I write about tablets for a living – here are the 4 tablet deals I’d actually buy this Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day is finally here, and though deals have been live through the weekend just gone, we’re likely to see the very best Presidents’ Day sales today. As TechRadar’s mobile computing staff writer, I’ve been keeping an eye out for the best tablet deals, and I’ve found four that I think offer serious value for money.

The tablets on offer here span from productivity powerhouses to family-friendly devices, and there’s something for a wide range of budgets. Amazon is the place to be for Apple lovers, as you can now get the iPad Pro 13-inch for a record-low price of $1,099 (was $1,399) and the capable iPad Air 11-inch for just $499 (was $599).

If you prefer an Android tablet, Best Buy has the unique Google Pixel Tablet on sale at just $299 (was $399), and you can also nab a deal on last year’s highest-end Samsung tablet, as the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is on sale at $799 (was $1,199).

As the resident phones and tablets writer here at TechRadar, I can recommend these tablets with confidence thanks to my knowledge of the market and experience with various mobile devices. So, read on for a recap of the best tablet deals I’ve spotted this Presidents’ Day.

iPad Pro 13-inch

The 2024 iPad Pro 13-inch is the most powerful tablet money can buy, and thanks to this deal, you don’t need to part with quite as much cash as you usually would do to get your hands on one yourself. With the M4 chipset, 8GB of RAM as standard, and 256GB of storage, this is the most powerful iPad ever made.

The iPad Pro 13-inch also sports the best display ever fitted to an iPad – Apple’s tandem OLED panel blew us away during testing for our iPad Pro (2024) review, and it’s by far one of the sharpest, brightest, and most responsive screens on any portable device, let alone a tablet. With a tall 4:3 aspect ratio, the iPad Pro is as well-suited to web browsing as it is to serious multitasking.

All that hardware power makes the iPad Pro the only real choice for creative professionals looking to get work done on a tablet. This power is bolstered by support for the refreshed Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro accessories, and apps like Davinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Logic Pro.

iPad Air 11-inch

As Apple’s mid-range tablet, the iPad Air strikes a balance between the accessibility of the iPad and outright power of the iPad Pro. Equipped with the desktop-class M2 chipset and an 11-inch display, this is a great choice for students and other individuals who want something that can keep up with demanding applications without breaking the bank.

This deal brings the iPad Air to half the price of a new iPad Pro 11-inch, and it’s a closer contest than you might expect. Sure, the iPad Air misses out on the improved M4 chipset and variable refresh rate display, but for most people, the Air is a perfectly useful tablet that can handle much of the same work as the Pro model.

With 8GB of RAM, support for Apple Intelligence, and compatibility with a wide range of Apple peripherals, the iPad Air is as ‘pro’ as most people need.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet is a bit of an oddball in the tablet space. Although this 2023 Android tablet was originally designed in tandem with a smart speaker stand, positioning it as part of a smart home setup, it’s still a useful and capable device in its own right. At this price point, it’s also one of the best value tablets you can get this Presidents’ Day.

This 10.95-inch tablet comes equipped with the Google Tensor G2 chipset, a healthy 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage – you’re unlikely to find better specs for less. A 7,020mAh battery keeps this tablet running through the day, though, as our Google Pixel Tablet review found, there are some issues running third-party apps on the unusually narrow display.

Still, as a device for the home or for a family, you’d be making a solid choice with the Google Pixel Tablet – especially as it integrates so well with Google Nest smart home devices.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is technically a last-generation device at this point, nothing about this mammoth tablet feels outdated or underpowered. With an enormous 14.6-inch display, you’d be hard pressed to feel anything other than immersed when face to face with this huge slate. And thanks to a great Presidents’ Day deal, you can get the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra for $400 less.

As for internals, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 12GB of RAM as standard, and a reasonable 256GB of storage. Its huge screen begets a massive battery, too – its 11,200mAh battery is still class-leading by capacity, tied only with its follow-up, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

Our Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review found that this huge but handy tablet may even be better suited to multitasking than the iPad Pro, thanks to its smooth software and, again, massive screen. If you’re after a tablet that more closely competes with mid-range laptops than, well, other tablets, this could be the one for you. It even comes with a stylus.

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