The M2-powered iPad Pro 11 and 12.9 (2022) and a perhaps even more highly anticipated 10th Gen “regular” iPad with a USB Type-C port are finally official and up for pre-order ahead of an October 26 release, which appears to make this the ideal time… to purchase an older Apple tablet.
That’s because more and more retailers seem to be trying harder and harder to clear their previous-gen iPad Pro inventories, for instance, and Apple’s own official US e-store is today joining the likes of Woot and Adorama in offering cool discounts on several different 2018-released models.
Of course, Cupertino’s first-party refurbished deals are nothing new (no pun intended), but what’s apparently new is that the company lowered the price of such a first-gen iPad Pro 11 device to as little as $469 on the heels of the latest 11-inch beast’s announcement.
Said fourth-gen iPad Pro 11, mind you, starts at $799, which means that you’re looking at saving 330 bucks here compared to that particular high-end slate… although that’s not really a fair comparison. Apple lists the $469 price as reduced from $699, but maybe the best way to emphasize this thing’s appeal right now would be to compare it to the hot new non-Pro 10.9-inch iPad, which costs $449 and up.
Granted, these are not (technically) brand-new, unused, unopened, and undamaged units on sale for well under five Benjamins a pop, but like all other Apple “certified refurbished” products sold directly by their manufacturer, they come with a full 1-year warranty, a new battery and outer shell, as well as an elegant new white box.
Otherwise put, your ultra-affordable 11-inch iPad Pro (2018) should look as good as new and work flawlessly out the box, holding multiple key advantages over the iPad (2022) despite its advanced age. We’re talking everything from a higher-quality Liquid Retina display with 120Hz refresh rate support to Face ID technology and somehow, an overall smaller, thinner, and lighter body too.
As you can imagine, $469 will only buy you an entry-level 64GB storage configuration, although other variants (with and without cellular connectivity) are also available at very reasonable prices. Said prices are not quite as low as those occasionally charged by Woot and other third-party retailers, but Apple’s refurbs are arguably unlike everything else on the market.
