Don’t wait for Prime Day, the M1 iPad Air just crashed to a record-low price
May. 15, 2024Grab the M1 iPad Air for just $399 at Amazon
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It happens every time new iPads hit the shelves, but I’ve never seen it happen like this before. The previous generation iPad Air has taken a massive price cut at Amazon today, and while we’re used to seeing heavy discounts on older models once the new kids are on the block this is a seriously impressive saving.
You’re getting the 64GB WiFi modelfor just $399 at Amazonright now (was $599) for a massive $200 discount. Before today’s offers, this had only ever dropped to $449 during rarer sales in the past few months. Before January, the M1 iPad Air would only ever drop to $499 when on sale.
This is an astonishing discount - even the iPad Air before this never kicked down to $399. In fact, I wouldn’t wait forPrime Day iPad dealson this one. Major savings like this generally only take place when retailers want to clear stock of an older device - and nine times out of ten it gets the job done, fast. I don’t expect these iPad deals to last long at all - we’ll gradually see certain colorways running out of stock without returning until all models are off the shelves. That means stock likely won’t last until Prime Day - and you can bet new generation iPad Airs won’t be nearing these kinds of prices any time soon.
Buy it if:
✅ You want a tablet for work, gaming, and streaming✅ You need to multi-task✅ You don’t want a big-screen device
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You want more screen space❌ You need top-of-the-range performance
Price Check:Walmart: $399|Best Buy: $599
Should you buy the M1 iPad Air?
At $399, the M1 iPad Air is an excellent buy for anyone who wants to do a little bit of everything with their new tablet. This is the sweet spot of price and performance for heavier schoolwork, streaming games, and multi-tasking between slightly more demanding apps. You’re not paying for the high-end display and processing power of the new releases, but unless you’re replacing your laptop there’s really no need to just yet.
In fact, I’d recommend the M1 iPad Air over the 10.9-inch 10th-generation iPad right now. The latter is slightly cheaper (currently on salefor $334 at Amazon) but features a considerably weaker processor in the A15 Bionic chip, a lower-quality display, and is only compatible with the original Apple Pencil. For the sake of $60, there’s really little decision to be made here.
Of course, if you’re just looking for an everyday screen for streaming movies and TV and the odd Apple Arcade venture, the 9th generation iPad is still your go-to. Even a $399 sale price isn’t enough to compete with the sub-$300 tag on the base device, especially if you’re not going to be using demanding apps or multitasking.
Of course, we’re rounding up all thebest gaming tabletson the market right now, as well as thebest gaming handheldsand thebest gaming phonesfor more portable play.
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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I’ve written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i’m focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.
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