Black Friday electronics checklist: how long will a deal stay useful?

A Black Friday price won't tell you how many useful years you'll get from a device. Whether a deal stays worthwhile depends on how long the device remains supported, repairable, protected and affordable to run.

A good Black Friday electronics checklist starts with the number of years you can realistically use the device, not the percentage off. Divide what you pay by those years to find its cost per useful year. The best deal has the lowest cost per useful year; a percentage discount alone can't show you that.

Four checks help you work out that cost:

• Supported years: Check how many years of updates each device has left, including the one you already own.
• Repair or replace: Compare the annual costs of repair and replacement, and check what extra options the EU's repair rules give you.
• Guarantee and return clock: Check which protections apply to your purchase and when each period starts and ends.
• Energy payback: Check whether lower electricity bills would ever cover the cost of replacing a working device.

Black Friday is on 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday on 30 November. Every amount in euros that follows is a hypothetical example, not an offer, a price quote or an average for any country.

For the discounts, read our Black Friday 2026 trends guide; to judge how many years a device will stay useful, make the four checks above. Use them on refurbed's Green Friday offers too.

A well-kept phone, laptop or Chromebook can have more useful years in it than its age suggests. Makers publish update periods that run for years, and some have recently been extended. That holds for every device you weigh up on Black Friday: a new model, an earlier one and the one you already own.

Update periods are measured in years. Google promises seven years of OS and security updates for the Pixel 8 and later phones and five years for the Pixel 6 and 7 families, counted from first availability in the US Google Store: a Pixel 8, on sale since October 2023, is covered until October 2030, and a Pixel 7 until October 2027. Chromebooks follow a ten-year update policy, counted from the release date of their hardware platform. Our guide to smartphone software updates covers other brands.

Windows 10 shows how a period can grow. Microsoft's consumer Extended Security Updates now run through 12 October 2027, extending the earlier October 2026 deadline, and existing consumer enrolments continue automatically to the new date. Until then, an eligible, enrolled Windows 10 version 22H2 PC receives critical and important security fixes, though no new features or technical support. Before you replace a PC that still does its job, check whether it is enrolled; our Windows laptop updates guide has the details.

An end date is a commitment, not a shutdown. It marks the last update the maker has promised, not the day the device stops working, and Google can release extra updates. For a Chromebook, read the exact model's entry: models released in 2021 or later keep the Play Store and Android apps under the extended policy, while for some older ones Google's instructions say the extended updates need an opt-in that erases Android-related data and removes the Play Store.

Those years are what you pay for. Divide a device's price by the supported years the exact model has left to find its cost per supported year. Take two hypothetical devices: a €300 model with four years of support left costs €75 per supported year, while a €180 model with one year left costs €180 per supported year. The more supported years a device has left, the less each one costs, whether the model is new or earlier. The sum leaves out repairs, resale value and differences in capability, so use it as a first filter, not a verdict.

Care adds useful years too: keeping a device in good order, and repairing it when it needs it, is the next check. Before you compare Black Friday prices, ask how many supported years each device has left, the one you own included.

Should you repair your laptop or buy a replacement in the Black Friday sale? If your device still works, get a repair quote before you decide. Then compare what each option would cost per year of use.

Take a hypothetical case: your laptop still meets your needs, but a Black Friday replacement catches your eye. Here is what each route would cost:

• Repair: A €60 repair that adds two usable years costs €30 per year.
• Replace: If you pay €300 for a replacement and get €50 for your old device, your net cost is €250. If the new device gives you four usable years, that is €62.50 per year.

The repair looks less expensive per year, but those extra years are assumptions. Check what is realistic for your device: what a diagnosis reveals, downtime or a second fault could change the result.

EU rules encourage repair, too. Rules promoting repair were due to apply from 31 July 2026, and manufacturers have to repair specified products that already fall under EU repairability requirements. But those rules do not entitle you to a free repair of every electronic device.

A qualifying repair under the legal guarantee could change your calculation too: it extends the seller's liability period once, by 12 months, for the whole product, not just the repaired part. The extension does not apply to contracts concluded before 31 July 2026. National rules can give longer periods or equivalent protection, so check the law in your country.

Before you count a repair as a new expense, find out what the guarantee already covers. Then compare three routes, not two: the legal remedy, a paid repair and a replacement.

How long do you have to seek a remedy if your Black Friday purchase has a defect, and is there a separate window for changing your mind? One covers defects; the other shows how long you have to change your mind if the seller offers that option.

Check the legal guarantee first. If you buy from a trader as a consumer in the EU and your purchase qualifies, it lasts at least two years. Some countries allow a shorter agreed period for second-hand goods, with a minimum of one year. These consumer rules do not cover purchases from private individuals.

