Amazon’s second big sales event for Prime members this year is underway and it brought with it some notable tablet deals. Prime Big Deal Days, as Amazon calls it, includes discounts on several iPads, Amazon Fire tablets, and Google Pixel Tablets, among others. For your convenience, we’ve rounded up the best iPad and tablet deals we could find during this October Prime Day sale below.
Keep in mind that not all discounts are exclusive to Prime members and there’s always a chance we’ll see lower prices on Black Friday. Some recent reports Let’s say Apple may also launch new iPads in the coming months, with possible updates for the iPad Air and iPad mini in particular. However, if you need a new slab right now, these are the best deals we’re seeing.
Apple iPad Air
We consider the iPad Air to be the best combination of price and performance in Apple’s tablet lineup.
He iPad air It’s on sale for $500, which is $99 less than buying it directly from Apple. We may see an update at some point soon, but for now, we think the existing iPad Air is the best combination of price and performance in Apple’s tablet lineup. You get an equally stylish design as the iPad Pro for less money, with an M1 chip that’s powerful enough for heavy work and gaming, a nice 10.9-inch screen, a USB-C port, and support for the latest. apple pencil and magic keyboard. However, this model only has 64GB of storage and its display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. We gave the iPad Air a score of 90 last year.
Apple iPad (9th generation)
Photo by Nathan Ingraham/Engadget
Apple’s entry-level iPad has an older design, but still offers great value at this bargain price.
He 10.2 inch iPad It’s down to $249, which matches the best price we’ve seen and is $80 less than Apple’s list price. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and we gave it a score of 86 when it arrived in late 2021. It uses Apple’s older design language, so it has thick bezels, a Home button, a Lightning port and a non-laminated screen. This model also comes with only 64GB of non-upgradeable storage. That said, it’s still fast enough for casual media consumption, gaming, and multitasking, and its screen is still a step ahead of the screens on most cheaper tablets. It can last more than 10 hours per charge, plus it’s the last iPad with a headphone jack. Most importantly, it gives you access to Apple’s extensive app library, strong customer support, and years of OS updates at the lowest possible price.
Apple iPad (10th generation)
Photo by Nathan Ingraham/Engadget
The 10th-generation iPad offers a design similar to the iPad Air and a landscape-oriented selfie camera that’s more convenient for FaceTime calls.
He 10th generation iPad It’s available for $399, which is a price we’ve seen before but still $50 off Apple’s MSRP. We gave this 10.9-inch board a score of 85 last year. It sits sort of in the middle between the 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad Air: It’s not as cheap as the former, but it lacks the latter’s laminated screen, M-series chip, and accessory holder. Notably, it only works with the first-generation Apple Pencil. However, it looks and feels almost identical to the Air, it’s far from slow, and its landscape-oriented selfie camera makes it more convenient for FaceTime calls. If you can’t afford the iPad Air at all, it’s a good compromise.
Apple iPad mini
Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget
The iPad mini is still the best compact tablet for most people.
The smallest iPad in the Apple range, the 8.3 inch ipad mini, is currently on sale for $400. That’s about $50 off its usual street price and $99 off Apple’s list price. This is another iPad that needs an update, but for now it’s still the best compact tablet on the market, with all the usual benefits of modern iPads in a design that’s easier to hold in one hand. We gave it a score of 89 in 2021. As with the other non-Pro iPads, the big drawback is its 64GB of non-upgradable default storage.
Amazon fire HD 8
Amazon
The Fire HD 8 is far from premium, but it does enough for streaming, reading, and casual web browsing.
Amazon Fire HD 8 has been reduced to $60 for the Prime Big Deal Days event, which is $5 more than the tablet’s all-time low, but still $40 off its list price. This discount applies to the model with 32GB of storage; If you need more space, the 64 GB version It is on sale for $75. Either way, the Fire HD 8 is probably the cheapest competent tablet for most people – it’s slower than the Fire HD 10 and its screen is limited to a 1280 x 800 resolution, but it’s lightweight, can last more than 10 hours on a charge, and is still fast enough for basic streaming and reading. It’s not the best value at its standard price, but for $60, it’s hard to do better.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus
Amazon
The Fire HD 8 Plus adds wireless charging support and an extra gigabyte of RAM to the basic 8-inch tablet.
