If you’re on the market for a Kindle, Fire TV device or Echo speaker, Amazon Prime Day is basically Black Friday for you. Prime Day deals on those devices are typically the same (or very close to) the prices we see at the end of the year near the holidays. That means now is a great time to pick up a new Kindle ereader ahead of the new semester in the fall, a Fire TV Stick for streaming while traveling or an Echo speaker for your home office. As expected, almost all of Amazon’s hardware is on sale for Prime Day; these are the best Prime Day deals on Amazon gear that are still available on the last day of the sale.
Echo Pop speaker for $22 (45 percent off): One of the newer Echo devices available, the Pop it sports a 1.95-inch front-facing speaker and a physical mic mute switch for extra privacy. The Pop also has built-in eero compatibility, so it can extend the area of your home Wi-Fi network if you already have an eero router system.
Echo Show 5 for $60 (33 percent off): This model is one of our favorite smart displays thanks to its compact design, ambient light sensor and sunrise alarm feature, all of which make it an excellent smart alarm clock. Amazon improved the speaker quality on this latest model, which gives sound deeper bass and clearer vocals.
Echo Show 8 for $110 (27 percent off): This is our current top pick for the best smart display with Amazon’s Alexa thanks in part to its 8-inch touchscreen, 13MP camera that supports auto-framing for better video chats and its built-in Zigbee smart home hub. The 2023 model supports Visual ID, which will show personalized information on the device’s display depending on who’s using it, and video streaming from Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and other services.
Kindle Kids for $95 ($35 off): This is the same device as the base Kindle, but it becomes more kid-friendly thanks to the included cover, two-year warranty and the included year of Amazon Kids+, which gives children ages 3-12 access to hundreds of appropriate ebooks and audiobooks. Just be sure to take note when you activate that subscription because it will renew after one year at the standard $6/month rate.
Kindle Paperwhite for $125 ($35 off): The latest version of the Paperwhite has a seven-inch display, thinner bezels, an adjustable warm light, speedier page turns and a battery that can last up to 12 weeks on a single charge. This model is also IPX8 waterproof and has built-in Audible integration.
Kindle Colorsoft for $180 ($100 off): Amazon's only color e-reader has a seven-inch, high-contrast display, an auto-adjusting front light, a color highlighting feature and an eight-week battery life.
Kindle Scribe for $260 ($140 off): The Scribe is one of the best E-Ink tablets you can buy at the moment, and certainly the top pick if you want a writable table that also excels as an ereader. It provides a great reading and writing experience, thanks in part to its ability to access the entire Kindle ebook library, and it has handy Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox integration.
Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 (50 percent off): This is the cheapest Fire TV Stick you can get to stream 4K content, plus it has support for Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision and Atmos. With its live picture-in-picture feature, you can view security camera feeds right on your TV while you’re watching your favorite show or movie.
Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35 (42 percent off): In addition to 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Vision and Atmos support, the 4K Max dongle includes Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, 16GB of built-in storage and live picture-in-picture capabilities. It also supports the Fire TV “ambient experience,” which lets you display photos and images on your TV screen when you’re not actively watching something.
Fire TV Cube streaming box for $90 (36 percent off): This model will provide the best performance of any Fire TV streaming device, and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and Atmos and an enhanced version of the Alexa Voice Remote. Along with live picture-in-picture view and the Fire TV ambient experience, you can also hardware other devices to the Fire TV Cube including a cable box or a game console.
Fire HD 8 tablet for $55 (45 percent off): This is Amazon's most bare-bones tablet, featuring an eight-inch HD touchscreen, hexa-core processor and 13 hours of battery life. The improvements in the screen quality alone from the old-school Fire 7 tablet make it a better buy for most people, and this slab would make a good couch device for general web browsing, email checking, online shopping and more.
Fire Max 11 tablet for $140 (39 percent off): Amazon’s most powerful tablet, the Fire Max 11 sports an 11-inch 2,000 x 1,200 touchscreen, an octa-core processor, up to 128GB of storage and 14 hours of battery life. It also works with a number of optional accessories, including a stylus and keyboard case.
