Most of us are entering our second, third, or fourth week of self-isolation while others are just about to begin. Either way, it’s important to find ways to adjust to this new normal of restricted living. Now’s the perfect time to overhaul your home office setup with brand-new and better equipment. As for the kids, it’s imperative that they continue their education. A tablet ought to do the trick. The best ones are equipped with the most powerful processors and can effectively replace your desktop while providing more screen estate to aid better learning. Right now, you can get three of the best tablets at Best Buy at awesome discounted prices. Save up to $100 when you purchase the iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, and iPad Pro today.
iPad Mini — $350, was $400
The iPad Mini sports a nearly identical design to its predecessor. The bezels are still as chunky as ever, which is baffling considering the rest of the world’s gadgets, including the iPad Pro, have moved on from this outdated design trend. Nevertheless, the iPad Mini is still the best tablet that you can get for its size. It offers speedy performance, fluid software, and a gorgeous display. It’s also the most affordable option in Apple’s tablet lineup. Right now, you can purchase the iPad Mini with 64GB of memory on Best Buy for $350 instead of $400 – a cool $50 of savings.
Despite the lack of an edge-to-edge screen, the iPad Mini’s Retina display with a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution looks great, with sharp details and vibrant colors, and images appear completely natural, thanks to Apple’s True Tone technology. The home button below also serves as the Touch ID lock, and it’s very responsive even for users who have already gotten used to the convenience of Face ID. This tablet is powered by the same chip that’s inside Apple’s latest iPhones — the A12 Bionic processor — which is still one of the fastest mobile processors on the market. It won’t perform as well as the latest iPad Pro’s A12X Bionic chip, but it’s still impressively fast. If you’re looking to do some light editing work on Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Rush, you won’t encounter any problems, although the tiny screen might be an issue.
Unfortunately, the iPad Mini lacks Smart Keyboard support, which means you’ll need to buy a third-party keyboard case (or a detached Bluetooth keyboard) if you want to use it for writing. At least it now supports the first-gen Apple Pencil, which was previously only compatible with the iPad Pro (the second-gen remains exclusive with the iPad Pro). This makes the iPad Mini great for drawing and taking notes.
With a tiny 7.9-inch screen and a product weight of just 0.66 pounds, the iPad Mini is ideal for those who travel a lot and don’t want their hands to grow weary with prolonged use. Get one for $350 on Best Buy today.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 — $550, was $650
So far, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is the closest an Android tablet has come to replicating the iPad Pro experience. While it’s hard to compete with the seamlessness of Apple’s iOS ecosystem in tablet form, the Galaxy Tab S6’s custom One interface paired with Android 9 Pie works like a charm. Plus, the DeX interface, which kicks in when you attach a keyboard dock to give you a desktop feel, is also worthy of high praise. Another highlight is the Galaxy Tab S6’s 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display, which we think no other tablet out there can rival (well, except the S5e). All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is our choice for the best Android tablet for 2020, and it’s even powerful enough to replace your laptop thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor.
The Galaxy Tab S6 has uniformly sized slim bezels surrounding its 10.5-inch screen. They are thin enough to be aesthetically pleasing, but not so thin that you will accidentally activate the screen around the edges. Samsung’s decision to ditch glass in favor of aluminum ensures that this tablet won’t shatter when dropped. The all-new S Pen attaches via magnets on an oblong indent on the back. It’s not just for storage, as this is where the S Pen recharges, and it does need recharging now that it has Bluetooth. The kickstand on the back remains dead simple to use, something Apple’s iPad Pro and the Smart Keyboard can’t claim. Speaking of the keyboard (sold separately), Samsung’s Keyboard case remains a mandatory purchase, as it not only offers a pleasurable typing experience but also triggers the DeX interface. This interface replicates the desktop experience and allows you to do an assortment of functions not possible on tablet mode, like having 20 (!) windowed apps open at once.
As mentioned, the Galaxy Tab S6’s super AMOLED screen is gorgeous. It’s perfectly readable outdoors even on a bright, sunny day, and everything on it looks crisp thanks to its 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Furthermore, it supports HDR content for glorious high-definition consumption of Netflix, YouTube, and more.
This tablet won’t make you worry about lags, glitches, or screen freezes as its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor is more than sufficient for handling heavy work. Even with multiple tabs open in Samsung’s internet browser and several app windows open on top of each other, the Tab S6 never slowed down. Apps launched swiftly, resizing them was a snappy affair, and games like Alto’s Odyssey, Pako: Forever, and Grand Mountain ran without any stuttering. Finally, the Galaxy Tab S6’s 7,040mAh battery will easily get you through a busy day and beyond, and it can be charged up in less than two hours.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is undeniably the best Android tablet that you can buy, ideal for people who need a workhorse of a device to replace their laptop. Get it for $550 on Best Buy, a huge $100 off its normal retail price of $650.
iPad Pro — from $700
If you’re looking for something powerful to replace your laptop, take a look at the iPad Pro, our choice for the best tablet of 2020. It has a lot going for it, including a drop-dead gorgeous screen, aesthetically pleasing slim bezels, and nearly desktop-grade performance (although this model isn’t the brand-new one).
This tablet comes in two sizes; the 11-inch model and the massive 12.9-inch model. Naturally, the larger iPad Pro costs more but it’s essentially the same as the smaller one underneath the hood (same processor, specs, battery life, etc.). Although it is unwieldy, we do love using it for drawing or watching movies. Right now, you can get the 11-inch iPad Pro on Best Buy for $700 instead of the usual $800. The 12-incher costs $200 more.
Appearance-wise, the iPad Pro keeps up with the current design trend seen in most electronic devices. The iPad Pro’s bezels are slim and symmetrical. Although it feels massive, it is lightweight enough to use with one hand (well, almost). Just like the iPhone X, the home button is now missing. Unlocking the screen is done through Face ID, and you have to navigate the interface through swiping and gestures. In portrait orientation, you’ll find the power button and the volume rocker on the right edge. Unfortunately, just like the latest iPhone, this one doesn’t have an audio jack.
Its Retina LED display has a 2,388 x 1,668-pixel resolution and is breathtaking. Images look super sharp, colors are vibrant, and it gets plenty bright even when outdoors. While the blacks aren’t as deep as the OLED display on the iPhone XS, but it’s still stunningly gorgeous. It supports HDR content and has a 120hz screen refresh rate, so watching videos and working on this tablet is an absolute blast. Battery life is one of its strong suits. On a single charge, the iPad Pro can easily last the whole day with normal usage.
The iPad Pro is a workhorse of a portable device. It is powered by the powerful A12X Bionic processor. Playing graphically demanding iPad Pro games was fast and fluid, and Apple even claims the chip can process graphical input better than the Xbox One. Multi-tasking also wasn’t an issue, as the iPad Pro can deftly handle heavy programs like Photoshop with relative ease. While you might still want a desktop or laptop to run other programs, the iPad Pro is better for professionals compared to the iPad Mini, iPad, and iPad Air.
Probably the biggest draw to the iPad Pro is its exclusive compatibility with the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil. The other iPads only support the 1st-gen Apple Pencil, which you have to plug into the Lighting port to charge and which is always in danger of snapping in half. The Apple Pencil 2, on the other hand, can be charged wirelessly and magnetically attaches onto the frame of the iPad Pro.
Looking for more? Head over to our Deals Hub for more iPad deals, as well as Apple Watch deals, iPhone deals, and MacBook deals.
Editors' Recommendations
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