Dell Latitude 7400 - i5 8th Gen, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD

Light, quiet and cheap enough to be sensible. Weight is the reason to look at a 7400 rather than a 15-inch machine at the same price, and at a little over one and a third kilos this one genuinely disappears into a bag. The 8th generation Core i5 with 8GB and a 256GB SSD is a comfortable everyday combination for study, documents, browsing and video calls. Where it shows its history is cosmetic and small: light scratches across the lid, a mark near the top bezel, a bit of polish on the space bar. One USB-A port sits slightly looser than the other, though it holds a drive without complaint and we have noted it rather than hidden it. Battery backup is usable for a class or a meeting but will not carry a full day. Storage is the other thing to plan for, since 256GB fills faster than people expect. Come and pick it up in the shop before deciding, that is what the counter is for. Compare it against the 15-inch units on this page before deciding. A larger screen is easier to work on; a lighter machine is easier to live with. Only one of those choices can be undone later.