Should you buy a refurbished MacBook in 2026?

Refurbished tech used to feel like a gamble, but the market has changed. I bought a $750 MacBook Pro M1 from 2021 through Back Market and used it as my main laptop for a few weeks. It wasn’t a perfectly seamless experience, but buying brand-new tech rarely is either.

Back Market sorts devices into Fair, Good, Excellent, or Premium condition, and you can pick processor, memory, storage, and color much like when buying new. Laptops must pass a 25-point inspection, and battery health is a key metric — the rule of thumb is to replace batteries below 80% capacity, while Premium devices are certified above 90%.

The M1 I received arrived in Premium condition with a 95% battery, a flawless screen, and working keyboard and trackpad; the only hiccup was a one-time boot into recovery mode that required reinstalling the OS. On price, the refurbished M1 I tested was about $750, while comparable new 14-inch models list at $1,579 for the M2 and $1,381 for the M4, making the refurbished option more than $800 cheaper than the next generation up.