The Difference between Refurbished, Certified, Recertified, Renewed, Off Lease, and Used Computers

There are lots of places to buy refurbished laptop and desktop computers. But when you look for refurbished device you often see terms like refurbished, renewed, and off-lease placed in product descriptions.

Many people assume that all of these terms are interchangeable. The truth is, there are some differences between them. Knowing meaning can save you some time, money, and land you a better hardware.

Let’s learn more.

What is the difference between refurbished and renewed computer?

Refurbished and renewed is the same thing. The term renewed is used by Amazon to describe computer (electronics) that has been refurbished. This means pre-owned devices inspected and tested to work properly. They come in two different flavors certified renewed and renewed only.

What is the difference between refurbished and certified refurbished computer?

The difference between refurbished and certified refurbished laptops and desktops lies in the type of organization that did the renovation. When you see refurbished, think of third party renovation, and when see certified, assume manufacturer renovation.

Usually certified is the better purchase, because of the expertise and the tooling used in the factory. Although there are some very respectable third party refurb shops that are doing great job renovating those machines.

Refurbished will usually land you better price between the two, and certified the longer warranty.

What is the difference between certified and recertified computer?

There is no difference between certified and recertified. They are used interchangeably and describe servicing done by the manufacturer. Usually you find this kind of computers on official page of manufacturer – Dell Refurbished or Dell Outlet, Lenovo Outlet or HP Business Outlet .

What is the difference between refurbished and off-lease computer?

Off-lease computer is device that was landed by the manufacture to company for a fixed period – usually two –three years. At the end of this period, the company returns the devices and rents newer models. The old models are refurbished, certified, and sold as off-lease deals.

You can get super sweet deals in this segment. Business laptops and desktops computers are very good and last long time.

What is the difference between refurbished and used?

Used computers are second hand devices sold by individuals on sites like EBay. You relay on the owner’s knowledge to clean and test the device properly before selling it to you. They are not refurbished. Most of the the time second hand or used computers are the cheapest option you will find.