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Tech · Apple · 2021

Apple iPad (9th generation)

The last iPad with a home button and headphone jack, and plenty for a child's tablet.

Used iPads on eBay: where M1 pays off and where it doesn't — #5

Overall

7.4

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.6), weakest on Design (6.6), a 2.0-point spread. The 7.4 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPad (9th generation) — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPad (9th generation): Performance 6.8, Value 8.6, Durability 6.8, Ease of use 8.0, Design 6.6.PerformanceApple iPad (9th generation) — Performance 6.8 out of 106.8ValueApple iPad (9th generation) — Value 8.6 out of 108.6DurabilityApple iPad (9th generation) — Durability 6.8 out of 106.8Ease of useApple iPad (9th generation) — Ease of use 8.0 out of 108.0DesignApple iPad (9th generation) — Design 6.6 out of 106.6Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
10.2-inch Retina (LCD)
Chip
A13 Bionic
Unlock
Touch ID (home button)
Port
Lightning
Headphone jack
3.5mm
Pencil
Apple Pencil (1st generation)
Storage
64GB, 256GB

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • A kid's first tablet, where a drop is likely and the home button is easy
  • Wired headphones without a dongle
  • Streaming and reading, with no multitasking ambitions

Skip it if

  • You want it to stay on supported iPadOS versions for years; it's the oldest chip here
  • Every other device you own charges over USB-C

Schools bought this model by the pallet, and those fleets are now reaching eBay in bulk. That is why it’s the least expensive iPad here, and also why you need to read listings closely. Former school units are often managed by the district. If the listing mentions “MDM” or “managed”, or the seller can’t confirm it’s been released from the organization, skip it. A managed iPad won’t let you set it up as your own.

The A13 runs current iPadOS without trouble for video, reading, and kids’ apps. It is still the oldest chip in this ranking, which makes it the likeliest to drop off a future iPadOS release first.

The thick bezels and home button look dated. They also make it the most familiar iPad for a young child or a grandparent. The headphone jack is a bonus for kids, since wired headphones are cheap and hard to lose.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.