Apple iPad Apple - Certified Refurbished iPad (7th Generation) (2019) Wi-Fi - 128GB - Gold Review
The refurbished iPad 7 is a budget-friendly way into Apple's world, but its age shows. We dig into whether its low price is worth the dated performance.
The 30-Second Version
It's a cheap, old iPad. Fine for videos and web browsing, but painfully slow for anything else. Don't buy it if you need to do real work or play modern games.
Overview
Look, this is a refurbished 7th-gen iPad from 2019, and you need to know one thing: it's a cheap ticket into the Apple ecosystem, but it's old. For $170, you get a solid screen and a familiar iPad experience, but you're buying tech that's five years behind. It's perfect for someone who just wants to watch videos or browse the web without spending a fortune, but don't expect it to keep up with modern apps or feel snappy.
Performance
Honestly, the performance is exactly what you'd expect from a 2019 A10 chip and 3GB of RAM. It's fine for basic stuff, but our data shows its CPU lands in the 44th percentile, and that 3GB of RAM is in the dismal 5th percentile. Apps will open slowly, and you'll see stutters if you try to do too much at once. The 10-hour battery claim is decent, but it's middle-of-the-pack at the 49th percentile.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The price is seriously low for an iPad. 70th
- The 10.2-inch Retina display is still great for media.
- 128GB of storage is plenty for apps and photos.
- Touch ID is reliable and fast.
Cons
- The 3GB of RAM is a major bottleneck for multitasking. 7th
- The A10 Fusion chip feels dated and slow.
- Wi-Fi 5 and older connectivity feel limiting.
- Some newer apps and games won't be compatible.
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | A10 Fusion chip. Engineered for performance. |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB |
Display
| Size | 10.2" |
| Resolution | 2160 |
| Panel | LCD |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | WiFi 5 |
Features
| Stylus Support | No |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
| Face Unlock | No |
Physical
| Weight | 0.0 kg / 0.1 lbs |
| OS | Apple iOS 11 |
Value & Pricing
At $170, it's a value play, but only for a very specific person. You're trading modern performance for a low price. If your budget is absolutely locked at $200 and you must have an iPad, this is it. Otherwise, spending a bit more gets you a much better experience.
Price History
vs Competition
The obvious competitor is a newer base-model iPad, which will cost more but run circles around this one. Against Android, something like a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro offers a bigger, sharper screen and more RAM for similar money, but you lose the iOS simplicity. This refurbished iPad wins on price alone, but loses on every performance metric.
| Spec | Apple iPad Apple - Certified Refurbished iPad (7th Generation) (2019) Wi-Fi - 128GB - Gold | Apple iPad Pro Apple 11" iPad Pro M5 Chip (Standard Glass, 512GB, | Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Samsung 12.4" Galaxy Tab S10+ 256GB Multi-Touch | Microsoft Surface Pro Microsoft - Surface Pro - Copilot+ PC - 13” OLED | Lenovo Yoga Tab Series Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus | Xiaomi Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 Only WiFi (No Calls or Text) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | A10 Fusion chip. Engineered for performance. | Apple M5 | MediaTek 9300 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3, QCM8650 | 2.2 GHz mediatek_helio |
| RAM (GB) | 3 | 12 | 12 | 32 | 16 | - |
| Storage (GB) | 128 | 512 | 256 | 1000 | 256 | 256 |
| Screen | 10.2" 2160x1620 | 11" 2420x1668 | 12.4" 2800x1752 | 13" 2880x1920 | 12.7" 2944x1840 | 11" 2560x1600 |
| OS | Apple iOS 11 | iPadOS | Android 14 | Windows 11 Home | Android 14 | Android 15 |
| Stylus | false | true | true | false | false | false |
| Cellular | false | false | false | false | false | false |
Common Questions
Q: Does it work with the Apple Pencil?
Yes, but only the 1st-gen Apple Pencil. Don't buy the newer one by mistake.
Q: Can I use a keyboard with it?
Absolutely. Any Bluetooth keyboard will work, and there are plenty of cheap folio cases with built-in keyboards.
Q: Is the storage enough?
128GB is plenty for most people. You won't be editing 4K video on this thing anyway, so it's fine for apps, photos, and a bunch of downloaded shows.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for a tablet for productivity, sketching, or gaming, this isn't it. The processor and RAM just can't keep up. Go get a newer base-model iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab instead.
Verdict
We can only recommend this if your top priority is spending as little as possible to get a functional iPad for very light use. For anyone else, especially if you want to use it for more than watching Netflix, the age and performance limitations are too significant. Save up for a newer model or look at a modern budget Android tablet.