An advertised warranty is an extra promise, not a substitute for the legal guarantee. It's a separate commercial warranty and cannot reduce your legal rights, so check what it adds to the guarantee you already have.

Check the change-of-mind clock when a system arrives in parts. Suppose you're building a PC in stages and the seller offers a 14-day change-of-mind window from delivery. One component arrives on 5 November; the remaining parts arrive on 25 November. The first component's return window could close before the rest arrive, even though you need all the parts for a meaningful test.

Keep two deadlines apart:

• Change of mind: You can return the item unconditionally until the change-of-mind window closes.
• Defect: You may still have a remedy for a defect after the change-of-mind window closes, but it serves a different purpose and is subject to different conditions.

For any installation whose parts depend on each other, check the delivery dates. Can you test the whole setup before the earliest deadline to return a part? Weigh what you save on one part against the flexibility you might lose by buying it separately.

Will a lower electricity bill cover the cost of replacing a working TV? A few simple calculations can help you find out. Start with the EU label.

EU display labels show electricity consumption in kWh per 1,000 hours, separately for standard dynamic range (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) viewing. A reading of 100 kWh per 1,000 hours corresponds to 100 W in that test. Compare displays in the viewing mode you use.

A bigger screen can use more electricity even if it has a better efficiency class. At the same aspect ratio, a 65-inch screen has 39.7% more area than a 55-inch screen. Check the new set’s measured consumption on the label, not just its class.

Suppose replacing your working TV costs a net €300. You watch four hours a day, pay €0.25 per kWh for electricity and want your money back within five years. Those inputs are assumptions; the calculation leaves out standby use, changing tariffs and financing. On those assumptions, the new TV would have to use about 164 W less power while you watch.

That calculation tests whether electricity savings alone justify replacing a working TV. If you have to buy a TV anyway, calculate when electricity savings would repay the extra cost of the more efficient model instead.

Electricity savings can tell you whether a new device will pay for itself, but not what its carbon footprint is. Take Apple's emissions model published at launch for US configurations of the iPhone 16: it estimates 56 kg CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) for the 128 GB version, 61 kg for 256 GB and 74 kg for 512 GB. The largest estimate is about 32.1% higher than the smallest. The estimates include packaging and the accessories in the box, and Apple's method assumes three years of electricity use by the first owner. That is a modelling period, not a declared lifespan.

Apple's figures are estimates for those specific versions, not measured savings from your purchase. A claim about avoided emissions needs an explicit comparison and must say which production or purchase your choice is assumed to displace.

For any claim about energy payback or life-cycle emissions, check the device configuration and the assumptions behind it. Keep the two claims apart.

How do I calculate a phone or laptop’s cost per year of support left?

Divide the price by the support years left on that exact model. In a hypothetical case, a €180 device with one year of support left costs €180 a year, while a €300 device with four years of support left costs €75 a year. The calculation leaves out repair costs and resale value, so use it as a first filter.

Should I replace a device that still gets updates?

Not on price alone. Check its end date first: Google, for example, covers a Pixel 7 until October 2027 and a Pixel 8 until October 2030, and an enrolled Windows 10 PC gets security fixes until 12 October 2027. If you do buy, compare the deal’s cost per supported year.

Is it less expensive to repair or replace a device?

It depends on how many years each route adds. In a hypothetical case, a €60 repair that adds two years costs €30 a year, while a replacement with a net cost of €250 works out at €62.50 a year if it lasts four years. First, check whether your legal rights already cover the fault.

Does a repair extend the legal guarantee in the EU?

Yes, once. If a repair qualifies under the legal guarantee, the seller remains liable for the whole product for a further 12-month period. The extension does not apply to contracts concluded before 31 July 2026, and national rules can give longer periods.

Does an advertised warranty replace my legal guarantee?

No. For qualifying EU purchases from traders, the legal guarantee lasts at least two years. An advertised warranty cannot reduce your legal rights, so treat it as an extra promise and check what it adds. These rules do not apply to purchases from private individuals.

Does a bigger TV use more electricity?

It can. At the same aspect ratio, a 65-inch screen has 39.7% more area than a 55-inch screen, so a larger set can use more electricity even with a better efficiency class. Check the label’s measured kWh per 1,000 hours for the SDR or HDR mode you watch in.

Is it worth replacing a working TV to save electricity?

Only if the new TV saves enough electricity. In a hypothetical case, watching four hours a day at €0.25 per kWh, a replacement with a net cost of €300 must use about 164 W less power to pay for itself in five years. Standby use, tariff changes and financing are left out.