Tablets occupy the fertile middle ground between laptop and phone. They are useful for those times when you don’t want to lug around a laptop but still need a screen that’s larger than a traditional smartphone. There are so many tablets on the market, and some stand out from the rest.
Apple’s iPad typically dominates the tablet market, so it’s understandable that a lot of folks will be on the lookout for an iPad deal. That being said, there are reasons why you might choose an Android tablet or a Windows tablet instead. Whether you’re all in on Apple gear or you want a tablet that offers a similar experience to your non-Apple phone, we’ve got tablet deals for you.
We keep track of tablet deals all year round and gather them all up below so that you always get the best prices available.
Best tablet deals
You can save $99 on Apple’s latest iPad Air right now. It costs $599 from the Apple Store and features Apple’s M1 chip, found in the company’s iPad Pros, along with 5G and a wider-angle, front-facing camera with the Center Stage autofocusing video feature. CNET’s iPad expert Scott Stein still recommends the less expensive 10.2-inch iPad for most people, but sees this iPad Air as a solid step up. The $99 in savings comes by way of an initial $40 discount and an additional $59 subtracted at checkout. We’ve not seen it for less than $500. Read our iPad Air 2022 review.
The basic, 10.2-inch iPad from 2021 is still good. While it doesn’t have the newer design and USB-C support of the rest of the iPad line, the value for performance here makes this iPad deal one worth getting for kids. It’s our top budget iPad pick. Even at its full price it’s affordable, but you can nab one at $59 off right now at Amazon, selling for a very reasonable $270. You’ll see a $50 discount up front with $9 added at checkout. Read our 9th-gen iPad review.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S lineup has long been among our favorite slates, regularly earning spots on our lists of the best Android tablets and the best tablets overall. Right now, you can save $100 on one of the latest models. The Galaxy Tab S8 is on sale for $599 at Amazon — that’s $101 less than its usual price. And if that discount dries up, Best Buy has it for $600 right now. With an easy-to-use Android OS and Microsoft 365 integration, the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8 is designed for both work and play. This model features a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 8GB of RAM and 128GB of local storage. And with an SD card slot, it’s easy to expand the storage. Added to its value is the included S Pen stylus, which costs $60 on its own.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus tablet might be in the middle of the Tab S8 lineup, but it’s one of our favorite Android tablets. The 12.4-inch AMOLED display is bright with excellent color. It’s a great size for entertainment and gaming, while big enough for light productivity tasks and still small enough for travel. Updates to Samsung’s DeX software even makes the Tab S8 a possible laptop substitute, letting you connect to a mouse and even an external display. A keyboard cover isn’t included but one of Samsung’s fantastic S Pens is, so you can use the big screen for note-taking and content creation right out of the box. Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus review.
If you want the latest Microsoft tablet, the Surface Pro 9 is it. It offers 12th-gen Intel Core processors, 5G support and some new colors. To get this $214 discount, however, you’ll need to be OK with the standard black graphite color. And also be OK with connecting to the Internet via Wi-Fi; this model doesn’t feature 5G cellular. What it does offer is a modern 12th-gen Core i7 CPU, an ample 16GB of RAM and a relatively roomy 256GB SSD. The 13-inch display offers a crisp 2,880×1,920-pixel resolution. One last note: You’ll need to purchase the requisite keyboard cover separately, unless you have one from an older Surface Pro 8 or Pro X — those are compatible with the new Surface Pro 9.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review.
The Surface Pro 8 was supplanted by the Surface Pro 9 at the top of Microsoft’s tablet lineup last fall, but the new model offers only a modest upgrade — newer Intel CPUs, a slightly faster type of RAM, 5G support, and some new color options. When you can find a Surface Pro 8 at a sizable discount, it makes a compelling cost-saving alternative to the Surface Pro 9. This Surface Pro 8 features a high-resolution 13-inch display powered by an 11th-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The list price for this model is $1,200, but the price has dropped by $430 at Amazon. You can put a fraction of those savings toward a snap-on keyboard cover, which is not included in the price of this sale model.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a midlevel Android tablet that occupies the space between a basic iPad and an iPad Pro. The baseline Galaxy Tab S7 FE (short for Fan Edition) with 64GB of storage is discounted by $49 right now at Amazon. The tablet features a roomy 12.4-inch display and includes Samsung’s S Pen stylus for drawing and jotting down notes.
At its discounted price, this relatively budget Android tablet is a good pick as an affordable entertainment tablet for kids. It features a small (kid-friendly) 8.7-inch display with a 1,340×800-pixel resolution protected by a sturdy, metal (kid-resistant) enclosure. Note that the keyboard case is not included.
