It’s the big one.
Apple
Apple unveiled a new 10.2-inch iPad on Tuesday (in addition to the new iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5 and plenty of other stuff). The new tablet picks up where the sixth-generation iPad left off, starting at $329, but adds a slightly larger display and dock connection. Otherwise, it’s pretty much identical to its 9.7-inch iPad predecessor.
Before the announcement, retailers were continuously offering discounts on every model in Apple’s lineup. And most of those are still in place. In fact, Amazon has once again matched its all-time low of $799 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro — a superb deal on the Cadillac of tablets.
Watch this:
First look at Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad
2:29
But if you’re considering picking up a new iPad, there are two things to keep in mind. First, the “new” 2019 iPad is pretty much identical to its 2018 predecessor — except for the slightly larger screen and keyboard dock connector. Otherwise, they are virtually identical. Second, we can’t predict exactly how retailers will price either one of them once the 10.2-inch model starts shipping on Sept. 30.
It’s quite possible that the 9.7-inch model will disappear in the coming weeks. It’s technically discontinued. But that hasn’t stopped other Apple products from living long, productive lives on the shelves of third-party retailers. One potential scenario: Those retailers could further cut the price of the old model to $220 and discount the brand new 10.2-inch model to $280. (This is all conjecture.) Or perhaps the 10.2-inch model picks up where the 9.7-inch model left off, settling in to a permanently discounted price of $250 price by Black Friday. Bottom line: Definitely don’t pay more than $250 for either of them.
Otherwise, the current deals on the newer iPad Mini and iPad Air remain negligible, and we’d recommend waiting for the next round of discounts to come through before buying either one of them. And finally, Apple is currently offering a deal of its own — to students, at least: Buy an iPad Pro or iPad Air and pick up a free pair of Beats headphones. The deal is available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff and homeschool teachers of all grade levels.
Note that we’re focused on the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad here. Using LTE on a tablet is cool but, for most people, not worth the additional cost — for the device and the monthly service — especially when you can easily tether your phone for free.
Apple iPad discounts, compared
| Model | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all-time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad 2018 (32GB) | $329 | $249 | $229 |
| iPad 2018 (128GB) | $429 | $329 | $299 |
| iPad Mini 2019 (64GB) | $399 | $385 | $359 |
| iPad Air 2019 (64GB) | $499 | $469 | $449 |
| iPad Pro 11 (64GB) | $799 | $674 | $649 |
| iPad Pro 12.9 (64GB) | $999 | $799 | $799 |
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Apple has now discontinued the 2018 9.7-inch iPad — but the 32GB model is still available for $250 at plenty of stores, including Amazon and Walmart. That’s not a bad deal on a great entry-level tablet. But it’s quite possible that we’ll see even larger discounts in the future.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
The smallest model in the current iPad lineup comes with the smallest discount. You can find the iPad Mini at most retailers for $385 — that’s $14 off the Apple Store list price.
Originally published last month. Regularly updated to reflect new prices.