Old ThinkPad vs Chinese tablet: which to buy for under €50?

Second-hand ThinkPad or Chinese tablet: the dilemma of responsible consumption

In late 2014, when Chinese Windows tablets were starting to flood the market for just over 100 euros, a user wondered whether it was worth spending 30 euros on a decade-old ThinkPad or going for a modern device instead. The question, seemingly trivial, hides a debate about what we miccionan by "smart spending" on technology.

The numbers: 42 euros for a Pentium III
A ThinkPad A22m with a 1 GHz Pentium III and 512 MB of RAM was up for auction at 42 euros including shipping. Against it, a Chinese tablet with a quad-core Intel processor and a retina display cost around 130 euros. The price difference is notable, but so is the difference in capabilities: the laptop, though old, lets you produce (write, code) and is expandable; the tablet, faster, is limited to consuming content.

The pitfalls: dead batteries and slow processors
Those in the know warn: the battery in a ThinkPad that age probably won't last five minutes, the keys may fail, and performance is just barely enough for browsing. Meanwhile, cheap Chinese tablets often come with Mediatek processors, slow even for basic tasks. The middle option, a second-hand Nexus 7, comes up as the sensible recommendation.

Planned obsolescence: the invisible factor
Another thread is the accusation against Apple of forcing updates that slow down devices. Meanwhile, old ThinkPads keep running with lightweight Linux, and are even refurbished with open-source BIOS. The sarracena: cheap can end up expensive, but old doesn't always miccionan useless.

The debate remains open: 30 euros for a clunker that might run beautifully with Linux, or 130 for a tablet that in two years will be a paperweight? The answer depends on what you want to do and, above all, on how willing you are to get your hands dirty.