Preowned Laptops & Notebooks

Used laptops are becoming increasingly important in the business world

They offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to new devices without compromising on performance and reliability. In this article we explain why used notebooks are a smart choice for companies and how Circulee GmbH can provide support in this area.

Why Used Computers?

Cost efficiency

Remanufactured laptops are a cost-effective solution for businesses that want to maintain the highest levels of productivity while maintaining tight budgets. Without sacrificing quality, these devices offer excellent performance at a fraction of the price of new models. With common models from Lenovo (e.g., Lenovo ThinkPad), HP (e.g., HP EliteBook) and Dell (e.g., Dell Latitude) you can generally save 30-50% in the high-quality segment ("Grade-A") to go out again.

Sustainability and environmental protection

The reuse of IT devices plays an important role in environmental protection, especially through CO₂ reduction and reduction of electronic waste. The production of a laptop emits around 400 kg of CO₂ . Used laptops reduce the need for new business computers and thereby reduce a company's carbon footprint. Furthermore, when a notebook reaches the end of its life, it becomes electronic waste (e-waste). The average weight of a laptop can vary, but is typically between 1.5 and 5 kg. The entire weight of the laptop would be considered e-waste if it is not recycled or used for other purposes. These include plastics, metals, electronic components and potentially hazardous materials such as lithium from batteries. Reusing and reusing existing notebooks leads to an effective reduction in the amount of electronic waste - 60 million tons of electronic waste are produced worldwide every year.

The environmental impact of a refurbished laptop

Carbon footprint savings

Manufacturing new laptops is energy intensive and contributes significantly to the carbon footprint. Reused computers, on the other hand, conserve resources and help reduce CO₂ emissions. Even a single circulee laptop produces around 400 kg less CO₂ than using a new device. By reusing hardware, companies can actively contribute to reducing electronic waste and conserving natural resources. Electronic waste (or e-waste) is the fastest-growing waste stream on earth. Over 60 million tons of e-waste are produced worldwide every year. Reusing business laptops offers a very effective and sustainable way to reduce this waste stream. The use of circulee's business notebooks enables electronic waste savings of around 70% (especially plastics, metals, electronic components and potentially dangerous materials such as lithium from batteries).

Selection criteria for purchasing used computers

• Value for money and specifications: It is important to find the right balance between price and performance. The specifications should meet the needs of the company. When buying used IT devices, the situation is very similar to buying second-hand cars. Within the first 2-3 years (from the first use) there is a drastic loss in value, which "levels off" significantly from the 3rd year onwards. With A-Ware from circulee you can roughly say that notebooks lose around 2 years of life, but are up to 50% cheaper than "new" without any loss of quality or performance. This makes the use very profitable for companies that are willing to use “used” or “refurbished”.

• Reliability and condition of remanufactured hardware: Refurbished notebooks should be thoroughly checked and in perfect condition. A guarantee provides additional security. Professional B2B providers, like circulee, use ISO and TÜV-certified processes to remanufacture notebooks. Quality is checked centrally: each notebook is checked individually for condition and functionality using specialized software but also through manual checks. This picture shows how hardware is checked at circulee. Quality is our top priority.

• Warranty and customer support: Good customer support and warranty services are crucial to ensuring the reliability of used notebooks. At circulee you get at least 1 year free warranty on every product. For a small additional charge, this can be extended to +3 years. Please feel free to contact our sales team. We provide first-class B2B customer support that is available 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished vs. Used

Differences and advantages

There is a technical difference between refurbished computers and computers sold used. Refurbished notebooks are refurbished and offer additional security through certifications, while used laptops without professional reconditioning may have quality defects and limited functionality. Refurbished products from circulee are 100% A-goods (highest quality level) and are cleaned and remanufactured using an ISO and TÜV certified process. This means we can offer the highest quality in the professional second-hand market in high volumes.

Which is better for your business?

