entry, M4 videos. OK they’re great but similar like the others guys videos, this kind of video is different. It makes you different.

[colebox]

I love these videos where older tech (in this case Apple) is promoted. There is something a little special about cobbling together older items; not everyone is able to keep financially up with the latest and most powerful. Thank you, Luke.

[UltraSupergumby]

I live into the Apple ecosystem with a Macbook Air M1 2020, an iPhone XS (for which I changed the battery), an Apple watch 8 and an iPad 6th gen. It works great and it is amazing that all those devices still receive all the Apple updates.

[richardcrossley]

You should do this at three levels; $300 - done, $500 and $1000. Each person has their own threshold of price, usability and value.

[ErikBrainOS]

I missed the budget ecosystem videos! it really encouraged me to buy 2nd hand a few years ago!

[MaiElizabeth]

The reason I have no problem with recent iPhones having the same design - it won’t look outdated easily. So videos like this can be relevant.

[blank]

iPhone 12 Mini - 150$
Apple Airpods 2 - 75$
Macbook Pro 16 Inch i7 Retina 2014 - 330$
iPad 10th Gen - Exchanged for the 12 Mini

[Andrew-mooh]

Used tech in all categories is getting extremely affordable. It’s a really fun time to be a tech nerd on a budget.

[samgod]

Luke is literally my neighbor now and it’s crazy seeing him drive thru my area.

Can’t beat a full $279 Apple package.

[brokenelectronics]

As far as the watch battery, turn off the always on display, that should get you through the day pretty easily.

[riazxahmed]

I like these budget ecosystem videos especially in this economy

[weirdstuffandthattogames]

It’s always a good day when Luke uploads

[amdadsTech]

Problem is people easily underestimate everything... Because we are on boat of competition where we compete with everyone and brands are always pushing us to upgrade even though we dont Buying stuff according to your needs is what we should do and tell others... I never get confused between what i should get or what people will judge

[gav]

On Facebook marketplace, I found a unlocked iPhone 12 Pro for $90 I got a 6th generation stainless steel Apple Watch for $30 and a 2013 iMac 27 inch with a 3 TB hard drive and the Intel core i7 with the 2 GB Nvidia graphics card and 24 gb of ram for $50 and they all work perfectly fine in total for that ecosystem I paid $170

[Rohirin]

I would be interested in seeing a video on older iPhone models as a secondary device. Something to listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music, or to watch videos whether they're streaming or downloaded. I've got an 8+ with 256gb really cheaply, and it's currently saving my regular phone's battery every day.

[ianzimmer]

Definitely do more ecosystem videos pls.

I think the pricepoints to consider should be the prices of new apple gear. like the best apple ecosystem for the price of the current iphone, macbook air, or even new pixel or something.

the $500 price point is a good one too, that could be annual update as prices flex and new products come out

[glezpik]

This is the kind of content that brought me here in the first place almost 5 years ago, you are the best at showing us the utility of "old" devices. It really encourages and inspires us to buy cheaper but usable tech.

[Yanto-rvqu]

Dude I’m trying to justify an ultra 2 here, don’t tell me older cheaper stuff is okay my series 5 can hear you

[bitw]

my ecosystem is M3 Macbook Air, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone SE 2, iPad Air M2, Watch Ultra 2, Airpods Pro 2. Watching this made me think of being a minimalist!

[alliejr]

The biggest issue with used is the battery. Older MacBook or iPhone are relatively easy to battery-swap but the watch? Not so much. Unless you luck into devices with a tiny number of cycles, you’re looking at another $200 of battery swap. The watch? Stick to your Casio— it’s cooler anyway.