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⚡The CR8TR Newsletter

I’ll Probably Never Buy A New Phone Again

Published 2 months ago • 1 min read

GD Content Nerds!

There was a time when the September Apple Event felt like Christmas.

I’d watch the livestream, eyes glued to the screen, ready to drop $1,200 on the latest “Pro Max” model just to have the newest camera sensor and a slightly faster chip.

Those days are over. I'm not doing it anymore. I just bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max, refurbished, for less than the cost of the bog standard iPhone 17.

And you know what: for what I need it for – the camera and video recording – it still runs rings around the newer iPhone 17. And the performance? It's more than anyone actually really needs in a phone.

The only reason we get a new iPhone every single year is money – Apple likes money and its iPhone makes it billions.

If Apple gave a crap about the environment as it often professes to, it'd switch to a 24 month update cycle. No one would care, save for its investors.

Moral of the story? If you're due an update in 2026, as I was in 2025, my iPhone 13's battery health was 64%, save yourself like 40% versus buying new and get a slightly older refurbished model.

Here's all the ones that are great value for money right now.

You'll get more phone for more money. Everybody wins (except Apple, but they're doing alright for now).

Peace.

Richard

My Current Tool Stack 🛠️

You don’t need a hundred tools to run a successful project, just the right ones.

Here's what I currently use in my day-to-day tech stack:

✅ ConvertKit (Kit): This is my go-to email marketing platform. I use it on all my major projects (including this one).

✅ Unbounce: For landing pages and converting social media traffic into email subscribers. It's cost effective and easy to use.

✅ Manychat: Automates lead-gen with DMs on Instagram, FB and TikTok. Not essential, but very powerful.

✅ Squarespace: Great for quick website builds when Wordpress isn't necessary. Comes with built-in e-commerce and newsletter functionality too.

That's all for the core stuff, you can find a complete list of all the tools I recommend here. ​

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⚡The CR8TR Newsletter

By Richard Goodwin

We help new creators build sustainable, authentic brands in a world drowning in AI slop.

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