Apple iPad Apple iPad with WiFi (2017 Model) (Gold Review

Let's be real, you're not looking at this 9.7-inch iPad for its raw power. You're looking at it because it's a cheap, simple way to get into the Apple ecosystem. For about $112, you get a classic Retina display, iPadOS, and that familiar Apple build quality. It's a renewed model, which means it's been cleaned up and tested to work like new, but it's definitely an older piece of hardware.

This thing is perfect for one specific person: someone who just needs a basic screen for streaming, reading, and light web browsing. Think of it as a digital magazine, a recipe book for the kitchen, or a YouTube machine for the kids. The scores tell the story—it's best for reading and entertainment, and it's weakest for productivity. That's exactly right.

What makes it interesting in 2024 is the price. For well under $150, you get a fully functional iPad. The A9 chip and 2GB of RAM were fine years ago, and they're still fine for those basic, single-task uses. It won't multitask well, and you can't expect it to run the latest games, but for checking email or watching Netflix, it gets the job done.

The performance numbers are exactly what you'd expect from a tablet this old and this cheap. The CPU lands in the 12th percentile, and the GPU is in the 15th. In plain English, that means it's slower than almost every other tablet you could buy today. Apps will open, but not instantly. You can browse the web, but don't try to have ten tabs open at once. The 2GB of RAM is the real bottleneck here, which is why it scores so low for productivity.

Where it holds up surprisingly well is the screen. That 9.7-inch Retina display hits the 73rd percentile. Colors are good, it's sharp, and it has True Tone to adjust to your lighting. For watching videos or reading, it's still a great experience. The battery is middle-of-the-pack at the 48th percentile, so you'll get a solid day of casual use, but nothing extraordinary. Just know that performance is its biggest trade-off for that low price.

The value proposition here is brutally simple: it's cheap. At $112, it's competing with no-name Android tablets, and it wins easily just by running iPadOS smoothly. You're paying for the software experience and that quality screen, not the internals.

Compared to other iPads or modern tablets like the base iPad 10th gen, it's not even in the same league performance-wise. But that new iPad costs over three times as much. This is a budget play, and for the right use case, it's a very smart one. You're trading all future-proofing and speed for immediate, low-cost access.

The most direct competitor is probably a cheap Android tablet like the N-one model mentioned. The iPad wins because iPadOS is generally more polished and has better app support for mainstream services, even on old hardware. However, some Android tablets might offer more storage or RAM for the price, but with much worse software.

If your budget can stretch, the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro or a used Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE offer a massive leap in performance, multitasking, and screen size for a few hundred dollars more. They're proper modern tablets. The iPad Pro and Surface Pro are in a completely different universe and price bracket; they're not competitors to this device. This iPad's real competition is your own patience—can you live with its slowness to save a lot of money?

If you need a tablet strictly for passive consumption—reading books, watching videos in bed, following recipes, or as a simple device for a young kid—this renewed 9.7-inch iPad is a fantastic deal. For $112, you get a great screen and a reliable software experience that cheap Android tablets can't match.

Do not buy this if you plan to do real work, play games, edit photos, or use it as your primary device. The low RAM and old chip will frustrate you. It's also a poor choice as a student's only computer. For those needs, even spending $100-$150 more on a newer base model iPad or a good Android tablet is a vastly better investment. This iPad knows its role, and it plays it well for a very specific audience.