Fire HD 10 Kids tablet for $105 (45 percent off): This slab is designed for kids aged three to seven, with full parental controls plus one year of Amazon Kids+ for free with the tablet purchase. This model has a 10-inch FHD touchscreen, an octa-core processor and 13 hours of battery life, plus it comes with a two-year warranty and a protective case.
Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet for $105 (45 percent off): This model is designed for kids aged six to 12 and comes with a slimmer protective case, a two-year warranty and one year of access to Amazon Kids+. Otherwise, you get a very similar experience here that you would with the non-Pro version, including parental controls, a 10-inch touchscreen, solid performance and a 13-hour battery life.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-prime-day-deals-on-amazon-devices-its-the-last-day-to-get-up-to-68-percent-off-kindle-ereaders-echo-speakers-and-more-082012880.html?src=rss
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The latest Apple iPad Mini is on sale for a record-low price as part of the Prime Day extravaganza, and it's still in stock during the last day of the sale. The tablet is available for $380, which is a discount of $120. That's a pretty good deal for a device that's only around nine months old.
This tablet made our list of the best iPads and we recommend it specifically for people who want a device with a smaller form factor. It's the only tablet that Apple makes in this size. Don't let the size fool you, however, as this is a full-featured iPad. It supports the Apple Pencil Pro and starts at 128GB of storage.
We called it "reliable" and everything we "want in a small tablet" in our official review. The speakers sound great, which has become standard with modern Apple devices, and the form factor makes it easy to hold for long periods of time without causing hand cramps. It's an iPad, just smaller.
There are a couple of little caveats. The display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, which could impact some action-heavy games. There's also no Face ID here, which forces users to enter a password or use a fingerprint.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-ipad-mini-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-for-prime-day-and-still-in-stock-100024613.html?src=rss
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We’ve long considered Apple’s iPads to be the best tablets on the market, but determining exactly which model you should buy isn’t always straightforward. Do you just want a big screen for streaming and web browsing? Do you want to use it like a pseudo-laptop? Do you care about Apple Intelligence at all? If you’re not sure, allow us to help. We’ve tested every Apple tablet available today and broken down the best iPads for different needs below.
Editor’s note (7/7/25): Apple previewed iPadOS 26, its next major iPad software update, during its WWDC keynote. It looks to be a major overhaul, one that brings iPadOS closer to macOS than it’s ever been. New features include the ability to open more windows simultaneously and resize or tile them more freely, a Mac-style Menu bar, a dedicated Preview app, an upgraded Files app, an improved ability to export or download large files in the background and much more. It’ll also use the new “liquid glass” design language Apple is rolling out across all of its platforms.
Importantly, Apple says these features will be available across its tablet lineup, from the iPad Pro to the entry-level iPad. (You can find a full list of compatible devices at the bottom of Apple’s press release.) A greater level of feature parity could make the base iPad a more enticing value in particular, though we’ll need to see how well all of this works when iPadOS 26 exits its developer beta period. For now, we’re keeping our current recommendations in place, but we’ll reevaluate once we spend more time with the new update.
Much like we do for our guide to the best tablets overall, we spend several days with each iPad to see how they feel and perform with different tasks: watching videos, web browsing, playing both casual and graphically intense games, editing 4K photos and video, running multiple apps side-by-side, making FaceTime calls and the like. To better measure performance specifically, we use benchmarking tests like Geekbench 6, 3DMark and GFXBench Metal, plus we measure how long it takes for each tablet to boot up and open various apps. We also check how well each tablet holds up long-term, whether it’s with a review unit provided by Apple or an iPad model that’s owned by a member of the Engadget staff.
To help compare the color performance and brightness of the displays, we play the same videos on different iPads, side-by-side, at equal brightness levels. We use each tablet in direct sunlight outdoors to see how well they hold up to glare, and we play a handful of the same musical tracks to evaluate speaker performance. For battery life, we keep track of how long each tablet generally lasts before it needs a recharge, but we also play a 1080p movie on a loop at roughly 70 percent brightness with power-sapping background processes off. We also test each device with an Apple Pencil and note how responsive the stylus feels. Finally, we carefully pore over spec sheets and software updates to keep track of which features are available on certain iPads but not others.
