Labor Day is back and this year the sales are better than ever. It’s as if retailers took a look at the summer we’ve had and said, collectively, “these guys need a break,” and have offered some terrific Labor Day sales. As we look toward going back to school, or just to upgrade our tech in the home, some of the handiest gear in 2020 takes the form of tablets, which are solving more problems than ever before. Fortunately, there are oodles of fantastic Labor Day tablet deals just waiting to be snapped up today.
Today’s best Labor Day Tablet Deals
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (32GB, Wi-Fi) — $118, was $150
- Apple iPad 10.2 (32GB, Wi-Fi, Latest Model) — $279, was $329
- Apple iPad Mini (64GB, Wi-Fi, Latest Model) — $350, was $399
- Apple iPad Mini (64GB, Cellular + Wi-Fi, Latest Model) — $480, was $530
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 (128GB, Wi-Fi) — $530, was $650
- Apple iPad Air (256GB, Wi-Fi, Latest Model) — $550, was $650
- Apple iPad Air (256GB, Cellular + Wi-Fi, Latest Model) — $680, was $780
How to choose a new tablet
Like any piece of computing equipment, tablets come in all sizes and have vastly different features. It’s important not to get overwhelmed by bright shiny features that you’re never going to use, and instead narrow your search by asking yourself what you’ll actually be using this tablet for. Say you’re getting something to keep the kids mesmerized during car trips; in that case, you probably don’t need to spend a great deal of money on the tablet with the best camera. Any tablet is going to be able to stream Netflix or other streaming services, and kids are not careful by nature, so don’t break the bank on an iPad Pro when a Samsung Galaxy will do the same job at a fraction of the cost. On the other hand, if this tablet is going to be your work life for the next while, you might want to search out a tablet with a top-notch camera to help with all your Zoom and Skype calls.
Another thing to consider is the operating system on all your other devices. If everything else in your life is Apple (Apple Watch, MacBook, HomePod, et cetera), you’ll probably want to begin and end your search with iPads. Make your life easier, not the opposite.
Some other features to consider: Storage is a big one. If you’re using your tablet for work (or every day) and that work involves a good deal of documents, photos, videos, and multimedia assets that you’ll want to have on your at all times, as opposed to in the cloud, look for a tablet with upwards of 1TB of storage. Battery life is another; they range from 3,000 mAh to 8,000 mAh, which is obviously more than twice the battery. If you’re going to be doing lots of Skype or Zoom, pay attention to where the camera is located (front-facing tend to be better for this kind of communication; rear cameras are better for scanning). When it comes to the processor, again, ask yourself how big an engine you need. If you’re doing basic things like prepping documents and watching videos, any chip will be fine. If you’ve been blown away by ads of people drawing on their tablet, and typing with a detachable keyboard, make sure your tablet supports these features. And finally, if you’re planning on using your tablet far away from Wi-Fi, make sure it has LTE capabilities. If you want to use your tablet in this way, you will of course need to add your tablet to your wireless provider’s plan.
