9 refurbished Apple deals you need to check out in the run-up to Amazon Prime Day

iPad Pro M1 12.9-inch | $1,149 $649 at Amazon

While it might not be the all-singing, all-dancing M4 iPad Pro that came out earlier this year, the M1 iPad Pro is still an absolute beast of a tablet. Powerful, portable, and this larger screen model is perfect if you want to use the recently released pro apps like Logic and Final Cut for iPad. This is a massive saving as well, where you’ll pay $650 less than if you were to go buy a new iPad Air M4. Even better, the M1 chip inside will be ready for Apple Intelligence when it comes out later this year in iPadOS 18 — so you’ll be future-proofed as well.

iPad 8th Generation | $329 $189 at Amazon

While it’s now 4 years old, the 8th generation has it where it counts. For most people, the A12 chip on the inside is going to be plenty to read the paper, play some games, and even do some light productivity tasks with the likes of Pages or Sheets. It looks like the 9th gen so you won’t look too out of date (if that matters to you), and you get a very solid tablet for around $150 off the price of the 9th generation — which is still on sale at Amazon. Perfect for the student in your life, or if you just want a tablet without all the snazzy bells and whistles of the most recent models.

 Mac mini M1 | $599 $383 at Amazon 

 While the M2 model of the Mac mini is the best Mac right now, it’s only there because the M1 version paved the way. Even now the M1 chip on the inside is plenty powerful for most normal computing, and you can even push it to do some more complex workloads if the want takes you. This refurbed model will save you over $200 on a new one, and still get the job done when it counts — just remember that you’ll need to add in one of the best monitors for Mac mini, as well as a keyboard and mouse, as they don’t come in the box.

MacBook Air M1 | $999 $600 at Amazon

The M1 MacBook Air is still one of the best-looking laptops that Apple has ever produced, and the M1 chip remains a solid processor. Again, this laptop will work with Apple Intelligence when it comes to macOS Sequoia, so you won’t miss out on the biggest features of the year. You’ll also stand to save loads of money too — if you go for the latest MacBook Air, you’ll be spending around $1000, so this accounts for a roughly $400 saving — not too shabby at all, and great if you’re looking for a portable laptop for work or play. Don’t expect to run the latest games or configure enormous 3D editing workloads, but it’ll make a perfect Digital Audio Workstation on the go on a budget or a typing machine for doc-busters.

MacBook Pro M1 Pro | $1,999 $1,113 at Amazon

The current models of MacBook Pro are some seriously stunning machines, but their impressive internals come at lofty price points often scraping $2,000. This refurbished model, however, will save you nearly $900, and do most of the same work. In fact, I work from one of these machines, and it’s perfectly capable of my workday running two different screens, approximately 500 Chrome tabs, and my music streaming apps. If you want something with some processing beef but don’t want to spend every single one of your dollars on a laptop, then this is a great option.

AirPods Pro | $249 $135 at Amazon

The AirPods Pro 2 are great, but they are still very expensive. The AirPods Pro 1st gen are still a great pair of noise-canceling wireless headphones, however, and they are well worth it if you don’t want to pay full price for a pair of brand new ones. The noise canceling is still excellent all these years later, and their sound quality is perfectly neutral. If you go refurbished, then you’ll save over $100 over full price, making for a far more affordable pair of AirPods. 

AirPods Max | $549 $399 at Amazon

The AirPods Max are the tippety top of the AirPods tree, and come with a suitably massive price tag. You do, arguably get what you pay for — quality sound, excellent noise canceling, and a sumptuous aluminum design. You also don’t need to pay the entire $549 asking price either — if you go refurbished, you can save $150 and only spend $400. That’s still a lot of money, but it is a massive saving on full price. This can change depending on the color, mind you, so you’d better not be fussy about the exact pair that you want. 

Apple Watch Series 7 | $399 $229 at Amazon

While it’s now two generations out of date, you’ll still get all the latest software updates with the Apple Watch Series 7. Buying refurbished actually makes this once flagship device less than the current model Apple Watch SE, and we’d recommend this one every time. You get a slightly bigger screen, a more powerful processor, and more color options. This is a saving of around $170, which is nothing to sniff at either.

Apple Watch Ultra | $799 $475 at Amazon

This is pretty much the Apple Watch deal of the century — what was a close to $1000 smartwatch for just under $500. That’s only just more than the Apple Watch Series 9 cellular model, and we’d say go with the last generation Ultra for the extra power, slicker design, and larger screen. This saves you around $300 compared to an Apple Watch Ultra 2, and nets you a powerful watch to use to exercise, go off the beaten path, and, you know. Tell the time.