If history is any indication, expect Apple to update your iPad to the latest version of iPadOS for at least five years, if not longer. The current iPadOS 18 update, for example, is available on iPad Pro models dating back to 2018 and other iPads dating back to 2019. How long your iPad’s hardware will last depends on which model you buy and how well you maintain it. (If you’re particularly clumsy, consider an iPad case.) A more powerful iPad Pro will feel fast for a longer time than an entry-level iPad, but each model should remain at least serviceable until Apple stops updating it, at minimum.
Compared to the 11th-gen iPad, the iPad Air runs on a stronger M3 chip (instead of the A16 Bionic) and has 2GB more RAM (8GB total). Both come with 128GB of storage by default. The Air is also available in two sizes, 11 and 13 inches, whereas the 11th-gen iPad doesn't offer the larger screen option. The M-series SoC gives the Air better long-term performance, plus access to certain iPadOS features such as Apple Intelligence and Stage Manager. Its display supports a wider P3 color gamut, has an antireflective coating and is fully laminated. The latter means there’s no “air gap” between the display and the glass covering it, so it feels more like you’re directly touching what’s on screen instead of interacting with an image below the glass. The Air also works with the newer Pencil Pro stylus and more comfortable Magic Keyboards, and its USB-C port supports faster data transfer speeds. It technically supports faster Wi-Fi 6E, too, while the lower-cost iPad uses Wi-Fi 6.
Starting at $349, the 11th-gen iPad is $250 less expensive than the iPad Air. It has a similarly elegant design with flat edges, thin bezels, USB-C port, and a Touch ID reader. Battery life is rated at the same 10 hours, and both devices have their front-facing camera on their long edge, which is a more natural position for video calls. The cheaper iPad works with the first-gen and USB-C Apple Pencils – which are more convoluted to charge – and a unique keyboard accessory called the Magic Keyboard Folio.
As we note in our screenshot how-to guide, you can take a screenshot on your iPad by pressing the top button and either volume button at the same time. If you have an older iPad with a Home button, simultaneously press the top button and the Home button instead.
June 2025: We’ve made a few minor edits to reflect the announcement of Apple’s latest iPadOS update, which we detail above.
May 2025: We’ve lightly edited this guide to ensure all details and links are still correct. We’re also keeping an eye on how the Trump administration’s tariff policy affects the pricing and stock of the iPad lineup (and every other tech category). All of our picks are still available at normal prices today, but we’ll update this guide if that changes.
March 2025: We've reviewed the iPad (A16) and named it our new budget pick, removing the discontinued 10th-gen iPad in the process.
March 2025: The recently-launched iPad Air M3 has replaced its predecessor as our top overall recommendation. We’ve also made a note regarding the new iPad (A16), which we plan to test in the near future and expect to become our new budget pick. We’ve made a handful of edits elsewhere in the guide to reflect Apple’s latest hardware.
January 2025: We’ve lightly edited this guide for clarity. Our recommendations remain the same.
October 2024: We've updated our guide to include the new iPad mini 7.
June 2024: We’ve touched up this guide to reflect some of the new iPadOS features Apple announced at WWDC, though our picks remain the same.
Nathan Ingraham contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-ipads-how-to-pick-the-best-apple-tablet-for-you-150054066.html?src=rss
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There’s a reason Apple gear is so in demand. After reviewing nearly every major device out there, our current favorite laptop, smartwatch, tablet and smartphone are all made by Apple. The only problem is, Apple gear isn’t cheap. So it’s sometimes wise to wait for an event like Amazon’s Prime Day before you buy.
Prime Day might be over now, but we're still tracking some good sale prices on Apple gear today. This guide rounds up the best Prime Day Apple deals still available, including some of the lowest prices of the year on iPads, Apple Watches, AirPods and MacBooks. We’ve also linked to our reviews and buying guides so you can make the most informed purchases possible.
AirPods 4 (with ANC) for $119 ($60 off): Apple introduced the fourth generation of its basic earbuds alongside the iPhone 16 last September. This model includes ANC — a first for Apple’s “regular” buds — and Billy awarded them an 86 in his review. Just note they don’t have a fully closed design like the Pro models — but some may prefer the open fit, which Apple completely redesigned to fit more securely.