The decision depends on a company's specific needs and budget constraints. Both options offer different advantages, but at the core it's about the price-quality ratio. We at circulee would clearly always recommend professionally refurbished notebooks for users in the corporate environment because this leads to higher quality and performance over their service life.

The Best Brands for Refurbished Laptops

Overview of popular brands

Brands such as Lenovo, Dell and HP are known for their longevity and reliability, even among professional used users in the EU. Our proprietary remanufacturing and sales data shows that the HP EliteBook (with almost 30% of volume), Lenovo ThinkPad (about 20%) and Dell Latitude (about 15%) are the most important notebook models in the corporate environment. We are seeing more and more companies becoming interested in Lenovo ThinkPad after the manufacturer Lenovo was avoided for a long time because of its Chinese origins. Apple is very popular in the start-up and agency environment, but is rarely in demand among German medium-sized companies (5%). This graphic shows the proportion of notebooks we remanufacture by manufacturer and the most important models. 80-90% of mid-market volume is Windows-based, which explains why Apple is severely underrepresented in our numbers.

Advantages and disadvantages of individual brands

Every brand has its own strengths and weaknesses. A comparison can help make the best choice for a company's needs. Basically, we (our customers) have very good experience with the common models from Lenovo (e.g., Lenovo ThinkPad), HP (e.g., HP EliteBook) and Dell (e.g., Dell Latitude) when it comes to performance and length of service life. Lenovo, HP and Dell are considered the top brands in the second-hand market. Computers from these manufacturers are typically easier and cheaper to remanufacture (due to their high prevalence and available expertise in the market) and therefore offer a particularly high price-performance ratio. Furthermore, these manufacturers use Intel Core processors that have a long running time.

Features - The most important specifications for business devices

Processor

The processor is the heart of every laptop and determines the overall performance of a computer. Among remanufactured Windows-based notebooks (over 80% of the computer volume in the B2B segment), Intel Core processors are currently still the most common. Older model generations in the B2B market typically have Intel Core i5 processors (incl. i5-6200U, i5-6300U, i5-8250U, i5-8350U , i5-8365U), while newer model generations have processors Type Intel Core i7 (e.g., i7-8650U). Based on our remanufacturing data, the graphic shows the most popular processors for used notebooks in the corporate environment. Intel Core i5-8350U and i5-8365U currently have the highest proportion of refurbished computers among professional users . However, among refurbished laptops, the demand for Intel Core i7 is growing (with significantly higher growth rates than the Intel Core i5, such as the Intel Core i5-8365U ). As of today, the Intel Core i5-8350U is the most important processor in the professional used market. Apple has been producing its own processor chips ("M1" and "M2") for a few years that promise high performance with low power consumption, but we expect the Intel Core processor to retain market leadership for a long time.

RAM - GB SSD RAM

The main memory (RAM) is crucial to the multitasking ability and speed of the laptop. GB SSD has been the standard for RAM for several years (newer models use GB DDR4). The strength/level of features of the GB SSD determines the “computing performance” for a given application. For example, when using data-intensive or highly visual applications (e.g., data engineering, design), a large RAM should be chosen, between 16 GB RAM and 32 GB RAM (GB DDR4 is increasingly being used in high-performance computers). If you primarily use standard applications (e.g., Windows, Office applications or web browsers), a smaller amount of RAM (e.g., 8 GB RAM) is typically sufficient. This graphic shows the distribution of RAM sizes for refurbished notebooks from circulee. 8GB and 16GB have the largest share among business laptops at 47% and 45%, respectively.

Display

Display quality and display size affect the user experience, especially in graphics-intensive tasks and when working while traveling. Basically, we (including our customers) feel that the display quality on the common models from Lenovo (e.g., Lenovo ThinkPad and the T series as a whole), HP (e.g., HP EliteBook) and Dell (e.g., Dell Latitude) is very good overall in the meantime. Some Lenovo fans swear by the robustness of the ThinkPad display and the folding mechanism, while HP and Dell are often associated with a lower "fatigue effect". However, our reprocessing data shows no noticeable technical difference. When it comes to display size, we always recommend making this decision depending on the planned application. The more “graphic” the work, the larger the display and resolution should be. However, a peripheral monitor can easily be connected via a USB port (e.g. USB-C).

