Refurbished iPad Mini 2: Value Buy!

Refurbished Apple iPad Mini 2: Delivered!

[GADGET DEALS] My requirements for a tablet are simple; 8-inch display, a minimum pixel density of 300, at least 2GB of ram, a recent mid-range processor, and decent build quality. I wanted to have it to be a living room tablet and the occasional outing. Honestly, the pixel density requirement largely excludes my choices.

Here is my shortlist candidates; Samsung Tab S2 8.0, Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi MiPad 2 or 3, Apple iPad Mini 2 or 4.

Only one in the six are released in 2017! That speaks volumes about how little manufacturers care about tablets these days.

Samsung Tab S2 8.0 is probably an excellent choice because, at $470 (Kaisa Mobile), it comes with LTE. Nvidia Shield has gotten rave reviews but it is only available in export sets without warranty. For about $270 on Qoo10, the value is pretty good and near stock Android experience is a major plus.

Xiaomi Mipad shares the same woes as Nvidia Shield where only exports set are available. Worst, they are come up to around the same price. Without Micro SD card slot and possibly Google Play store, it's not attractive.

Finally, the usual suspects and the manufacturer that sold the most tablets ever in human history, Apple and ultimately my choice, a Refurbished Apple iPad Mini 2 32GB Wifi.

Refurbished Apple iPad Mini 2: Looks absolutely new

In case you didn't know, Apple test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a 1-year warranty (extended Applecare also optional). All refurbished iPad models also include a brand new battery and outer shell.

For a Refurbished iPad Mini 2 Wifi, the cost savings is S$60 based on the last known retail price but that said the iPad Mini 2 has been discontinued, it is only available as a refurbished set.

That's right I bought a refurbished set from Apple because of cost savings and the device meets my requirement to be a living room Tablet. It is the cheapest tablet in my shortlist and to me, the best build quality too.

Of course being a 2013 device, the iPad Mini 2 gives a slower performance and comes without Touch ID. However, 4 years later, it still has the same display as the iPad Mini 4! Very happy with my purchase!