Work laptops under €400: spend on the parts that matter

A €400 ceiling gives you room to prioritize condition and support rather than chasing the absolute lowest price. For office, study, web work and light development, a well-configured ex-business laptop can offer stronger build quality and serviceability than an entry-level new model.

Budget allocation

Pay first for 16GB RAM, an SSD, a good 1080p panel, a healthy battery and useful ports. Pay second for cosmetic grade. Pay last for a small CPU badge upgrade that does not change your workload.

Good families to compare

ThinkPad T-series, Dell Latitude 5000-series and HP EliteBook 800-series are sensible hunting grounds because many professional fleets used them and parts/documentation are widely available.