Refurbished Laptops: children head back to secondary school and university this term, parents are feeling the squeeze from rising tech costs on top of already stretched household budgets.
New analysis from refurbished tech retailer Stone Refurb has found that families could save up to 59% on laptops by choosing refurbished devices instead of buying new, with savings ranging from £169 to £499 depending on the model.
Same specs, lower price refurbished laptops
The analysis compared new and refurbished laptops and found significant overlap in key specifications, including RAM, processors and storage capacity. In many cases, the refurbished models matched their brand-new counterparts on performance while costing considerably less.
One example highlighted in the analysis compares a refurbished HP EliteBook 840 G8, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, priced at £350, against a new Samsung Galaxy Book6 with almost identical specs at £849. That works out at a saving of £499, or 59%, for very similar day to day performance.
“Refurbished laptops present parents with an opportunity to save significant sums of money on devices with near-identical tech specs, in some cases up to 59%,” said Craig Campion, Stone Refurb’s COO.
Protecting families from marketplace scams
Beyond the price tag, Campion says buying from a trusted refurbished retailer also protects parents from unregulated, often predatory sellers on online marketplaces. Research from consumer group Which? found that 32% of people have fallen victim to a marketplace scam, whether that meant receiving the wrong item, no item at all, or even an empty box.
According to Campion, buying from an established retailer of refurbished goods comes with a legal guarantee that what you pay for is what you get.
“We’re proud of our transparency. Everything we sell is subject to a rigorous refurbishment process and awarded a grade that we feel accurately reflects the product’s physical state. You can’t always trust that with unregulated sellers.”
What to look for when buying refurbished
Campion says a little research goes a long way when shopping for a refurbished laptop, as older refurbished models can often run on the same hardware as newer ones.
He also recommends thinking carefully about what the laptop will actually be used for, since many students don’t need a high-spec machine for everyday schoolwork.
“If you’re just using your laptop for word processing, emails and light creative tasks, you probably don’t need an ultra-powerful machine. Think about what your average day will look like and seek out a laptop that meets your needs.”