AirPods 4 (without ANC) for $89 ($40 off): Apple introduced two models of its fourth generation basic earbuds alongside the iPhone 16 last September. This one doesn't have the extra features of ANC or Transparency Mode (which makes them cheaper). This pared down model benefits from a shape redesign — which our headphone expert, Billy Steele, found both more comfortable and more secure — as well as improved sound quality that’s more immersive than before.
AirPods Max (USB-C) for $399 (27 percent off): Apple’s only over-ear headphones are due for an update. The company outfitted the AirPods Max with a USB-C port late last year, but the internals haven’t had an overhaul since 2020. Still, we named them the best (and only) over-ear AirPods. They are comfortable and relatively lightweight, have a balanced sound and the noise cancellation is solid.
Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M3) for $479 ($120 off): In our opinion, the iPad Air is the best iPad for most people as it strikes an ideal balance between performance, price and features. The M3 chip is almost overkill for a tablet, but it means performance should never be an issue. And upcoming productivity gains from iPadOS 26 should make the tablet even more powerful. This is the lowest price we've seen so far for this model, and it's still in stock.
Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) for $399 ($100 off): Apple’s smallest iPad earned an 83 review score from us when it came out late last year. Despite its compact size, it’s still a fully-featured iPad, with support for accessories and a laminated, anti-reflective screen. It’s not a laptop-replacer, but rather the perfect couch companion, handling games, video, web browsing and email triage.
Apple iPad Air (13-inch, M3) for $609 ($100 off): This is Apple’s most affordable large-screen iPad. Engadget’s Nate Ingraham awarded it a review score of 89 upon its debut this March. When you pair it with accessories like a keyboard folio and mouse, it becomes a true productivity machine — though those add-ons make it a pricey package. Good thing iPads are on sale for Prime Day.
Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) for $899 ($100 off): We named the iPad Pro the best tablet money can buy. The screen is one of the best we’ve seen and Apple somehow managed to make the Pro model lighter than Air models. If you plan on handling heavy productivity — video rendering and editing, machine learning apps and the like, this is the way to go.
Apple Watch SE for $169 (32 percent off): We wouldn’t be surprised to see an update to Apple’s budget smartwatch sometime soon (and we have a few suggestions on the matter). But thanks to some serious discounts, the Apple Watch SE has turned out to be the most affordable way to get an iPhone companion for your wrist. Despite the lackluster screen and limited extra features, it handles the basics well.
MacBook Air (M4, 15-inch) for $1,049 ($150 off): If you want a little more screen real estate, go for the 15-inch Air. Devindra found the screen more immersive than the smaller model, and only slightly less portable. The slightly larger battery gave it a few more minutes of life. Whichever size you go for, the MacBook Air will be able to handle all but the most demanding rendering tasks without breaking a sweat.
MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 24GB RAM) for $1,299 ($450 off): This higher-specced version of the M3 MacBook Air from last year has a 15-inch screen and a little extra internal memory. We gave the 15-inch model a score of 90 in our review when it came out in early 2024. Outside of its older M3 chip (which is still plenty fast for everyday use), marginally improved camera and inability to power two external displays with the lid open, this MacBook is virtually identical to the M4 version.
Apple Pencil (USB-C) for $59 ($20 off): Before you buy an Apple Pencil, check this compatibility page to make sure it’ll work with your model and generation of iPad. To say the least, it’s confusing. This model has the widest compatibility, but note that it doesn’t charge through its magnetic attachment, you’ll need to use the USB-C for refilling it.
Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): Apple announced the Pro version of its pencil at the same time as the iPad Pro with the M4 chip. It adds haptic feedback, squeeze gestures and roll capabilities to the usual stylus tricks. It works with the newest iPad Pro, Air and Mini models.
Apple Pencil (2nd gen) for $90 ($39 off): The Second gen Pencil both attaches and charges magnetically, supports tilt and pressure sensitivity and allows for tool changes with a tap of the flat edge. It’s an older pencil and isn’t compatible with the latest iPad models.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-prime-day-apple-deals-on-ipads-airpods-macbooks-and-more-still-available-today-150005278.html?src=rss
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E Ink tablets have always been intriguing to me because I’m a longtime lover of pen and paper. I’ve had probably hundreds of notebooks over the years, serving as repositories for my story ideas, to-do lists, meeting notes and everything in between. However, I turned away from physical notebooks at a certain point because it was just easier to store everything digitally so I always had my most important information at my fingertips.
