This page tells you which laptop to buy for a team member right now. Models and prices move fast, so we review it every quarter. After reading it, you know the default pick, when to deviate, and what to do before and after you pay.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026 · Next review: January 2027 · Prices are indicative, incl. VAT, checked on the review date.
In short
- Default: refurbished MacBook Air M3 with 16GB memory (around €850–950)
- Light office work, little AI: new MacBook Neo (€799)
- Windows, the safe choice: refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T14, Gen 3 or newer, 16GB
- Windows, repairable and built to last: Framework Laptop 13 Pro or Laptop 12
🍏 Default: refurbished MacBook Air M3 (16GB)
Fanless, all-day battery, years of macOS updates ahead, and enough headroom for AI-heavy days (Claude, a browser full of tabs and a video call at the same time). Refurbished saves hundreds of euros compared to new and is the greener choice. New laptops got more expensive in mid-2026 because memory prices rose (a new MacBook Air M5 now starts at €1,429), which makes refurbished even better value.
- 16GB memory is the hard requirement. Many refurbished M3s are 8GB: skip those.
- Storage: 256GB is fine when files live in the cloud. Take 512GB for video or large datasets.
- Condition: "Good" or "Excellent", at least 12 months warranty, and ask for battery health if it isn't listed.
- Keyboard: check the layout (US, Dutch QWERTY, Belgian AZERTY) before you order.
- Where: Back Market, refurbed, Rebuy, or Apple Certified Refurbished (priciest, as good as new, Apple warranty).
- Step up: a refurbished M4 Air (16GB as standard) if it's within about €100.
🍋 Light office work: MacBook Neo
For people who mostly do email, documents, video calls and the browser, and rarely use AI tools heavily.
- €799 new (256GB, no Touch ID) or €899 (512GB, with Touch ID) at Apple. Webshops are sometimes cheaper.
- 8GB memory that can't be upgraded: fine for light work today, limiting in a few years.
- Take the 512GB model if you want Touch ID, which makes a password manager much nicer to use.
- Not for: heavy AI use, many apps open at once, video editing.
- Honest comparison: a 16GB refurbished M3 Air often costs only €50–150 more. When in doubt, take the Air.
🪟 Windows, the safe choice: refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad T14
Boring in the best way. Sturdy, easy to repair, widely available refurbished in NL and BE with a local keyboard and Windows 11 Pro.
- Gen 3 (2022) or newer, 16GB memory minimum. Gen 1 models (2020) sell for around €400 but are close to the end of their useful life.
- Windows 11 Pro , not Home: you need Pro for device management with Intune.
- Expect roughly €600–1,000 depending on generation and memory; a Gen 4 with 32GB is about €1,030 with a 2-year warranty.
- Where: refurbed, Back Market, or business refurbishers such as Teqcycle (sold through Proshop).
🔧 Windows, built to last: Framework
Modular and repairable: you replace the battery, keyboard, screen or even the mainboard yourself with the included screwdriver. A good fit for organisations that care about right to repair and long device life, and for Linux users.
- Framework Laptop 13 Pro (2026, Intel Core Ultra Series 3, long battery life): from about €1,349 as a DIY Edition; pre-built with Windows from about €1,890.
- Framework Laptop 12: smaller and cheaper, DIY Edition from about €569 before memory, storage and Windows.
- Not cheap upfront. It only pays off if you actually repair and upgrade instead of replacing.
- A DIY Edition needs someone to assemble it and install Windows: budget that time, or buy pre-built.
Before you buy
- Check your hardware registry for a spare laptop first.
- Buy in the organisation's name with the company card, so the invoice lands in your bookkeeping and the warranty is yours.
- Above €450 excl. VAT a laptop is an investment: book it as an asset and depreciate it (usually over 3 years). Your bookkeeper will know.
When it arrives
- Add it to your hardware registry: serial number, price, invoice, who holds it.
- Enroll it in device management and turn on disk encryption before you hand it over. See Device management: keep your organisation's laptops under control .
When to replace
- Intel MacBooks no longer get new macOS versions: replace these first.
- Worn battery (below about 80% health): replace the battery, not the laptop.
- 8GB laptop, heavy AI user: pass the laptop on to a light user and buy 16GB for the heavy user.
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Not sure which one fits someone? Ask us in your Moral Fabric support channel and we'll pick it with you.