Should You Buy A Refurbished Ipad? I Tried One From Back Market And Here's My Verdict

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I'm nary alien to refurbished products. While buying refurbished aliases renewed isn't ever my first go-to, I did acquisition a refurbished 2019 Apple iMac successful 2020 that still gets regular use. Buying refurbished, particularly pinch a warranty, is simply a awesome measurement to prevention money. It's for illustration buying a utilized car aliases secondhand furniture; you whitethorn not cognize nan full history, but whether it's worthy nan consequence depends connected nan buyer. 

I swapped my iPad Air for a refurbished 10th-generation iPad from Back Market almost a period ago, and nan acquisition has been enjoyable. I already person different 10th-generation iPad astatine home, which isn't refurbished, truthful comparing nan 2 was easy.

Also: Tariff-proof tech? Back Market's refurbished devices support prices down

The only grounds of usage that nan iPad from Back Market showcased was nan unfastened box. The tablet itself was immaculate, for illustration new. When you bargain a refurbished tablet, you don't cognize if it was ever broken, but Back Market has a sleek strategy to thief you make an informed purchase.

How Back Market works

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The 64GB iPad 10th Gen is disposable successful fair, good, excellent, and premium condition. A adjacent information indicates you'll apt spot visible signs of use, bully information is for ray signs of use, and fantabulous information is for tablets pinch almost nary signs of use. All tablets successful these conditions still guarantee you get capable artillery for regular use, though they whitethorn characteristic verified parts if immoderate were ever replaced.

The premium information is nan astir costly 1 and is reserved for tablets pinch nary signs of usage that person been tested to beryllium of nan champion value and person a reliable capable artillery for dense use. The premium iPads besides characteristic Apple parts if they person ever been repaired, not conscionable verified parts.

Also: The champion tablets of 2025: Expert-tested recommendations

Back Market's Verified Refurbished iPads person to walk a 25-point inspection that tests surface quality and operation, parts compatibility, fastener capacity and reliability, artillery health, input and output ports, speakers and microphones, cameras, flash and lights, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. 

Do refurbished devices coming much issues?

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

A communal misconception among shoppers is that refurbished devices coming much issues than caller ones. Refurbished isn't nan aforesaid arsenic used. A verified refurbished instrumentality goes done a master process and thorough testing, arsenic good arsenic repairs made pinch high-quality and verified parts. Buying a verified refurbished instrumentality from Back Market, for example, isn't nan aforesaid arsenic buying a utilized tablet from Facebook Marketplace.

There are galore reasons why personification whitethorn return a instrumentality that is later sold arsenic refurbished, not conscionable awesome defects. Consumers whitethorn return an iPad owed to buyer's remorse aliases insignificant cosmetic damage. Companies whitethorn refurbish devices that are overstocked aliases astatine nan extremity of their life. 

Also: Your iPad is getting a immense upgrade for free. 4 features I can't hold to usage connected iPadOS 26

I haven't knowledgeable immoderate issues pinch nan refurbished iPad 10th Generation from Back Market, speech from an first deficiency of sound coming from nan instrumentality erstwhile utilizing Netflix aliases Hulu that didn't hap pinch different apps, for illustration YouTube. I simply restarted nan iPad, and nan rumor was resolved and hasn't happened since, making it evident it had thing to do pinch nan iPad being refurbished. 

Many reputable resellers besides connection other protection plans for their devices. For example, Back Market offers BackUp, a protection scheme that covers drops, spills, and cracked screens. 

Is buying refurbished worthy it?

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The biggest drawback of getting a refurbished iPad is that Apple products support their resale value. This is awesome for those trading aliases trading them in, but it is not awesome erstwhile you see that a 10th-Gen iPad successful bully information pinch 64GB of retention costs astir $270, while nan newer 11th-Gen iPad pinch doubly nan retention is disposable for $299.

As you tin spot from these benchmark scores, a refurbished iPad 10 performs arsenic good arsenic nan original iPad bought from Apple. There's only a flimsy capacity dip connected nan refurbished iPad, which astir users apt won't announcement during day-to-day usage. If you spot nan root of nan refurbished device, nan $30 redeeming is simply a bully bonus.

Also: I replaced my MacBook Pro pinch nan M3 iPad Air - and I mightiness ne'er spell back

For galore different devices, however, buying refurbished tin decidedly beryllium worthy it. I've utilized nan refurbished iPad almost regular for nan past fewer weeks. It's been my go-to device, truthful I constitute my articles connected it and, successful my spare time, constitute for fun. This has besides been my intermezo tablet for streaming, playing, and reference -- each without issues.

Buying utilized helps trim e-waste, arsenic it prevents devices from ending up successful nan landfill successful favour of upgrading to caller ones. Buying refurbished, however, besides considerably extends nan life of electronics, arsenic nan repair process efficaciously corrects problems that could prematurely extremity nan device's life. It's besides a awesome measurement to prevention money connected devices, particularly arsenic we look uncertainty from tariffs and various economical pressures.