Age of Laptops

The age of the laptop and the year the model was introduced can affect performance and reliability. Younger models are often more powerful and longer lasting, but are also significantly more expensive compared to new ones. Used computers behave like used cars: they lose market value most and quickly in the first 3 years. After that, the loss in value levels off sharply. This means that 3 to 4 year old laptops offer the most value for buyers. Based on our proprietary remanufacturing data, the average number of laptops used by companies is 4-year-old, meaning they were introduced to the market in 2018. This also explains why the Intel Core i5-8350U processor is still so strongly represented in our range.

The role of the operating system

Windows vs MacOS vs Linux

Every operating system has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice should be tailored to the needs of the company. We have always had good experiences with Windows and MacOS on notebooks, but it depends on the capabilities and capacity of the internal or external IT administration. Linux remains a niche operating system, the appropriate use of which requires above-average knowledge of IT administration.

Software compatibility

Compatibility with existing business software is an important consideration when selecting an operating system. Windows is still considered the operating system with the highest compatibility on the market, even if "secure" administration is more difficult compared to MacOS. However, mobile device management solutions, which are increasingly represented on the market, quickly nullify this difference.

Security aspects for used laptops and notebooks

• Data protection and security risks: Used laptops can pose security risks if they are not properly processed and administered inadequately. Used computers themselves have no disadvantages compared to new ones, as long as there is professional administration behind them. The decisive factor when buying used notebooks is to clean up the previous owner's data. Refurbished laptops from circulee go through a 19-step and ISO / TÜV certified process for data deletion and quality testing (including various tests), which ensures that our notebooks (and desktop PCs) are free of any digital traces and therefore operate with the same data protection and security standards as new products.

• Data backup tips: Companies should ensure that all used laptops (as well as new ones) are properly administered and maintained to ensure privacy and security.

Laptop integration into IT infrastructure and connectivity

Compatibility with existing or peripheral hardware

Every operating system has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice should be tailored to the needs of the company. We have always had good experiences with Windows and MacOS on notebooks, but it depends on the capabilities and capacity of the internal or external IT administration. Linux remains a niche operating system, the appropriate use of which requires above-average knowledge of IT administration.

Network integration

Smooth integration into the corporate network is crucial for efficiency and productivity. All refurbished notebooks available at circulee.com are suitable for business and are WiFi capable. It would be important to check whether a LAN connection (Internet via cable) would be necessary, because not all models have a LAN connection (see the production information on circulee.com). For certain applications, an E-SIM slot is needed to enable mobile internet (4G or 5G). You can also find this information under “Product Details” on circulee.com.

Long-term considerations for notebook buyers

Resale value

Used laptops can have good resale value, especially if they are well cared for and maintained.

Lifespan and upgrade options

The lifespan and ability to upgrade a computer are important considerations for a long-term investment for businesses. Below we discuss the most important aspects of major manufacturers such as HP, Dell and Lenovo. In particular, we will look at what the lifespan is like and discuss the options for updating these work machines.

• HP Laptops: Reliability Meets Innovation HP is known for its robust and durable laptops. The average lifespan of an HP laptop can be between 3 and 5 years, depending on care and use. Many models also offer good upgrade options. Especially with the Pavilion and Envy series, you can often expand RAM and storage, which extends the life of the computer.

• Dell Laptops: Focus on Ease of Use Dell laptops, particularly the XPS and Latitude series, are known for their easy-to-use upgrade options. With an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years, these machines offer easily accessible components that allow RAM and storage to be upgraded. Dell also scores with excellent customer service that makes maintenance and upgrades easy.

