Apple introduced the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 at a small-scale event on October 16. The new tablets are already up for pre-order at most of the main carriers and several retailers, including the Apple Store.
Although the new iPads are up for pre-order on many sites and in a few stores already, they devices won’t actually ship until October 24 (we think they will be in stores this day as well, but Apple won’t say). The new iPads come in three colors: white, grey, and gold, with three internal storage options. You can read more about all the specs of the new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 in our news post.
Updated on 10-22-2014 by Malarie Gokey: We’ve added a link to the preorder page for the new iPads on Wal-Mart’s website (page 2).
Here’s all the information you need to successfully preorder a brand-new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. Let’s start with the carriers first.
AT&T
AT&T was among the first U.S. carriers to start preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. It offers three different buying options to its customers, including a monthly payment plan, the price with a two-year contract, and the full retail price with no commitment.
The cheapest way to get the iPad Air 2 is with the monthly payment plan. You can get the 16GB iPad Air 2 for $0 down and pay just $31.50 a month for 20 months to own the LTE-enabled tablet. Of course, data charges will apply, so make sure you’ve got enough data on your plan for a tablet too. You can also get the iPad Air 2 for $530 if you’ve already got a two-year contract.
The same rules apply for the 16GB iPad Mini 3, which you can get on the monthly installment plan for $0 down with $26.50 a month payments for 20 months. Otherwise, the smaller iPad will cost you $430 with a two-year contract.
The full retail price for the 16GB iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are $630 and $530, respectively. The 64GB and 128GB models of both iPads are also available for pre-order, but they’ll cost you. You can order either iPad on AT&T’s website.
Verizon
At Verizon, you can get the 16GB iPad Air 2 for $530 with two-year contract, which is the same price you’ll find at AT&T. However, it’s monthly installment plan is slightly cheaper each month — though longer in duration — than AT&T’s. At Verizon, you’ll pay just $26.24 a month for 24 months if you have a Verizon Edge plan.
The 16GB iPad Mini 3 costs the same $430 with two-year contract, but you can get it for payments of $22.08 a month for 24 months with the Verizon Edge plan. Of course, 64GB and 128GB versions of both iPads are also available on the carrier’s website. You can pre-order the iPad Air 2 here and the iPad Mini 3 here.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile has yet to open up the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3 for pre-order and no prices are listed yet, but the pre-registration page is up. You can plug in your email and contact details to make sure that you’re the first to know when T-Mobile announces pricing and kicks off ordering. The Uncarrier’s site says that pre-orders start on October 22. You can preregister for the iPad Air 2 here and the iPad Mini 3 here. Here is the pricing for both models:
iPad Air 2 pricing
- 16GB – $0 down – 24 monthly payments of $26.24
- 64GB – $99 down – 24 monthly payments of $26.24
- 128GB – $199 down – 24 monthly payments of $26.24
iPad mini 3 pricing
- 16GB – $0 down – 24 monthly payments of $22.08
- 64GB – $99 down – 24 monthly payments of $22.08
- 128GB – $199 down – 24 monthly payments of $22.08
T-Mobile also reminded users that Simple Choice customers can add a tablet to their plans for only $10 per month and the Uncarrier will match the amount of data you already have on your plan.
Sprint
Meanwhile, Sprint has yet to announce pre-orders or even put up a preregistration page for the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3. We’ll update this post as soon as Sprint posts pricing and information.
Next page: Pre-order information for retailers
If you aren’t interested in the LTE version of the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3, or you just want to buy the tablets elsewhere, there are several retailers who are accepting early orders for the new iPads.
The Apple Store
Apple opened up pre-orders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 on October 17. The 16GB Wi-Fi model costs $500, the 64GB model costs $600, and the 128GB version is $700. The iPad Air 2 is also available with LTE connectivity, and these versions of the tablet cost $630, $730, and $830 respectively. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi only iPad Mini 3 costs $400 with 16GB, $500 with 64GB, and $600 with 128GB. The LTE versions of the smaller iPad range from $530 to $730.
In-store pickup for both new iPads is listed as “coming soon,” but the ship date says 2-4 days. You can get the iPad Air 2 here and the iPad Mini 3 here.
Best Buy
At Best Buy, the two new iPads come at a slightly lower price than they do at the Apple Store. The Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 starts at $500 for the 16GB model and goes up from there with the 64GB model coming in at $600, and the 128GB version topping out at $700. The LTE-enabled iPad Air 2 models range from $630 to $830, depending on how much storage you want. However, you can’t pre-order the LTE versions just yet.
Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi only iPad Mini 3 costs $400, $500, or $600 for the 16, 64, and 128GB models respectively. The 16GB LTE-enabled version costs $530. Larger models are not listed, but you can’t pre-purchase the LTE versions yet anyway.
If you’re interested in getting the iPad Air 2 from BestBuy, you can check out pre-orders here. A page for the iPad Mini 3 is located here.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart opened a pre-order page for the new iPads. The iPad Air 2 ranges from $490 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only version, all the way up to $700 for the 128GB Wi-Fi only version. If you want an Air 2 with LTE connectivity, it will cost you $630 with 16GB of storage. Models with more storage aren’t listed. The iPad Mini 3 is also up for preorder. The Wi-Fi only iPad Mini 3 ranges from $390 to $600, while the 16GB LTE-enabled version costs $530.
Previous updates:
Updated on 10-21-2014 by Malarie Gokey: T-Mobile announces pricing and preorders for October 22.
