Best Prime Day Tablet Deals 2020: What to Expect | Digital Trends

Prime Day — the largest Amazon sales event — is approaching quickly. This year, the mega-retailer has scheduled from October 13, a little later than usual, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start taking advantage now.

Prime Day deals can be extraordinary, featuring some of the hottest tech out there for your home office, back to school, personal entertainment, or even your small business. One of the fastest-rising and most essential tech items is a tablet, and this year we’re looking at some amazing discounts in the Prime Day tablet deals. We’re expecting some extraordinary deals on brands like Apple’s iPad, Windows Surface, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, and more. It’s not written in stone, but when it comes to tablets, Prime Day promises some of the best deals of the year. Here’s how to best take advantage.

Looking for a smaller screen? Check out the best Prime Day smartphone deals and the best Prime Day smartwatch deals.

Today’s best Prime Day tablet deals

• Apple iPad Mini — $336, was $399
• Google Pixel Slate 12.3-Inch 2-in-1 Tablet —$512, was $799
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 5 8-inch — $118, was $150
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4-inch — $279, was $350
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e 10.5-inch — $275, was $400
• Dragon Touch K10 Tablet — $100, was $160

Prime Day is still a little ways off, and the Prime Day sales haven’t started quite yet, but you can still get ahead of the game and discover some amazing deals being offered on tablets at Amazon. Back-to-School time is now, and tablets are becoming ever more popular alternatives to laptops. Or maybe you just need to upgrade to a newer iPad, or just can’t wait to get your hands on the latest tablet. Whatever the reason, there might be good cause not to wait for Prime Day. In fact, there are a huge number of highly attractive tablet deals you can take advantage of right now. Amazon does a very smart (and actually very helpful) thing where it will tease us with deals shortly before Prime Day — like right now — to give us a hint, or more than a hint, of what’s to come.

When are the best Prime Day tablet deals?

The very best discounts and deals tend to come on Prime Day, but Amazon knows the power of temptation and tends to send out some feelers in the run-up to get us interested (typically starting the week before). Surprisingly, these deals can often compete with those offered on the actual Prime Day. If you’re browsing Amazon (or, like us, you’re basically staking out your favorite tech) and you see a desired item on sale, we recommend you go for it. For one, you cannot be sure it will be cheaper once we reach Prime Day, or even that it’ll be on sale anymore. If the price does drop, you don’t have to be sore. You can always buy the tablet again and return the first one. Amazon is amazing with returns — it’s baked into its business model.

What Prime Day tablet deals to expect

If you’re looking to upgrade your tablet or buy one for the first time, ask yourself, does it need to be the very latest model? We know that sites and stores, both large and small, tend to offer the largest discounts on last-generation tech when they have a big sale. This makes new room on the shelves, virtual and physical, for new items. That means tablets from 2019, and even early 2020, will probably be up for grabs. And that’s a good thing! Next-gen tablets get newer, but that doesn’t always mean better. There are always newer features the previous-generation tablet will lack, but that’s not the whole story. Sometimes the newer tech’s innards are less impressive, sometimes the older camera is bigger, sometimes the newer models are unreliable.

Don’t forget, you can find out everything you’d ever want to know about older versions through online reviews and other discussions, while the newest tech can be a gamble until full reviews and customer stories are out. Brands like Apple and Microsoft offer fantastic customer service on older models, so you can shop with peace of mind.

Once Prime Day arrives, you should also keep your eyes peeled for Lightning Deals. These offer some of the deepest discounts we’ve ever seen. If one of these Lightning Sales pops up, you need to jump on it really quickly, because this tech tends to get swept up right away. If a tablet matches what you’re looking for, or is even close, add it to your cart. Amazon has your back with a generous return policy. So even if you make an error and shop a little too quickly, you can always return the item, no problem.

Should I shop on Prime Day or wait until Black Friday?

Prime Day and Black Friday are only spaced a month apart from each other this year, which means that if any of these tablets sell out, there might not be a large restock in time for Black Friday. Also, if you’re looking to buy a tablet as a holiday gift for someone, you’ll want to purchase one as soon as you can in lieu of possible shipping delays come Black Friday. If you’re holding off on your purchase in hopes of a better deal on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, don’t. We don’t anticipate seeing a large price difference between the two events. Get on these Prime Day tablet deals now before stock runs out.

Are any Prime Day tablet deals too good to be true?

We expect a lot of tablets to see discounts during Prime Day. That said, there are a few things every shopper should keep in mind. Always do your research prior to the event so you know what you’re looking for and don’t feel overwhelmed by the number of deals. Even though you can never go wrong with big tech brands like Google, Apple, or Samsung, be cautious when you’re shopping for tablet accessories from other brands. Always check reviews and ratings if it’s a brand you’ve never heard of before. Finally, always trust your gut: If a deal looks too good to be true, stay far away from it.

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