The basic Fire HD 8 is good enough for most buyers on a budget, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, the Fire HD 8 Plus adds an additional gigabyte of RAM (3 GB total) and wireless charging support. It’s down to $70 for a 32GB model, which is $5 more than the lowest price we’ve seen, but $50 off its usual rate. The Plus model still isn’t completely fast or capable of serious gaming, but the extra GB can make navigating Fire OS a little smoother. Meanwhile, the wireless charging support is best used with Amazon’s own dockwhich helps if you want to use the tablet as a pseudo-intelligent display.
Google Pixel Tablet
Photo by Cherlynn Low/Engadget
The 11-inch Pixel tablet comes with a charging speaker dock that allows it to function as a smart home hub.
The 128GB Google Pixel Tablet is down to $409, which is a $90 discount and a new low. He 256 GB model It’s also on sale for $509. While we think Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 works best simply as a tablet, Google’s 11-inch slate still offers a sharp LCD display, a speedy Tensor G2 chip, and an easy-to-hold design that weighs just over a pound. Its big hook, however, is that it can connect to an included charging speaker dock and function as a Nest Hub Max-style smart display. Android is not yet as optimized for large screens like iPadOS, but if that extra functionality sounds useful to you, the Pixel tablet is worth checking out. We gave it a score of 85 in June. (Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S9 is not on sale at the time of writing.)
Amazon Fire Max 11
Amazon
The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s largest and most premium tablet, although it still suffers from the usual Fire OS shortcomings.
He Maximum fire 11 It’s Amazon’s largest and highest-performing tablet, with an 11-inch 2000 x 1200 resolution display, an aluminum frame, a respectable octa-core processor, and 4GB of RAM. It has the same software limitations and lock screen ads as any other Fire tablet, making it a tough sell at its usual price of $230, but it’s now on sale for $150, matching its all-time low . If you already use several Amazon services and don’t want to pay for a basic iPad, it might make sense, but don’t expect to do any real work with it.
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
Amazon
This matches the all-time low we had with Amazon’s next-generation 10.1-inch tablet. Note that Amazon announced an updated model last month, but the previous version is still an upgrade to the Fire HD 8 if you want a larger screen and can’t wait for the new slate to ship.
The latest generation version of Fire HD 10 It is on sale for $75, matching its all-time low. We can’t recommend this one too much since Amazon released it. an updated model of its 10.1-inch tablet last month with faster performance, lighter design, slightly improved cameras and stylus holder. The new model is not discounted at the time of writing, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Black Friday deal. If you can’t wait until then, though, the old Fire HD 10 is still an upgrade from the Fire HD 8, with a roomier 1080p display and snappier performance. It usually sells for around $120 in recent months.
amazon fire 7
Amazon
Most people looking for an affordable tablet should opt for the Fire HD 8, but if you just want a second screen for the lowest possible price, this deal gives you a $40 tablet that’s actually functional.
He amazon fire 7 has dropped to $40 for Prime Big Deal Days, which is another all-time low and $20 below its typical sale price. We highly recommend paying more for the Fire HD 8 if you can; By comparison, this 7-inch tablet has a lower resolution screen (1,024 x 600), a slower processor, and less RAM. But if you just want a second screen for very little money, this is a $40 tablet that’s actually functional, so it might work for (very) light use cases.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
It’s already a year old, but the Surface Pro 9 is the top Windows pick in our tablet buying guide and is still an effective 2-in-1 for getting the job done.
He Microsoft Surface Pro 9 It’s down to $1,800 for a model with a Core i7-1265U chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That’s about $100 off your usual rate. You probably already know where you stand on the Surface Pro at this point: It’s still not particularly comfortable to use on your lap, but it’s still the gold standard for 2-in-1s that behave and function like a laptop rather than a a traditional tablet. While this version isn’t a huge change, it will be a nice boost for those upgrading from a three- to five-year-old model. Just note that this deal does not include a keyboard or stylus. We’re reaching the time of year when Microsoft would normally introduce a new model, but at the time of writing it’s unclear when a possible Surface Pro 10 might arrive. For now, the Pro 9 is the best Windows option in our list. guide to the best tablets.
Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all our main day coverage. Buy the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends in In The Know. Hear from Autoblog experts on the best fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage and home, and find Main day sales to buy on AOL, carefully selected for you.
