Apple iPad 9.7" Space Gray 2017

The 2017 iPad (9.7-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 32GB) is a fantastic budget tablet for browsing, streaming, and reading at around $90 USD. Battery life is strong, the display is sharp, and refurbished units look nearly new. Just know that 32GB of storage and the older A9 chip mean this isn't a power user's tablet, and some newer apps won't run on the aging iOS version.

The A9 dual-core chip lands around the 64th percentile in our database, which sounds mediocre until you remember this is a $90 tablet. In practice, apps open without much fuss, Safari handles multiple tabs fine, and streaming video is smooth. The GPU actually ranks higher at the 91st percentile, which is a bit of a surprise and means casual games and video playback look better than the CPU score would suggest. The 32GB of RAM (yes, that's what the spec sheet says, though it's likely a data quirk) is overkill for iOS, which manages memory efficiently anyway.

Where things get rough is storage. The 32GB eMMC drive sits at the 9th percentile, which is one of the worst we've seen in this category. You'll fill that up fast with apps, photos, and offline content. The 60Hz LCD display is solid but not spectacular, ranking around the 65th percentile. It's fine for reading and watching shows, but don't expect ProMotion smoothness or HDR. Battery life is a genuine strength here, landing in the 84th percentile, and multiple owners confirm it holds a charge well even on refurbished units.

Compared to the Lenovo Idea Tab Plus, the iPad wins on build quality and software polish, but the Lenovo offers more modern specs and likely more storage for a bit more money. The VekfulPC T60 Pro and UMIDIGI Active T1 are Android budget tablets that undercut the iPad on price but feel noticeably cheaper in hand and lack the app ecosystem that iOS provides. The Xiaomi Redmi Pad is probably the closest Android competitor, with a better display and more storage, but it's Wi-Fi only in most configurations and doesn't have the same longevity of software support.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a different beast entirely. It's a full Windows machine with a much higher price tag, and it's overkill for someone just wanting to browse and stream. If you need real productivity, the Surface is the better tool, but for casual use, the iPad's simplicity and price win out. The 2017 iPad's cellular support is also a differentiator, since most budget Android tablets skip that entirely.

At $90 USD, this is one of the cheapest ways to get into the iPad ecosystem, and the value proposition is hard to beat for basic use. You're getting a tablet with cellular, a sharp display, and solid battery life for less than the cost of a nice dinner for two. The trade-off is the 32GB storage ceiling and the aging A9 processor, which means this isn't a long-term investment. If you need more storage or plan to run demanding apps, you'll outgrow this quickly. But as a first tablet, a kid's device, or a dedicated reading and streaming machine, it's a steal.

The 2017 iPad (9.7-inch, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 32GB) sits in a weird but interesting spot in 2025. It's a refurbished tablet that you can grab for around $90 USD, and for that money, it's honestly hard to complain too much. This is the fifth-generation iPad, the one that brought the 9.7-inch Retina display to the budget line, and it still handles the basics surprisingly well. People searching for a cheap iPad for kids, a first tablet, or a secondary device for reading and streaming will find a lot to like here.

We pulled data from our database and across retailers, and the story is pretty consistent. The A9 chip inside is old by modern standards, but iOS on this hardware still feels responsive for everyday tasks. The 2048x1536 LCD panel is sharp and bright enough for indoor use, and the 8827mAh battery holds up better than you'd expect from a device this age. The cellular connectivity is a nice bonus at this price point, especially since most budget tablets are Wi-Fi only.

Is the 2017 iPad good for note-taking, browsing, and media consumption? For the most part, yes. It supports stylus input and has a keyboard connector, so light productivity is possible. But the 32GB of storage is the real bottleneck here, and we'll get into that below.

Skip this if you need more than 32GB of storage, since that fills up fast with apps and media. Power users who want to run the latest productivity apps or play demanding games should look at newer iPads or the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 instead. If you're buying for someone who needs the newest iOS features or long-term software support, this isn't the right pick. And if you hate slow charging, the included charger will annoy you, so budget for a faster one or look at the Xiaomi Redmi Pad, which charges quicker and has more storage for a bit more money.

Should you buy the 2017 iPad in 2025? If you need a cheap, reliable tablet for browsing, streaming, reading, and light note-taking, yes. The refurbished units we've seen are in excellent condition, the battery life holds up, and the overall experience is smoother than most Android tablets at this price. The 85/100 sentiment score from user reviews backs this up, with owners consistently praising the condition, performance, and value.

But if you need more than 32GB of storage, want to run the latest apps without compatibility headaches, or plan to use this as a primary device for years, look elsewhere. The older iOS version will eventually lock you out of newer apps, and the slow charging is a minor annoyance that adds up. For the right use case, though, this is one of the best budget tablet deals out there.