Best tablet deals for January 2023

Even if you have a smartphone, the larger screens on tablet make things easier to read and definitely enhance the experience — whether you’re watching movies or shows, playing games, or reading an ebook. But just like new phones, tablets can be expensive. If you’re looking for a deal for a new Apple, Samsung Galaxy, or Microsoft Surface tablet, you want the greatest value for your money. We’ve tracked down the very best tablet deals available today, while doing most of the research, and you can reference all those great tablet deals below.

Best tablet deals

  • 2020 Amazon Fire HD 8 64GB —
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite —
  • 2022 Apple iPad Air (Renewed) —
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ with 256GB SSD — $800, was $1,030
  • Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th Gen) — $900, was $1,199

2020 Amazon Fire HD 8 64GB — $75, was $120

Fire-HD-8_Lifestyle-3

Why Buy

  • Excellent for casual use
  • All-day battery life
  • MicroSD slot
  • Go hands-free with Alexa

Designed more for the budget-minded, yet with great specs for the price point, Amazon’s Fire HD tablets are a good buy, especially when they’re on sale. This 2020 model includes 64GB of internal storage, with an option to expand by up to 1TB in additional storage thanks to a MicroSD slot. It also features 2GB of RAM and a 2.0GHz quad-core processor, which is powerful enough for most casual tasks, including streaming movies and shows from your favorite apps.

The 8-inch HD display pairs nicely with the hardware inside to offer smooth browsing and media experiences. Plus, the battery last for up to 12 hours with moderate use. It uses Amazon’s Appstore, not Google Play, so keep that in mind, but it’s also a bonus if you already use Amazon’s ecosystem and media services — like Prime Video or Amazon Music.

You can also go hands-free with Alexa, and there’s an on and off toggle if you want to disable it completely. The Fire HD tablets come in several colors, and there are a ton of accessories out there, including protective cases.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite — $329, was $430

Someone holding a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite that is displaying apps.

Why Buy

  • Sleek design
  • S Pen included
  • Fast charging
  • Ideal budget tablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is effectively a stripped down and cheaper version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 which should suit many people. It offers a delightful 10.4-inch display with Samsung always guaranteed to offer excellent screens. A resolution of 2,000 x 1,200 demonstrates that. Despite that sizeable screen, it only weighs less than a pound meaning this is the ideal slim tablet to toss into your bag without feeling weighed down. Despite that slender weight, it offers a lot of what you could need from a tablet of this price. It has an octa-core processor along with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage. If you want to, you can always upgrade that via a microSD card giving you plenty of flexibility.

In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has a great set of cameras. It has a 8MP rear camera along with a 5MP front-facing camera for video calls or if you want to take selfies. While it might not replace your high-end smartphone, it’s useful to have the extra flexibility of cameras on here too. You can also use the front-facing camera for unlocking your tablet too, saving the need to enter passwords. Talking of flexibility, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with an S Pen allowing you to write notes physically, sketch out designs, or do anything else you may wish to do with a stylus. It doesn’t even need charging as it attaches magnetically to your tablet instead.

The practicalities of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite keep on coming too. For instance, it has a fast-charging USB-C port so you can get back to work or fun in no time. Up to 14.5 hours of battery life means you won’t need to worry about this too often anyhow. It even has a headphone jack if you still wish to listen to music through wired headphones.

2022 Apple iPad Air (Renewed) — $557, was $720

Someone holding an iPad Air against a wooden floor.

Why Buy

  • High-end iPad for less
  • Great display
  • Speedy performance
  • Touch ID support

The iPad Air is basically the iPad Pro for everyone who isn’t made of money. It offers a gorgeous 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone support and P3 wide color. It means that everything looks fantastic with stunning clarity and images that truly pop on screen. While it might lack a 120Hz refresh rate, it offers basically the same number of pixels per inch as the iPad Pro so watching videos is a dream on this. Performance is speedy too with the A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine ensuring that multitasking is a breeze and iPadOS flies by as you use it.

The iPad Air is also great for plenty of other purposes. It has a 12MP back camera as well as a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera. The former is great for taking a few snaps while out and about, while the latter is perfect for taking video calls. There’s also Touch ID support so you can easily log in without entering passwords as well as pay using Apple Pay. There’s also support for Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) so you can turn this tablet into a hybrid laptop in no time.

