Refurbished iPad Air Series – Better Value than a New One?

There are several reasons to buy used tech, one such device being a refurbished iPad air. That said, at release, the prices in the high 3-digit figures make it unaffordable if you are looking for a budget-friendly tablet. Yet, for a lot of people, it is their dream machine because, in terms of productivity and performance, nothing comes close to it. In fact, the only device that can outperform the iPad Air is the older sibling—the iPad Pro. 

Not to worry, if you are a little patient, you can get your favorite tablet as a refurbished device. Refurbished devices are used/partially used devices that are reconditioned by the manufacturer or third-party licensed operators to factory condition. When devices are returned, they are stripped of customizations, cleaned, and worn out parts are replaced to make it perform and feel like the first time it left the factory. If they go back to the manufacturer, it is the same engineers who made it that refurbish them. If you’re looking for an iPad on a budget then you should buy an affordable iPad from Phonebot, it’d offer insane value and they have huge variety of different generation of iPads you can choose from.

Apple has a fantastic lineup of iPad Airs, and each of them is available as a refurb. Each release comes with massive leaps in performance from the previous one, but each device can hold its own and perform depending on the use you want to put it to.  If you are considering a refurbished iPad air, here are some highlights of key specs of each version and reasons why they are good purchases.

Refurbished iPad Air 

At its release in October 2013, it was the baby of the iPad range, and its features made it a hit among tech enthusiasts.  It offered massive screen real estate with an impressive 9.7-inch retina display with a fingerprint-resistant coating. Powering the massive devices is a 32.4watt-hour battery that supported up to 10 hours of screen on time watching videos, listening to music, or watching videos.  It still featured fired audio with a headphone jack despite having Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and built-in stereo speakers.  This original iPad air came with pin security and could also support facetime calls to any device with facetime over Wi-Fi.  FaceTime videos were supported up to 720P. The iSight camera had a 5MP sensor which made the device capable of 1080P video recording at 60FPS. Video stabilization and face detection came standard, and you could also use the 3X video zoom—it’s not much by today’s standards, but it got the job done in its heyday.

As the market moves towards new technology, this original iPad nails the basics of what is expected from a tablet. It offers solid performance and still receives updates from apple. Despite the age, the retina display is still top-notch, and the facetime capabilities are at par with some of the more recent iterations. It was only bested by its younger sibling in the range—the iPad Air 2. So, let’s talk about it.

Refurbished iPad Air 2

The original iPad Air set the bar high, and its highlights would have always been a tough act to follow, or so we thought. After two years of the first iPad Air, this reboot of the iPad received rave reviews. Everyone was excited about it, from the artist who wanted to use it as a sketch pad to the amateur gamer. It was the same form factor as its predecessor, but it was lighter and sleeker.  The sleek glass on metal design feels premium and makes it the perfect tool for office and home use.  Apple went to work on the 9.7-inch display to make it even brighter and crisper, and security was boosted with the addition of the TouchID fingerprint scanner, and it got updated internals too.  The processor is the A8X chip that is found in the reliable iPhone 6 range, albeit with a performance bump to match the big form of the iPad 2.

This tab is a good purchase because it benefits from Apple’s ecosystem and delivers impeccable optimization. From the factory, it came with iOS 8 but is still supported even with the latest tablet-specific iPad OS. For basic tasks like opening word documents and spreadsheets or even light gaming, there is no better bang for your bucks device than this one. It is a great on-the-go productivity machine, but it was eventually replaced by the third-generation iPad Air.

Refurbished iPad Air 3rd Generation

By now, you can see a trend with what Apple does to the iPad air to make it the ultimate lightweight on-the-go performance monster. Spotting a revamped aesthetic, the curves of the previous models were replaced with a boxy design, thinner bezels, and improved screen to give it the premium feel associated with older iPad air versions. Since the first release, the iPad Air’s performance gains have been enticing to watch, and this third-generation came even closer to the iPad Pro’s performance figures.  For starters, it has a massive 10.5-inch display like the previous-gen iPad Pro, and its processing power is just as impressive thanks to the impressive A12 Bionic chip.  RAM was up to 3 GB, but it’s the 64GB and 256GB internal storage that makes it attractive.

The best part of getting a refurbished iPad Air 3 is that you get all these and more at a pocket-friendly price.  If it is performance on a budget you want, the only device that can beat the 3rd generation iPad Air is the more recent 4th generation iPad Air.

Refurbished iPad Air 4th Generation

If you thought the third-generation iPad Air was close to the iPad Pro in performance, then it’s safe to imagine the 4th generation iPad Air as an iPad Pro with a smaller sticker price. Of course, there are some differences, but the gap is not as huge as in previous models.  The 4th gen iPad Air still came with TouchID, but the screen size was up to 10.9 inches. It is even faster than the previous iPad thanks to Apple’s A14 chip, and it had support for Apple Pencils 2 and the magic keyboard for improved productivity. Also faster was the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and besides that, you could choose your own from a wide selection of colors.

The 4th generation iPad air makes sense as a refurb thanks in part to the cost benefits, but its performance makes it a steal. With the redesigned exterior, high-end internals, impressive camera, and Apple’s ecosystem, it is the best thing you can do to your productivity, gaming, and entertainment.

Which of the above devices do you like? If you buy them from a reputable retailer, you will get a warranty and support just like you would when buying a new device.  It is the best way to get your favorite devices affordably, and if Apple’s trajectory is anything to go by, we cannot wait for future iPad Air devices on the refurb market.