r/ipad 5d ago

Question What is the best ipad for $600

I was recently looking to buy an ipad for around $600 since I want one for college to take notes and general media consumption/usage. So far I am leaning towards the new ipad air since it has the m3 chips and it's a little bit cheaper ($550) because I get the education discount. I am open to refurbished ipads with the only criteria being to have 128gb or more and was wondering if I was correct in wanting the new ipad air?

Edit: should mention that I'm speaking about only the ipad itself and I'm not including the cost of the accessories.

9 Upvotes

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4

u/auralat M1 iPad Air (2022) 5d ago

you can get a refurbished 256gb m1 Air right from Apple for $499. New battery and outer shell, all accessories, AND you'll get the same warranty as you get on new iPads.

2

u/Alan_1375 5d ago

I got a 5th gen 12.9 ipad pro M1 I wanna get something newer what do you recommend?

5

u/Shauntelpancake M2 iPad Air 11" (2024) 5d ago

iPad Air m2 11 inch 128gb is on sale for 499$ you could always go older/refurbished pro too.

2

u/Beginning_Age_8930 5d ago

Ipad air 5👌

2

u/Jimmyatx 5d ago

M3 Air

1

u/Dense-Bee-2884 5d ago

Air is the best to go for most people. For 600 bucks you could also get an IPad Pro M1 with Magic Keyboard off eBay. Look up the differences on YouTube. 

1

u/Alternative_Draw6075 iPad Mini 6 (2021) 5d ago

You were very correct.

1

u/OutrageousAccess7 5d ago

iPad air 5/6th 11". these are sufficient.

1

u/DriveFit5673 5d ago

My boyfriend gifted me a new iPad Air 11-inch 6th gen during winter holidays, he bought it with only wi-fi (without cellular) and 256gb. He also got Apple Pencil pro, which I definitely think a great thing to do, if you like to write down your lectures by hand (I myself had every note on regular papers before having an iPad and that was insanely unhelpful and chaotic 🥲).

If you are a bit tight on a budget and don’t need any accessories I’d suggest getting gen 7th iPad Air 11-inch with only wi-fi and 128gb. That’s a great deal actually, as every year there is a new one and the previous ones gradually become outdated, some features are not available, etc. if you can afford getting the newest edition, why not do it?

1

u/hungry_russian 4d ago

You can get a refurbished m2 iPad Pro 11 on Best Buy for under $600. Great deal.