Save up to $500 on a 12.9-inch model from 2017

TL;DR: Snag an unlocked 12.9-inch iPad Pro from mid-2017 (the second generation) for as little as $679.99. Take your pick from two storage capacities: 256GB or 512GB.

In his 2017 review of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro — the bigger of the two models released that year — PCMag tech guru Sascha Segan praised Apple’s second-generation tablet for its powerful, “laptop-grade hardware” and deemed it “ready for true pro-level multitasking.” Overall, he gave it a “Good” rating of 3.5-out-of-five stars.

But when it all came down to it, Segan couldn’t recommend the second-gen iPad Pro because of its exorbitant base price — anywhere from $799 to $1,099, depending on the model’s storage capacity. For that kind of money, he wrote, you might as well buy a laptop.

Fortunately, the year is no longer 2017, and those second-gen iPad Pros no longer cost an arm and a leg. In fact, the PCMag Shop (which is owned by Mashable’s publisher, Ziff Davis) is having a sale on two unlocked models right now — and not only are they less expensive than they were two years ago, but they’re hundreds of dollars cheaper than their current counterparts. 

Here’s the scoop:

The second-gen iPad Pro features a Multi-Touch Retina Display with a quick refresh rate that allows for fast, natural interactions with either your fingertip or the Apple Pencil. It’s equipped with iOS 12 as well as Apple’s nifty Face ID technology, which keeps your files secure, and includes a 12MP camera that’s capable of capturing 4K videos.

This particular model is exclusively compatible with Verizon and comes with 256GB of storage as well as Wi-Fi and cellular. It’s normally on sale in the PCMag Shop for $729.99 — a fraction of its $1,029 MSRP — but right now you can save an additional $50 and pay just $679.99. (Just add the tablet to your cart to score that extra discount.) 

FYI: That’s $619 less than what you’d pay for a brand new 256GB iPad Pro with both Wi-Fi and cellular.

This tablet features the exact same specs as the 256GB model, only it’s compatible with Sprint and includes way more storage (512GB). It’s usually on sale in the PCMag Shop for $829.99 — a fraction of its $1,279.99 MSRP — but right now you can save an extra $50 and pay only $779.99. (Again, just add it to your cart to apply those additional savings.) 

For comparison’s sake, that’s $719 less than what you’d pay for a brand new 512GB iPad Pro with both WiFi and cellular.