The further away a laptop gets from its last update, the more vulnerable it becomes to security vulnerabilities that have been discovered but not fixed. That's a problem if you've bought a Chromebook that's reached its expiry date.
There are plenty of great deals on Chromebooks to be found online, particularly in the world of professional refurbished laptops. However, Which? research has found that, in some cases, more than a third of models sold by a given retailer have reached their expiry date, so they are no longer receiving the software updates required to keep them secure long-term.
Even if your laptop is still getting updates in the period after you buy it, we found when we checked in early December that it’s possible to find brand-new laptops that will stop getting updates within three years.
All Chromebooks have publicly available expiry dates. But given that none of the retailers we checked show this date, it’s difficult for a buyer to know – unless they have previous experience or knowledge – that this is even a problem, let alone the specific date a laptop is due to expire.
You can use the free Estimated Remaining Security Support filter in our laptop reviews to find a laptop that will last
What we found
When we searched the UK’s biggest high street and online retailers, we found a mixed picture when it came to the expiry dates of Chromebooks.
You can scroll down to read some of the retailers’ responses to our findings, below.
- Amazon Renewed: Of the 24 refurbished Chromebooks available on Amazon, seven had expired already and a further 11 were due to expire within three years
- eBay Refurbished: Of the 48 models we checked on the refurbished Chromebook page, eight had already expired and a further seven were due to expire within three years
- Back Market: Of the 57 Chromebooks available, 21 had already expired and a further four were due to expire within three years.
- AO, Argos, Currys John Lewis and Laptops Direct weren’t selling any expired laptops. However, we did find four laptops on Currys, and one apiece on AO and Laptops Direct, that were due to expire within three years.
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How the retailers responded
We contacted the companies selling expired laptops to ask them whether the models met their refurbished policies and if buyers were eligible for a refund if they’ve bought one. This is what they said:
Amazon
Amazon removed all the expired products after we brought them to its attention.
A spokesperson said: 'All Renewed Selling Partners need to adhere to the Renewed Policy, which requires all Renewed products to have a pre-installed authentic operating system, which can be upgraded for at least one year. We want customers to shop with confidence in our stores, and the Amazon Renewed Guarantee provides additional protection to customers if the product does not work as expected.'
It added that it does not currently require its sellers to publish expiry date information on listings pages. It also clarified that, yes, if you have bought a laptop that stops – or has stopped – receiving software updates within the one-year Amazon Renewed Guarantee, you are entitled to return the product for a refund.
eBay
At the time of writing, eBay has not removed the products we highlighted from its website. But a spokesperson clarified that anyone who buys a refurbished product under the eBay refurbished programme would be entitled to a refund if it stops – or has stopped – receiving updates. The spokesperson also said: 'eBay actively remove[s] listings' that don’t meet the criteria set out in the refurbished programme.
'Items listed under our refurbished programme must fulfil a strict set of requirements and meet the criteria of our Certified, Excellent, Very Good or Good categories. They are backed by a minimum 12-month guarantee, include free shipping, and 30-day free return. This guarantee covers any defects that arise within that period, including software that is not supported by the provider.'
Back Market
Back Market didn’t remove the products we brought to its attention, but a spokesperson said if a listing stated a certain period of software updates or stated that the product was still being updated and it turned out that this was not the case, the buyer would be entitled to return the product under warranty. In addition, the company spokesperson said Back Market was looking to improve information around software updates 'this year'.
The spokesperson added: 'Back Market continues to fight against the planned obsolescence of technology devices and ensure the highest possible standards of software longevity. This includes working to change laws at an EU level that will require manufacturers to provide the software updates necessary to maintain the conformity of devices for the longest possible period, and that there is an obligation for manufacturers to disclose more transparent information on the availability period of software updates.'
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The usual suspects
These laptops are among the most common models found online that have expired. Watch out for them when hunting for a deal.
Dell Chromebook 3120
- Nine listings found on Amazon, eBay and Back Market
- Expired: September 2021
- Price from: £87
This is a popular laptop, given its extensive presence on 'refurbished' websites. It’s an appealing proposition at the price, but with more than a year without any software updates, it’s one to avoid.
Samsung XE303
- Four listings found on eBay and Back Market
- Expired: May 2018
- Price from: £49.99
This laptop recently celebrated its 10th birthday, but unfortunately four of those years have been without security updates. Also, sheer old age suggests it is unlikely to be able to withstand the rigours of life online in 2023.
Acer C720-2844
- Four listings found on Amazon and Back Market
- Expired: June 2019
- Price from: £69
This nine-year-old laptop is similar to the Samsung, above, in that it’s been out of date for several years. Even if you were tempted, its ancient processor, which wasn’t exactly hot stuff in 2013, will likely feel very slow in 2023.
How to avoid an expired Chromebook
While our findings might not make happy reading for Chromebook bargain hunters, there are easy ways to find out if the laptop you’re after is going to expire soon.
- You can use our free Chromebook update checking tool to search for the model you’re after. In the tool we’ve listed all the expired models and those that are due to expire within four years
- Google’s publicly available list of all ChromeOS devices that have ever existed should steer you in the right direction
- We list the expiry date of every Chromebook we test in our Chromebook reviews. So if it’s available new and we’ve tested it, you can easily find the expiry date by looking in the model’s 'Specifications' section in our reviews.
We can help you find the right model for your budget. See all of our expert laptop reviews
What if you already own a Chromebook?
All Chromebooks released since January 2020 should receive eight years of security updates from their launch date, so many of the newer models will get updates until 2030.
That said, it's still not plain sailing. In researching this piece, we found several listings where it was simply not clear whether the Chromebook being sold was an old model that was due to expire, or a new one that had many years left on the clock.
What are my rights?
Products that are still within their support period wouldn't be deemed faulty, so you wouldn't be able to claim a refund under the Consumer Rights Act. Whether the same applies to products that are already out of support is open to interpretation – and an untested part of the act.
If you're looking to buy a product but not sure if it's supported, contact the retailer, and then the manufacturer of the laptop, to get an answer. If you're buying second-hand, you could ask the seller to check for you. You can direct them to this Google help page that provides instructions on how to find out when your Chromebook will stop getting updates.
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source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/dozens-of-security-risk-laptops-available-to-buy-online-auyQI1N2pEyl