Apple iPad Apple iPad 9.7inch with WiFi 32GB- Space Gray Review

The iPad 9.7-inch with 32GB is a classic, and its numbers tell a clear story. It's built for reading and entertainment, scoring 46.1 and 45.6 out of 100 in those categories, but it's not a workhorse. Its business score is a low 33.7, so don't plan on this being your main productivity device.

What you're getting is a solid screen in the 58th percentile and a massive 94th percentile for RAM, which is 32GB of DDR4. That's a lot of memory for a tablet this old. But the trade-off is huge: storage is in the 6th percentile. 32GB fills up fast with apps, photos, and a few videos. You'll be managing space constantly.

Performance is a mixed bag. The A9 chip and M9 coprocessor were great in their day, but now the CPU and GPU land in the 38th and 40th percentiles. That means it feels fine for basic web browsing, reading, and streaming video, but it'll chug if you try to do anything intensive. The 9.7-inch Retina display is still sharp at 2048x1536, and the True Tone feature is nice, but its overall screen score is just average. Connectivity is also right in the middle at the 50th percentile, covering all the common Wi-Fi standards.

At around $106, the value proposition is simple. You're paying for the iPad name and that excellent build quality at a very low price. You get a great screen for reading and more RAM than you'd expect. But you're also buying a device with severely limited storage and aging internals. For the same money, you could get a newer Android tablet with more storage, but you'd lose the iPadOS ecosystem and that premium feel.

Compared to modern competitors, the gaps are wide. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ has a far superior screen, much faster performance, and starts at 256GB of storage. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is in a different league for business use. Even Apple's own iPad Pro line makes this model feel ancient. Your real competition is other budget tablets like some Lenovo or no-name Android models. This iPad wins on build quality and software support, but loses badly on raw specs and storage. It's a choice between a polished old device and a more capable new one.

This iPad is a very specific buy. If you want a cheap, well-built tablet purely for reading books, browsing the web, and watching videos in bed, and you're okay with constantly managing a tiny 32GB of space, it's a decent option at $106. The high RAM keeps basic tasks smooth. But for anyone who needs storage for apps and media, or wants to do anything resembling work, the 6th percentile storage and 33.7 business score are deal-breakers. Look at refurbished newer models or Android alternatives instead.