Best Prime Day deals on tablets from Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung

Amazon’s October Prime Day event has been a reliable source of rare discounts on premium tablets in recent years, and 2024 is proving no different, with the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung among this year’s highlights. I winnowed the noise down to 22 buys worth your cart, setting clear standards for what constitutes truly good value and offering speedy guidance on who each model is best suited for.

Top Apple iPad deals to consider during this Prime Day

1. iPad Pro 13-inch (M4): The OLED showpiece for creatives and power users; a keen buy at approximately $150–$300 off, particularly if your day involves Procreate, Final Cut or Lightroom.
2. iPad Pro 11-inch (M4): Same M4 punch, just in a lighter frame; aim for similar percentage savings to the 13-inch. It’s the ideal size for travel, on-the-go sketching and high-refresh gaming.
3. iPad Air 13-inch (M2): More of the same, only bigger—a big space for students and multitaskers; it’s very intriguing when cut by anywhere from 15–25%, typically approaching Pro utility for far less.
4. iPad Air 11-inch (M2): The default pick for most buyers; wait until you can save 15–25%. It strikes a balance on Apple Pencil support, speed and battery life without the Pro premium.
5. iPad (10th gen): A good family school tablet which really sparkles when it falls 20–30%. It’s still the cheapest entry point into Apple’s generous window of software support.
6. iPad mini (6th gen): Power that fits in your pocket, frequently knocked down to 10–20%; pilots, commuters and note-takers use it for one-handed operation and a powerful A15 chip.
7. iPad Pro 12.9-inch (M2) clearance: If you can find the outgoing model undercutting the M4 by a couple of hundred—it’s still a beastly canvas with superb Mini‑LED HDR.
8. Refurb iPad Air (M1) or gen-7: Get it only when 25%+ below original MSRP; older Apple silicon here can still handle multitasking, drawing and streaming with room to spare.

Best Microsoft Surface tablet deals for Prime Day shoppers

9. Surface Pro (11th Gen, Copilot+ PC): The Snapdragon X platform delivers snappy, quiet performance and long battery life; try to save $200–$400 on a bundle that includes the keyboard.
10. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel): A solid 2‑in‑1 that often goes over 25% off. Still fine for Office, Teams and light photo work if you don’t need the newest AI features.
11. Surface Pro 10 for Business: If you manage to find consumer-eligible listings, this is a smart purchase with enterprise-grade manageability and a bright anti‑reflective screen at a 20–30% discount.
12. Surface Go 4 or Go 3: Entry-level Surfaces only make sense at deep discounts (25–35%); the gadgets are useful for note-taking and web tasks, but try to add more RAM if you can.
13. Surface Pro 8 clearance: When an on-clearance price undercuts newer models by hundreds, you get a sharp 120Hz display, plus solid everyday performance for less.
14. Certified refurbished Surface bundles: Microsoft’s refurbs with 1‑year warranties can provide solid value at 30%+ off new if you can also score the Signature Keyboard.

Strong Samsung Galaxy Tab deals worth grabbing on Prime Day

15. Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: The big‑screen Android flagship; an actual deal surfaces at 20–30% off. With a 14.6‑inch AMOLED and S Pen in-box, it’s a desk and couch powerhouse.
16. Galaxy Tab S9+: Where productivity meets sweet spot territory at a 12.4‑inch AMOLED; we’d aim for 20–30% off, and consider DeX mode to get a desktop‑like layout with a keyboard cover.
17. Galaxy Tab S9: A bite-sized premium tablet; 15–25% off is typical and justified with IP68 durability, fast Snapdragon silicon and bright color accuracy lauded by display labs.
18. Galaxy Tab S9 FE+: A very nice option for students and digital artists at a 25–35% discount. S Pen comes included and the big canvas is great for split‑screen study sessions.
19. Galaxy Tab S9 FE: The budget player that typically saves 25–40%; it’s average for streaming, notes and cloud gaming with decent battery life.
20. Galaxy Tab A9+: If you’re buying for kids or as a travel spare, a 20–35% cut makes this a no‑brainer, especially alongside Samsung Kids and stout parental controls.
21. Galaxy Tab A9: If it plunges far south of entry‑level iPad pricing, this is a good enough e‑reader and web machine; get the version with more RAM if you can.
22. Galaxy Tab Active5: A rugged choice for on-the-go fieldwork; any 15–25% dip is striking when you consider its MIL‑STD toughness, semi-rugged protection and glove-friendly touch.

How I selected these Prime Day tablet picks and deals

I narrowed the field to models that had several years of software support ahead of them, robust third‑party app ecosystems for their platforms, and displays validated by independent testing outfits like RTINGS and DisplayMate. I also gave weight to devices that ship with a stylus (Samsung) or can use industry‑standard pens (Apple, Microsoft), because writing and sketching are how lots of us prove out real‑world usefulness.

What constitutes a good Prime Day tablet price and discount

Traditionally, Prime Day offers deeper discounts on Amazon‑adjacent brands that you either may not recognize or didn’t know were in the business of making gadgets in the first place (Serious Coffee Table Books ’N More wasn’t exactly something we knew existed until recently), and for Apple and Microsoft that means there are occasional deals worth a second look. For premium: 15–30% off is strong; mid‑range at 25–40% off is excellent; outgoing flagships are okay even with bigger reductions. So while specs say it’s a budget device, market watchers like IDC and Canalys point out that the premium tiers are where the most tablet revenue comes from, so discounts here tend to be shorter‑lived and faster sellouts.

Final buying tips for Prime Day tablet deals and bundles

Check the storage and RAM, as lower‑tier configs often have steeper discounts that can bottleneck down the road. For Surfaces, add the cost of the keyboard to determine the real price; for Samsung, factor in that the S Pen is included; for iPad, factor in Pencil and keyboard if you will use them. Look into return windows, and consider certified refurbished options for even further savings with a warranty.