Apple iPad Air Apple IPad Air 2 WI-FI 64GB Space Gray (Renewed) Review

So you're looking at a renewed iPad Air 2. It's a classic 9.7-inch tablet with a sharp Retina display, 64GB of storage, and that familiar Apple design. At around $122, it's one of the most affordable ways to get into the iPad ecosystem. People often search for cheap iPads for reading, light note-taking, or as a starter tablet for kids, and this fits that bill perfectly. It runs a modern version of iPadOS, supports the first-gen Apple Pencil for stylus input, and can connect to a keyboard, which keeps it surprisingly useful for basic tasks.

Let's be real about performance. The A8X chip and 2GB of RAM put this in the 39th and 3rd percentiles for CPU and RAM, respectively. That means it's fine for browsing the web, streaming videos, and reading e-books. But if you're asking 'is the iPad Air 2 good for art or design?', the answer is only for the most basic sketching. The 41st percentile GPU score shows it'll struggle with complex layers in Procreate or any intensive app. It's not a productivity powerhouse either. It can handle light document editing, but multitasking will feel slow.

For $122, the value proposition is simple: it's a budget iPad. You're paying for the software experience and ecosystem access, not cutting-edge hardware. The main alternative at this price is a new budget Android tablet, which might have slightly better specs on paper but won't feel as polished or have as long software support. Just know you're buying a device that's several generations old.

Compared to modern competitors, the gap is huge. The iPad Pro with an M-series chip is in a different universe for performance. A more direct comparison might be a used base-model iPad (9th gen or later), which would have a much faster chip and better accessory support for not much more money. Against something like a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, you lose out on screen size and multitasking power but gain that seamless Apple experience. If your main goal is just reading or watching videos on a nice screen for as little money as possible, this renewed Air 2 has a place. For anything more demanding, look at a newer model.

Should you buy this? Only in a very specific scenario. If you need the absolute cheapest iPad possible for a child, a guest room, or as a dedicated e-reader/YouTube machine, and you're okay with very slow performance, it's an option. For anyone asking 'is this good for productivity or art?', the answer is a firm no. The 2GB RAM and old processor are major bottlenecks. For most people, saving up for a newer, even entry-level iPad will be a much better experience and last you years longer.