Apple iPad Air Apple iPad Air 2 16GB WiFi 2GB iOS 10 9.7in Tablet Review

The refurbished iPad Air 2 is a $110 tablet with a beautiful screen but major flaws. Its 16GB storage is nearly useless today, the battery life is poor, and it's stuck on old software. Only consider it for the most basic tasks if your budget is extremely tight.

Looking for a cheap iPad for basic tasks? The refurbished iPad Air 2 is a classic tablet that still pops up on Amazon for around $110. It's the 6th generation model with a 9.7-inch Retina display, Apple's A8X chip, and 2GB of RAM. This isn't a powerhouse by today's standards, but for web browsing, video streaming, and light apps, it can still get the job done. Just know you're buying a device that's nearly a decade old, and the 16GB of storage is painfully small by modern standards.

Performance is a mixed bag. The A8X processor and 2GB of RAM score in the 74th and 89th percentiles respectively for this category, which sounds impressive until you remember we're comparing it mostly to other older, budget tablets. In practice, it handles iOS 10 and basic apps fine, but you'll notice slowdowns with more demanding tasks or if you try to multitask. Our data shows it's surprisingly decent for art and design (scoring 71.9/100), likely due to that still-great laminated display and stylus support, but it struggles with productivity (61.7/100) and is weakest for business use (51.3/100). The battery life percentile is below average at 49th, which matches user reports of needing frequent charges.

At $110, the value proposition is simple: it's the cheapest way to get an iPad screen and basic iOS experience. You're trading every modern convenience for that low price. For similar money, you could get a newer Amazon Fire tablet with more storage and better battery life, but you'd lose the iOS ecosystem and premium feel. This only makes sense if your needs are incredibly basic and your budget is rock-bottom.

Let's be clear: this isn't competing with a new iPad Pro or even a recent base iPad. It's in a different league. Compared to a modern budget Android tablet like a Lenovo Tab, the iPad Air 2 has a much better screen but worse performance, storage, and software support. Against other refurbished options, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (renewed) often goes for around $200 and offers a stylus, more storage, and much newer software. If you need an iPad specifically for cheap, this is it. If you need a functional tablet, spending a bit more opens up dramatically better options.

Skip this if you need a primary tablet for school, work, or anything beyond super basic media consumption. The 16GB storage is a deal-breaker for most. Students, mobile gamers, or anyone who needs to install more than a handful of apps should look at a newer refurbished iPad with at least 32GB or a modern budget Android tablet. Business users scored it lowest in our data for a reason.

Should you buy this? Only under very specific conditions. If you need a secondary screen for recipes, a dedicated video streamer for the kitchen, or a very, very basic drawing tablet for a kid, and you cannot spend a penny over $120, then maybe. For anyone else, the severe storage limitation, outdated software, and poor battery life make it a frustrating daily driver. We recommend most people save up a little longer for a newer refurbished iPad or a modern budget Android tablet.