Framesira/Shutterstock

If you want to buy an iPad in 2026, Apple has a handful of brand-new models you can pick from. All current iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini models are great picks depending on your needs, but you don't necessarily have to buy the latest and greatest version. Of course, newer is always better, even if by a small margin, as it comes with better hardware and software enhancements. That said, don't overlook old models.

One of the things you need to know before buying an iPad is that old doesn't necessarily mean obsolete. Older iPad models are worth considering, as they can still be powerful enough for basic tasks like browsing the web, reading books, keeping in touch with friends, and watching videos. However, this is not to say that you should blindly buy any old iPad. Some old iPads no longer receive important software and security updates, so they might be a risk to your personal data, while other models may have outdated hardware that may struggle to fulfill the most basic tasks. 

To make your life easier while shopping for an old iPad, we've done extensive research to find models that are worth buying and have several years of usable life left. We've based our selection process on software support and hardware specifications.

The 4th-generation iPad Air was officially released in September 2020 alongside the 8th-generation iPad. One of the major changes Apple made to the 2020 iPad Air was the updated design. The company got rid of the Touch ID home button in favor of a power button with an integrated fingerprint scanner. At launch, the iPad Air received glowing reviews from multiple sites, as it added a bunch of features that were previously exclusive to the iPad Pro.

It was praised for its thin and lightweight design, excellent performance, bright display, and support for USB-C charging. It launched at an MSRP of $599, and that was a bit of a high price to pay at the time, as it was $100 more expensive than its predecessor. Despite the 2020 iPad Air being over five years old, it's still worth buying and a great option if you want a model with a good balance of performance and value, and capable enough for editing pictures and working in documents. 

The 2020 iPad Air comes with 4 GB of memory paired with 64 GB or 256 GB of storage, a 10.9-inch screen, a 12 MP wide camera, and a 7 MP front-facing camera. It hit the shelves with iPadOS 14.1 onboard, but it's compatible with Apple's latest software version. As a result, you won't miss out on new features added to iPadOS 26. Even better, this tablet can be found in the second-hand market starting at around $200.

Christian de Looper/BGR

The 2022 iPad Pro comes with Apple's M2 processor under the hood, paired with 8 GB or 16 GB of memory, between 256 GB and 2 TB of storage, a dual camera setup, and a 12 MP ultrawide front-facing camera. It has Apple's Liquid Retina IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR support. You get a 10,758 mAh battery in the 12.9-inch variant, while the smaller 11-inch variant draws power from a 7,538 mAh cell. 

These specs are still solid for an iPad in 2026 and should mean it can handle even the most resource-intensive tasks like playing video games or editing videos. That makes this tablet a perfect choice for professionals like video editors and digital artists. We loved this tablet when it came out, as was evident in our iPad Pro 2022 review, where we praised it for its impressive performance, beautiful display, great design, and good battery life. 

The 2022 iPad Pro launched at a starting MSRP of $799, and given that it's almost four years old at the moment, you can find this tablet on used marketplaces ranging from around $500 to $600. As expected, the actual price that you pay will depend on the condition and configuration.

Framesira/Shutterstock

If you have a tight budget, the base iPad lineup is typically the best place to start. That's because it's usually the cheapest of the bunch, making it the entry point to Apple's tablet lineup. Apple refreshed the base iPad in 2025, but if you prefer buying an older model to save cash, you should consider the 2021 iPad. Even in 2026, this is a great pick for students and just about anyone who plans to exclusively perform light tasks such as note-taking and watching videos. 

When it hit the market, this iPad model came with double the storage of its predecessor, bumping the base model from 32 GB to 64 GB and the high-end option from 128 GB to 256 GB. The 9th-generation iPad sports Apple's A13 Bionic chip, 3 GB of RAM, an 8,557 mAh battery, and a 10.2-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD display. Additionally, the 2021 variant includes an 8 MP camera on the rear and a 12 MP front-facing camera. 

This iPad comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, unlike models released after 2021. Given that it came out in 2021, it still has several years of software and security updates left. In fact, this iPad is already compatible with Apple's latest version of iPadOS — iPadOS 26. At launch, the baseline 2021 iPad started at $329, but you can get it for as low as $150 on the used market.

If you don't want to spend $500 or more on the 2022 iPad Pro but need a capable Pro tablet, check out the 2021 variant. At launch, the 2021 iPad Pro promised a big leap in performance over the previous generation because Apple made one big change. The company added the first-generation Apple Silicon M1 chip, which also powered some MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac models. This was a major shift from Apple's decade-long strategy of using redesigned smartphone chips in its tablet lineup. 

With a laptop chip under the hood, the 2021 iPad Pro is still worth buying in 2026, especially when you consider that M1-powered MacBooks are still performing well several years later. Besides, the 2021 iPad Pro is only five years old at this point, and Apple still provides updates for this model. At launch, the 2021 iPad Pro started at $800 and came in two screen size options: 11 and 12.9 inches. 

However, as of this writing, it starts at about $400 in the used market and is a solid pick for people who perform processor-intensive work, such as illustrators, animators, and other digital artists. You get up to 2 TB of storage, a dual camera setup with a 12 MP wide lens and a 10 MP ultrawide lens, a 12 MP selfie camera, and either a 7,538 mAh or 10,758 mAh battery, depending on the size. 

Framesira/Shutterstock

Apple launched the first iPad in 2010, and since then, it has released dozens of models. As a result, there are plenty of old iPads that you can buy. That said, software and security updates were the two key factors that we considered while selecting these older iPads. All the models we've listed support the latest version of iPadOS and are expected to receive updates for at least the next couple of years.

Performance was also part of our selection criteria, and our goal was to ensure that each model that we recommended could still perform smoothly while handling basic tasks. But remember, we're talking about old iPads here, so don't expect any of these models to offer high-end performance. Lastly, while it's obvious that buying an old iPad model will automatically save you some cash compared to buying a new one, we also considered the price. The aim was to find models that have depreciated enough to make it worth buying them used.