• Lenovo Laptops: Ruggedness for Everyday Life Lenovo, particularly with its ThinkPad series, has made a name for itself for durable and reliable laptops. Lenovo ThinkPads are known for their robust construction and often have a longer lifespan of up to 5 years or more.

In many models, RAM and hard drive can be easily upgraded, which offers additional flexibility in everyday working life. When is an upgrade worthwhile? Upgrading can significantly extend the life of your laptop. It's especially useful if your device is lagging behind in terms of performance but is still in good condition. RAM and SSD upgrades are common measures to increase performance. Important Tips for Caring for Your Laptop Regardless of the brand, good care is crucial to the lifespan of your laptop. Avoid extreme temperatures, keep the device clean, and update software and drivers regularly. Sustainability and the future of laptop upgrades The ability to upgrade laptops plays an important role in sustainability. Upgrades instead of new purchases can save resources and reduce waste. Manufacturers like HP, Dell and Lenovo are increasingly recognizing this and making their newer models more upgrade-friendly.

Case studies - Successful use of green notebooks in companies

Case studies and our customer examples show how refurbished laptops can be used effectively in various business environments. Below we discuss two specific customer situations where circulee's Green IT was used.

Vytal

Vytal is a sustainability-focused company that offers reusable packaging as a service. It is a remote-first company founded in 2019 by Fabian Barthel, Sven Witthöft and Tim Breker and is now present in 8 countries. The company, with offices in Cologne and Berlin, employs more than 70 people whose goal is to make disposable packaging a thing of the past. As a company committed to sustainability, it was very important for Vytal to find an IT partner that was in line with its sustainability vision & mission and reduced CO₂ emissions & waste. In addition, as a young company, Vytal attaches great importance to financial sustainability through cost efficiency. That's why it was important to Vytal to have an attractive price, but without having to compromise on the required quality of the IT devices. Vytal chose used computers from circulee to minimize the environmental impact of its hardware. As a result, the company saved 6,096 kg of CO₂ and significantly reduced its electronic waste through circular value creation. In addition to up to 80% lower CO₂ emissions compared to new devices, circulee's IT devices have helped Vytal save up to 30% of costs and come closer to the goal of financial sustainability through green IT. circulee helped Vytal equip its employees for mobile work by delivering the computers directly to employees' homes within 2-3 business days. Additionally, in two cases where employees started their jobs earlier than expected, circulee was able to provide short-notice, same-day delivery through the key account manager directly responsible for Vytal to ensure employee productivity.

Made of Air

Made of Air is a climate-focused raw materials company that converts waste biomass into high-quality, carbon -negative materials for industrial use. The cleantech start-up was founded in Berlin in 2016 by Allison Dring and Daniel Schwaag and currently employs more than 20 people who are advancing their mission to reverse climate change using CO₂ -negative materials. When choosing a suitable IT hardware partner, it was important to Made of Air to partner with a company that was 100% aligned with its mission for a more sustainable future. In addition to generating a positive effect on the environment using CO₂ -negative materials, Made of Air continually strives to reduce its own Scope 1 to Scope 3 CO₂ emissions. Since IT plays a significant role in the carbon footprint of growing companies, it was crucial for Made of Air to reduce the carbon impact while enabling further growth. As a start-up, Made of Air's success is based largely on empowering its employees to drive innovation. Equipping employees with real, world-class IT was therefore very important to promote innovation, increase productivity and ensure an excellent employee experience. Consequently, first-class device quality was a basic requirement for Made of Air. Since most new employees join Made of Air at short notice, they often only have a few days to prepare everything necessary. With the previous providers, waiting times of two weeks or more were common, which meant that the new employees were unproductive for several days. In order to ensure smooth onboarding of employees, it was crucial to be able to flexibly procure IT equipment that could be delivered within two to three working days. As a young company, Made of Air focuses on high cost efficiency in all its expenses. Therefore, attractive pricing was a key factor for Made of Air when selecting a suitable IT hardware partner, provided the required device quality is met.

