If you don’t have an Amazon Prime subscription or you would simply prefer to get an early start on this year’s holiday shopping at a different retailer, Best Buy is currently running a Prime Day counteroffensive of sorts with a number of popular tech products available at special prices sans any restrictions.
One of the most compelling such devices is without a doubt last year’s 10.2-inch non-Pro and non-Air iPad, which Apple reportedly plans to upgrade before long with A14 processing power, universal USB-C connectivity, and optional 5G support.
Until that happens, bargain hunters willing to settle for an Apple A13 Bionic chip, reviled Lightning port, and Wi-Fi capabilities only… at the right price might be excited to see the aforementioned ninth-gen “standard” iPad go for as little as $269.99 in an entry-level 64GB storage configuration and two colors for 48 hours (or less).
That’s down from a $329.99 MSRP, making the iPad 9 cheaper than ever before (at least to our knowledge) and (more or less) challenging the affordability of Samsung’s 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab A8.
While Amazon sold this exact same device at a heftier $80 discount just last week, that only applied to the significantly costlier 256GB variant with no cellular connectivity, which by the way is on sale right now at Best Buy for just $60 less than usual.
Easily the best budget tablet available today (and tomorrow), the 10.2-inch iPad (2021) strikes a nearly perfect balance between form and function (for the sub-$300 segment, at least), with a reasonably compact body, admittedly unattractive and outdated design, solid battery life, high-quality Retina display with advanced TrueTone technology, stellar software support, and yes, even a good old fashioned 3.5mm headphone jack in tow.
