Aside from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you’re probably not going to find a better iPad deal than Amazon Prime Day. For example, now, 10th generation iPad Amazon and Best Buy have it down to an all-time low of $299 ($49 off) with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage — no membership required. The 256GB version is also on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for an all-time low price of $449 (a $50 discount), though some colors do require an Amazon Prime subscription.
Apple’s latest entry-level iPad feels more modern than the upcoming ninth-generation model, and given current discounts, it might make more sense to buy a new iPad. Apple stretched the screen to 10.9 inches and updated the design to look more similar to newer iPad Air, iPad Pro and iPad Mini models. In the process, however, it swapped the Lightning connector for a USB-C port and lost the home button (the Touch ID sensor is now embedded in the power button). It also repositions the front-facing 12MP camera so that it’s centered in landscape orientation, and eliminates the 3.5mm audio jack, for better or worse (mostly worse).
Unless you’re obsessed with smaller devices or have specific needs for the pro features found on the iPad Air and iPad Pro, the standard iPad is the ideal choice for most people. It uses Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset, which is powerful enough for basic tasks like browsing, productivity, multimedia, and running the vast majority of games in the App Store. However, it can’t do everything that M-series chips can do, which will exclusively support Apple Intelligence features that will be available as part of iPadOS 18 later this year.
If you have a ninth-generation iPad or older and use a first-generation Apple Pencil, you don’t need to upgrade. However, if you don’t have a stylus yet and want to be able to write and draw, you can just use Apple Pencil (USB-C)The product is also currently on sale on Amazon for an all-time low price of $69 ($10 off). It’s the only Apple Pencil compatible with the new iPad; however, it doesn’t charge magnetically when docked on the side of the iPad, whereas the second-generation version can charge on newer tablets. Instead, you charge it by plugging it directly into your iPad. It’s not pretty, but it works.
