Grab Apple's 10.2-inch iPad for $279

Now might be an opportune time to get a tablet for video chatting with socially distanced friends or catching up on your TV backlog. Amazon is currently selling the standard 10.2-inch iPad for $279, or a solid $50 below the usual price. That’s not the absolute lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s a far likelier discount and a substantial deal. Just be prepared for a slight wait. The entry iPad isn’t expected to come back in stock until April 29th, so you might not get yours until early May.

Buy Apple iPad on Amazon - $279

What we said about this base iPad in the fall remains true in the spring. It’s using an older A10 chip and comes with a modest 32GB of storage at its sale price, but it’s still reasonably quick, lasts a long time on battery and packs a Smart Connector to attach a keyboard for your typing sessions. First-generation Pencil support also helps for budding artists.

To a large degree, though, you’re buying it for the ecosystem. iPadOS makes the device well-suited to some forms of multitasking and productivity, while the App Store has a rich selection of tablet-native apps compared to Android. We wouldn’t get one expecting a complete laptop replacement, but it’s close enough for many — and might be more appealing than your phone if you want an easy-to-use device for contacting friends, reading books and playing games.