Pradershika Sharma
Freelance Writer
Experience
Pradershika Sharma is a tech deals writer for Lifehacker.
She has a Master’s degree in English Literature, a B.Ed., and a TESOL certification. She has been writing professionally since 2018, creating product reviews, affiliate articles, and search ads for global clients while working with Rubix Agency and Cognizant. Previously, she spent a year teaching English at the junior high level.
An avid reader since childhood, Pradershika’s idea of extreme sports is staying up to read “just one more chapter.” She lives in India.
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Table of Contents
The 2021 iPad Pro may not sound especially exciting in 2026, but this is one of those devices that aged unusually well. On sale for $399.99 refurbished on StackSocial, the 11-inch iPad Pro still makes sense for people who want a fast tablet for work, school, or creative apps without spending flagship iPad prices.
The biggest reason for its longevity is the M1 chip. Apple originally brought the same processor from its MacBooks into this iPad, and even five years later, it still handles multitasking, gaming, video editing, drawing apps, and demanding workflows without feeling slow. For someone upgrading from an older base-model iPad or an aging Android tablet, the jump in responsiveness is noticeable immediately. And since this is a Grade-A refurbished unit, it should arrive with little to no cosmetic wear.
The hardware still holds up surprisingly well today—the 11-inch Liquid Retina display supports ProMotion with a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling, drawing, and animations feel much smoother than standard iPads. Colors look accurate, brightness reaches up to 600 nits, and the antireflective coating helps when using it outdoors or near windows. The quad-speaker setup is also better than what most tablets in this price range offer, especially for movies and gaming. Apple included a Thunderbolt and USB 4 port here too, which means the tablet works well with external drives, monitors, docks, and accessories in a way that cheaper iPads still don’t. The front-facing 12MP camera remains solid for video calls, while the rear wide and ultra-wide cameras, along with the LiDAR scanner, are still useful for scanning documents, augmented reality apps, and creative projects. Battery life also remains dependable at around 10 hours for streaming, browsing, or general work (though your mileage may vary, depending on use).
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