6 Tips To Help You Save On Buying a Laptop

By
IntelligentHQ

With the world becoming increasingly digitised, having a laptop or tablet has become a necessity for people at all stages of life. However, like most significant investments, buying a decent laptop isn’t always the cheapest. Thankfully, there are ways to find good laptops at a discount; it just takes a keen eye and a little bit of time. 

When buying a laptop, you want something functional and futureproof. It must comfortably provide for your needs and last a few years. So, here are some tips on how to save money when buying a laptop. 

  1. Specify your needs

The first step to finding a suitable laptop at a reasonable price is to know what kind of laptop you’re looking for. Like most tech items, laptops vary substantially, ranging from affordable entry-level laptops to extremely pricey top-tier laptops. Looking at these laptops on a scale, you’ll need to consider what specs you need to accomplish the tasks you need a laptop for. 

For example, are you an avid gamer? If so, you’ll need a laptop capable of handling the resource demands of different games. Anything from an i7 up would do fine. Now, if you simply need a reliable laptop to complete your presentations or research, you could settle for a simpler, less powerful laptop. Either way, clarifying your needs will point you in the right direction of what laptop to look for.

  1. Consider looking for a refurbished laptop

Another great way to get a discount on a laptop is to buy a refurbished one. Many misconceptions surround refurbished and secondhand laptops, probably because people think they’re one and the same. But they aren’t. A refurbished laptop is usually a laptop that’s been sent back to a retail store or directly to the manufacturer because of a factory fault or another issue. In this case, they are fully repaired and recertified to enter the market again. This kind of certification assures you that the laptop is running in good prime condition and of good quality. Plus, you’ll probably get it for much less than it would usually cost with a warranty. 

  1. Trade in and upgrade your laptop

You could also trade in your old laptop and use its value to offset the price of upgrading to a new one. Many brands do this, and Apple is a prime example. They’ll allow you to return your old laptop, pay you for it, or allow you to use the difference to make the upgrade cheaper. This helps you kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, you get an upgraded laptop for less; on the other, you don’t have to go through the hassle of selling your old laptop privately.

Alternatively, if your laptop isn’t that old but just requires a bump up in specs, you could always upgrade its hardware like RAM, change the HDD to an SSD, or add a better graphics card to it. 

  1. Shop during sales

Throughout the year, tech stores put up some pretty impressive sales, offering you wild discounts on a new laptop. Sales to keep an eye out for Cyber Monday and Black Friday. During these sales, you can get up to 50% off the laptop if you have a keen eye. You can also find Boxing Day deals on laptops after Christmas too. 

  1. Look for discounts

While sales might come and go throughout the year, some places offer consistent discounts for loyal customers and partners or scratch-and-dent laptops. Finding a scratch-and-dent laptop can be a great opportunity. Scratch and dent simply refer to any aesthetic issues on the laptop’s surface due to getting damaged in transit or from another cause. Because of this, you could get a large percentage shaved off the laptop’s price. 

However, check that the laptop has been cleared for sale and has a warranty. Some laptops have pretty finicky parts that are easily damaged when mishandled. You don’t want to buy a laptop that’ll constantly give you issues.  

  1. Compare laptop prices

Finally, make sure that you check the prices of different laptops in the range of specs you’re looking for. Some ideal brands to consider would be Dell, Lenovo,  or Apple. Weigh up the prices between the type of laptop you’re looking for and consider checking out some reviews to get the best value for your money. 

Final Thoughts

Finding the right laptop at the right price point is possible with a bit of patience. You just need to keep an eye out for the specials, know precisely what you’re looking for, and be quick to act when mega sales like Cyber Monday come around. We hope this helps you get the ideal laptop for your needs. 

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