Future trends in refurbished Laptops and notebooks

The year 2023 was a big year for remanufactured IT - various studies and data sources (e.g. suggest 10-15% growth from 2022 to 2023 in Europe). Our B2B offering was heavily used by business customers - the topic has never been so relevant for IT and business decision-makers.

What's next for remanufactured IT in 2024?

Various market reports predict +10% growth for the coming years. We at circulee also expect the market to continue to grow - especially in a professional context, because companies are only just beginning to understand and use “green IT” as an opportunity for themselves. The combination of inflation and growing cost pressures, as well as increasing ESG requirements and internal sustainability efforts will further fuel the demand side of the market. At the same time, we expect the supply side to continue to develop and more professional remanufacturing capacity to come onto the market. We are also increasingly seeing the introduction of complementary services around “Sourcing > Deployment > Re-Use / Disposal” of reused hardware (e.g. MDM enablement, end-of-life). This makes the use of remanufactured IT just as easy for IT administrators as it is with new products. This will further expand and improve the quality of the offering for companies - a great opportunity for IT managers and decision-makers not only to save costs, but also to make their organizations more sustainable and significantly reduce CO₂ and resource consumption.

Laptop care and maintenance tips

Regular maintenance and care can significantly extend the life of a refurbished laptop and are critical to its performance and reliability. Here you will find 11 essential tips to secure your used notebook. From software updates to physical security, we've got you covered!

• Software updates: This is the first step to security. Once you purchase a used laptop, you should ensure that all software, including the operating system and installed applications, are up to date. Software updates often contain important security patches that close known security vulnerabilities.

• Antivirus: A quality antivirus program is essential. It helps to identify and remove malware, viruses and other malicious software that may affect the system. Make sure your antivirus is updated regularly to ensure the best possible protection. Strong passwords and authentication: Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. Using a password manager can help manage a variety of strong passwords. Additionally, you should enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.

• Physical security: The physical security of your notebook is equally important. Use a Kensington lock to secure your device in a fixed location. Also, be sure to use and store your notebook in secure environments to avoid theft. Secure network connection: Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive activities. Instead, use secured networks and consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to encrypt your online activities and protect your data.

• Data protection and deletion: Before you use a second-hand notebook, make sure that all of the previous owner's data has been completely deleted. Work with specialized providers with expertise in data erasure software to ensure no sensitive information is left behind. Encrypt sensitive data on your notebook. This can be done through built-in operating system features or through third-party software. This means your data remains protected even if the device is physically stolen.

• Be careful when installing software: Be careful when installing new software, especially from unknown sources. Such software may contain malware or other harmful components that may endanger your system. Regular backups: Be careful when installing new software, especially from unknown sources. Such software may contain malware or other harmful components that may endanger your system.

• Awareness and Training: Education is a key element of cybersecurity. Stay informed about new security risks and methods on a regular basis. This can be done through online courses, blogs or security forums.

• Dealing with suspicious activity: If you notice suspicious activity on your notebook, take action immediately. This may include changing passwords, running an antivirus scan, or consulting an IT security expert.

• Operating system update: Operating system updates are important to ensure security and compatibility. For Windows-powered notebooks, it is particularly important to check whether the operating system has been supported long enough by the manufacturer (Microsoft) through updates. With circulee you can rest assured - our notebooks are fully supported by the manufacturer throughout their remaining lifespan.

