The iPad has become so popular that many people (sorry, Mom!) often say it when referring to any tablet. That reputation is well-earned, given how simple they are to use and how long they typically hold up before needing to be replaced. Thankfully, if you don’t already own one, Apple’s entry-level iPad is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at $279 ($70 off) — an all-time low — for Prime Big Deals Day. If you’ve been sleeping on upgrading an older iPad, or plan to give one as a gift this holiday season, now’s the time to pick one up.
The regular ol’ iPad may not be the most powerful iPad in Apple’s lineup, but it’s a great choice for most people. It’s equipped with an 11-inch screen, a battery that lasts roughly 10 hours on a single charge, and an A16 processor that provides more than enough power for web browsing, watching videos, light gaming, and reading. The power delta between Apple’s base iPad and the latest iPad Air / iPad Pro models isn’t significant when you’re doing typical tablet stuff, though the higher-end models do offer nicer — and sometimes larger — screens.
The 11th-gen iPad does lag behind its more powerful siblings in some ways. It doesn’t support Apple’s AI-powered Apple Intelligence features, for instance, and it’s only compatible with the regular Apple Pencil USB-C, which lacks pressure sensitivity and won’t give you haptic feedback as you write like the Apple Pencil Pro. That being said, we found it handled playing casual games like Dredge and Tiny Wings just fine, even if it’s not powerful enough to handle the iPadOS ports of Resident Evil: 4 or Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
If you’re upgrading from an iPad with a Lightning port or need a tablet for a child who’s not yet ready to use a laptop, the latest iPad offers a lot of performance for the price. If you know you need an iPad with more memory, or want to stay on the cutting edge of Apple Intelligence features, you’ll be happy to know both the current-gen iPad Air and iPad Pro are also discounted for Prime Day.