Tech Review: Off to Uni, or want a decent Business Laptop?

Our technology editor, and local small-business owner Adam Berry shares useful information for students, businesses, schools and individuals wanting to get decent tech at the cheapest rate.

Firstly, if you’re going to University, I’d like to congratulate you – years of hard work and dedication, and this is the icing on the cake for your future. Best of luck, and full admiration to you.

During your student life, you’ll be hit with many debts and costs – including the price of living, the price of your courses, and any additional equipment/resource that you require to complete your course. The last thing on your mind is probably a good laptop. That’s why we’re here! I will be recommending a laptop to you – and this laptop is worthy of business and student use alike.

My trick for getting the best value tech is to buy refurbished equipment – it offers you the chance to buy kit for a ‘used’ price, but with new components, and a new lease of life.

There are many grades and variants of refurbished equipment, and there are things you should consider before buying refurbished equipment. However, combine these tips and tricks, and you’ll be on track for a decent uni-career with a laptop that’ll last.

When you buy a refurbished laptop, the first thing that you want to do is extend the warranty – make it 3 years rather than 1 year. This gives you a little more peace of mind that if the worst happens, then you’re covered.

Then, think about what ‘grade’ you need. Grade A is ‘looks and performs as new’, which Grade D is ‘very noticeable aesthetic defects, but performs as new’. If you’re not bothered by the appearance, or aren’t bothered by cracked casing and edges, then go for the Grade D which’ll be super cheap! Otherwise, you won’t have to pay much more for a decent Grade A laptop.

My personal recommendation is the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon – 3^rd Generation. This boasts a 5^th gen Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. The X1 Carbon is one of Lenovo’s most ‘premium’ feeling/looking laptops on the market – it’s ultra-light, it’s compact and very robust.

A Grade A X1 Carbon with the above spec, plus a 3 year warranty will cost you around £450 – which is nothing given the spec. The only thing to consider then is that you may want to pay for a battery replacement as refurbished laptops do not come with any battery warranty or replacement.

Cowley News has partnered up with AJRB Services to offer you, your friends, family and businesses a discount on technology and services. Contact support@ajrb.co.uk today for more information, and to get your no-obligation quote.