The laptops in hot demand for uni students this autumn aren’t necessarily the latest models or fresh out of the packaging PCs – but eBay’s refurbished laptops, an affordable and easy on the environment way to update tech without breaking the bank (of mum and dad).
SHOP: The top-rated laptop stands to elevate your tech
MORE: The best home office chairs that are stylish and comfy
What makes a good laptop for university?
It needs to be easy to carry, durable and affordable, not to mention reliable.
eBay’s Refurbished hub includes sellers who offer returns or exchanges, or even warranty should something go wrong. We’ve done the hard work for you, with these five brilliant laptops for university, school or college.
Best laptop for battery life
Dubbed as one of the “most portable pro laptops”, the Pro is great for uni students who forget to charge their tech – it has an all-day battery life.
It’s also super-responsive and wakes up instantly, with speedy storage to save files, load programmes and videos in a flash. Don’t forget its super sleek design, a beauty to carry all around campus.
Apple MacBook Pro 13.3inch, from £939.99, eBay Refurbished
SHOP NOW
SHOP: Meta Portal's incredible September sale
Best lightweight laptop
Compact, and lightweight, this is the laptop if you’re a student on the go.
It might be light in weight, but it’s heavy in performance – you can work on everything at once without compromising in speed, even if you're editing documents with tens of browser tabs open, and enjoy a large, hi-res LED screen without the bulk (90% screen to body ratio).
ASUS ZenBook Laptop, from £302.99, eBay Refurbished
SHOP NOW
Best laptop for watching movies
Storing and watching movies is not a problem for this HP Laptop, with its 256GB of space – there’s plenty of room for movies, music, games and of course, uni work.
Responsive and quick to boot up, this laptop is a great option for those who love to work AND play.
HP 14inch Laptop, £219.97, eBay Refurbished
SHOP NOW
Best all-rounder laptop
Easily handling documents, streaming and movies, this multi-tasking laptop is a solid choice for work and play. With 256GB SSD, it’s applauded for being speedier and more reliable than a regular hard drive and has plenty of room for your files too.
The added bonus? There’s the option to use Cortana, who responds to voice commands to keep you as productive as possible – or to take the heat when you’re feeling a little lazy.
ACER Aspire 5 Laptop, £249.99, eBay Refurbished
SHOP NOW
MORE: 34 university essentials to shop before heading back to college
Best affordable laptop
Coming in at under £200, the HP Chromebook is a solid purchase for browsing, binging TV and big projects; it's powered by a reliable Intel Pentium Silver processor.
Sound comes courtesy of Bang & Olufsen, and the addition of the Google Play Store gives you access to over two million apps that you can download in a matter of minutes.
HP Chromebook Laptop, £199, eBay Refurbished
SHOP NOW
HELLO!'s selection is editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items our editors love and approve of. HELLO! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. To find out more visit our FAQ page.
