This $279 iPad deal is a steal – and it’s the model I recommend to most people

Apple sells some very fancy iPads these days. In fact, several of them now cost over $1,000. But for the things most people do with their iPads — watching streaming content, making video calls, reading books and documents, answering messages, and surfing the web, the best iPad to buy is the standard 10th-generation iPad. This model even looks very similar to the two high-end models — the iPad Pro and the iPad Air. I recommend the standard iPad to everyone other than artists and high-end multimedia professionals. 

Also: I gave away my Kindle and iPad within hours of testing this tablet

While heavy discounts on Apple products are rare, the iPad 10th-Gen<!–> is on sale for $70 off, a 20% discount. The iPad retails for $349, but Best Buy sells it for $279. To give you a sense of what a terrific deal this is, this iPad had been selling for $450 until last year. 

This is a great iPad to get for yourself or anyone; including a kid, an elderly relative, or a friend or family member who doesn’t need a full computer but wants a bigger screen than a phone to do some of their favorite or most-needed digital activities. That can also include video calls, filling out web forms, looking up information with Google or ChatGPT, and online shopping. 

Also: The best kids’ tablets of 2025: Parent recommended

This was the first iPad to get a front-facing camera centered on the long end, so it works great for video calling and video conferencing when it’s placed in landscape mode.