Common myths and misconceptions

Realities of the market - There are many misconceptions and benefits about the refurbished computer market that need to be cleared up. We often hear from potential customers, “We have always bought new - and haven't seen any reason to change that yet.” This reaction is understandable because up until now the case for “second-hand” in the corporate context was simply not good enough: costs -Savings versus uncertainty in terms of quality and volumes; There is also the perception that used hardware performs worse and is also more insecure due to a lack of software updates. However, if you look soberly at the technical trends and facts today, you quickly come to the conclusion: It's time to give remanufactured hardware or, as we say, "green IT" a chance. Because with the right approach, the arguments for new purchases quickly disappear. We spoke to IT administrators and experts who have already taken the step towards “green IT” and asked why they decided to do so.

Clarification of common misconceptions

This section dispels the most common myths and misconceptions about the secondary PC market and provides clear facts.

Refurbishing has reached professional standards

There have been offers for end consumers for several years - now there are also professional re-use / refurbishing providers for B2B customers such as circulee. This is accompanied by a significantly higher quality and consistency of the offers. Thanks to the professionalization of the secondary market, over 30 percent of companies have now used used PCs (YouGov survey, 2022). B2B demand also explains why the market for refurbished IT is growing in the long term (+20% pa, since 2015). The satisfaction of our customers confirms that IT managers are “happy” with pre-owned IT. Our customer satisfaction is on the same level as Apple's, according to Net Promoter Score, a proven analytics tool.

Technology is more durable and flexible than ever before

One of the reasons why IT professionals have stayed away from used hardware has been the supposedly short life cycles and the fact that OS versions and important updates (e.g. security patches) were only supported for a few years. Today, a computer is expected to have a lifespan of at least 6 years (including OS and updates) - some manufacturers, such as HP, even say 8 years. When it comes to the compatibility of OS versions, the CPU generation is particularly important. CPU generations only gain marginally more “processing power” every year (Moore’s Law is no longer relevant), which is why new OS versions also run longer on older models (see: “Release Dates and Support Expiry Dates of Windows”). Based on this trend, it can be assumed that an Intel Core 8th Gen Windows computer produced in 2018 will be supported until 2032 - another 9 years. Our own experience confirms this: over 85 percent of the notebooks and PCs in our portfolio are Win11 Professional compatible and are therefore just as safe as new ones.

On-premise computing power is becoming less relevant

Text, data and image processing (e.g. business intelligence) is already largely web-based. A good example is also the rapid adoption of the Office 365 web browser version. 90-95 percent of all applications will be “cloud-native” by 2025, according to Gartner. This means that the need for “on-premise” computing power is fundamentally decreasing. For many users who predominantly use browser-based software, devices with a GB SSD of 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM and hard drive capacities of 265 GB are sufficient today. This is a configuration that met the broad standard in the professional environment several years ago. This trend will continue. “At some point computers are just a terminal to the cloud and you no longer need a lot of performance,” says Julian Knöbel (CEO of the system house layer7 GmbH). This means the importance of particularly strong GB SSD equipment.

Longer use trumps better energy efficiency of new models in terms of sustainability

You often hear the argument that using the latest generations of devices makes more ecological sense than using 2-3 year old models for longer periods of time. In fact, the opposite is the case. A study by the Federal Environment Agency (publication 44/2012: Time-optimized replacement of a notebook from an ecological perspective) comes to the conclusion that the contribution of manufacturing to total greenhouse gas emissions is significantly reduced with an increase in the lifespan of the notebooks.

Conclusion on the use of used laptops

Summary of key points

Used hardware opens up a world of “new” possibilities for companies. Not only are they cost-effective, but they also make a significant contribution to environmental protection. Reducing the carbon footprint and reducing e-waste are just some of the benefits that this sustainable choice brings. In terms of selection criteria, manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell and HP offer quality and durability, making it possible to extend their lifespan through upgrades. This is clearly reflected in the upgrade options and the long-term consideration of the resale value.

Final thoughts

The use of used IT devices in companies is much more than just a cost-saving measure. It is a step towards a more sustainable business practice that not only protects the environment but also increases profitability and efficiency. The increasing professionalization in the field of refurbishing makes it easier than ever to find quality and reliability in used devices.