iPads have long been the best tablets, and right now, for Amazon Prime Day, you can get Apple’s most popular slate for 15 percent off at $279 ($50 off). This is the 11th-gen iPad that the company released earlier this year, powered by the A16 chipset.
Hunting for more deals? Read our roundup of the Absolute Best Prime Day Deals, covering all categories, and our lively Prime Day liveblog.
The Best iPad Deal
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
Other iPads are on sale, but the latest iPad (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is all that most people need. The 11-inch screen is a nice size, not too big and not too small, though it doesn’t have a fully laminated display, meaning there’s an air gap between the glass and the panel. That makes this tablet not the best for drawing with an Apple Pencil. If that’s your primary intention, maybe look at the discounted iPad Mini or iPad Air.
It has enough power under the hood to run most apps and games, and you’ll never notice a hiccup. Once it gets the upgrade to iPadOS 26 later this year, it’ll support the new windowing system that turns the iPad into a desktop-like computing environment. Pair it with a keyboard case, and you can get some real work done. Speaking of, our favorite keyboard case from Logitech is also on sale for $140 (the listing says 10th gen, but it’ll work with the iPad A16).
This is the only iPad in Apple’s lineup that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Considering Apple’s artificial intelligence features haven’t exactly made much headway, that might make this tablet more enticing. No need to worry about weird notification summaries.
It charges via USB-C, which might be an upgrade if you’re coming from an older Lightning-powered iPad. There’s the Touch ID fingerprint sensor baked into the power button on the side of the device, and the 12-megapixel selfie camera is situated in the center of the iPad in landscape mode. There’s a 5G cellular model if you want always-on connectivity, but it’ll cost you more.
If you want a tablet but prefer Android, there are plenty of other tablets on sale for Prime Day, but you’ll probably find Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 FE to be the best alternative. It’s still pricey, though, at $430 ($70 off), which further drives how impressive the deal is on the iPad.