Elsewhere, wide stereo audio is convenient for streaming your favorite shows, while 10 hours of battery life means you can use it all day long without a problem. USB-C charging ensures that recharging is speedy as well. Ideal for anyone looking to enjoy the best iPad experience without spending too much, the iPad Air is a delight. Easy to toss into your bag and supporting all the accessories you could need, it’s a great addition to your technology arsenal.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ with 256GB solid-state drive — $900, was $1,230

Someone sitting and holding a Microsoft Surface Pro 7 while taking a video call.

Why Buy

  • Great display
  • Windows 11
  • Speedy performance
  • Versatile kickstand

If you’ve been trying to choose between the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 or Microsoft Surface Pro 7+, now might be the time to decide. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ is perfect if you can’t settle on a laptop or tablet as you get the best of both worlds thanks to its black type cover that works as a keyboard. Under the hood is a powerful Intel Core i5 processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. Just like a regular laptop, right? The beauty here is that it also doubles up as a tablet thanks to its 12.3-inch touchscreen. Running Windows 11 means you get all the convenience of Windows before switching over to a more tactile experience. At all times, the 12.3-inch PixelSense display with 2736 x 1824 resolution is able to cope with it all.

Elsewhere, you also get dual cameras. The front-facing 5MP 1080p HD camera is great for taking video calls while the 8MP rear-facing camera offers autofocus. You also get dual far-field Studio Mics that are highly capable for all calls. A versatile Kickstand adjusts nearly 180 degrees so you can easily adjust things just how you like them, whether you’re on a call or relaxing watching streaming content. Up to 15 hours of battery life means you won’t have to worry about recharging too often while there are multiple ports for hooking up other devices.

Starting at just 1.7 pounds in weight, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ is the ideal portable tool to take from class to work or vice versa. It’s capable of doing so much that you really don’t need to worry about taking any other devices with you, with the convenience of Windows 11 always proving useful.

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th Gen) — $900, was $1,199

iPad Pro 12.9 inches in silver and resting on a desk.

Why Buy

  • Fantastic performance
  • Amazing screen
  • All-day battery life
  • Ultimate tablet

Easily the best tablet right now, the Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a truly premium but powerful device. It uses the same M1 chip that Apple developed for its MacBooks meaning that performance is remarkable. Thanks to the optimization of iPadOS, expect to see super fast performance no matter what you’re doing. Whether you’re multitasking, playing the latest games, or simply browsing the internet, the Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro is able to handle it all with the kind of speed you wouldn’t think possible from a tablet.

Such performance is helped by its phenomenal display. It has a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, True Tone and P3 wide color support. It’s basically the nearest you’ll get to an OLED display on an iPad with the benefits of a speedy 120Hz refresh rate ensuring motion blur is a thing of the past. True Tone and P3 wide color combine to ensure that you get the best image quality and clarity at all times with colors popping on screen and looking fantastic.

Elsewhere, the features keep on coming. A Thunderbolt port means you can hook up extra devices, there’s support for Apple Pencil (2nd generation), Magic Keyboard, and Smart Keyboard Folio, plus Face ID keeps things extra secure. A series of cameras including Ultra Wide front-camera with Center Stage, and a 12MP Wide camera and 10MP Ultra Wide camera up front means it’s great for taking some photos too. All-day battery life ensures you’ll always be ready to work or play with the Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It even has four speaker audio and five studio-quality microphones so it’s ideal for talking, watching your favorite shows, or anything else you can think of. This is a true laptop replacement with all the conveniences of a tablet.

When are the best tablets deals?

If you need a new tablet for work, buy it now. If you use a tablet for work, the lost productivity while you wait for a better sale may not be worth the extra savings. There are times when the best tablet deals drop, but unless you don’t mind holding off, buying now means you get to enjoy the substantial benefits of a new tablet right away rather than waiting. However, if you’re fine to wait longer or you’re looking to buy a tablet for a gift later this year, there are some key times to look out for the best tablet deals. Prime Day is over for this year, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have even better tablet deals than Prime Day. Those two sales events often focus on technology and gadgets, meaning you almost always see deep discounts on tablets. However, you’ll need to wait until late November to see Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals. That might not work out well with your schedule. There’s no guarantee that discounts will be deeper later in the year, and some sales are more incremental than impressive. By waiting till later in the year, you may also need to plan carefully financially. Holiday season is often expensive with plenty of gift buying going on so you may not wish to spend a lot on a new tablet at a time like this. Buying now means spreading out the cost and enjoying your new tablet straight away.

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