E Ink tablets seem to provide the best of both worlds: the tactile satisfaction of regular notebooks with many of the conveniences found in digital tools, plus easy-on-the-eyes E Ink screens. These devices have come a long way in the past few years, and we’re just starting to see more color E Ink tablets become more widely available. I tested out a number of different E Ink tablets to see how well they work, how convenient they really are and which are the best tablets using E Ink screens available today.
Editors note (6/27/25): Earlier this year, it was rumored that reMarkable would raise its prices due to "increased costs." A reMarkable representative confirmed this to Engadget and provided the following statement: "We regularly review our pricing based on market conditions and operational costs. We've communicated an upcoming adjustment for the US market effective in May to provide transparency to our customers. Multiple factors influence our pricing decisions, including supply chain dynamics and overall operational costs in specific markets. We're adjusting our US pricing in May and have notified customers in advance."
The increase in prices manifested in the reMarkable Paper Pro jumping from $579 to $629 (that's for the bundle with the standard Marker and no Folio). This isn't great, considering the Paper Pro was already on the expensive side of the spectrum for E Ink tablets. However, we still consider it our top "premium" pick. It's also worth noting that Supernote and Onyx Boox have raised prices in the past few months as well.
An E Ink tablet will be a worthwhile purchase to a very select group of people. If you prefer the look and feel of an e paper display to LCD panels found on traditional tablets, it makes a lot of sense. They’re also good options for those who want a more paper-like writing experience (although you can get that kind of functionality on a regular tablet with the right screen protector) or a more distraction-free device overall.
The final note is key here. Most E Ink tablets don’t run on the same operating systems as regular tablets, so you’re automatically going to be limited in what you can do. And even with those that do allow you to download traditional apps like Chrome, Instagram and Facebook, E Ink tablets are not designed to give you the best casual-browsing experience. This is mostly due to the nature of E Ink displays, which have noticeable refreshes, a lack of color and lower quality than the panels you’ll find on even the cheapest iPad.
Arguably the biggest reason why you wouldn’t want to go with an iPad (all models of which support stylus input, a plethora of reading apps, etc) is because it’s much easier to get distracted by email, social media and other Internet-related temptations. An e-reader is also worth considering if this is the case for you, but just know that most standard e-readers do not accept stylus input. If you like to make notes in the margins of books, underline and mark up PDFs and the like, an e-reader won’t cut it.
I discovered four main things that can really make or break your experience with an E Ink tablet during my testing; first is the writing experience. How good it is will depend a lot on the display’s refresh rate (does it refresh after every time you put pen to “paper,” so to speak?) and the stylus’ latency. Most had little to no latency, but there were some that were worse than others. Finally, you should double check before buying that your preferred E Ink tablet comes with a stylus.
The second thing to consider is the reading experience. How much will you be reading books, documents and other things on this tablet? While you can find E Ink tablets in all different sizes, most of them tend to be larger than your standard e-reader because it makes writing much easier. Having a larger display isn’t a bad thing, but it might make holding it for long periods slightly more uncomfortable. (Most e-readers are roughly the size of a paperback book, giving you a similar feeling to analog reading).
The supported file types will also make a big difference. It’s hard to make a blanket statement here because this varies so much among E Ink tablets. The TL;DR is that you’ll have a much better reading experience if you go with one made by a company that already has a history in e-book sales (i.e. Amazon or Kobo). All of the titles you bought via the Kindle or Kobo store should automatically be available to you on your Kindle or Kobo E Ink tablet. And with Kindle titles, specifically, since they are protected by DRM, it’s not necessarily the best idea to try to bring those titles over to a third-party device. Unless the tablet supports reading apps like Amazon’s Kindle or the Kobo app, you’ll be limited to supported file types, like ePUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, PNG and others.
Third, most E Ink tablets have some search features, but they can vary widely between models. You’ll want to consider how important it is to you to be able to search through all your handwritten notes and markups. I noticed that Amazon’s and Kobo’s E Ink tablets made it easy to refer back to notes made in books and files because they automatically save on which pages you took notes, made highlights and more. Searching is less standardized on E Ink tablets that have different supported file types, but their features can be quite powerful in their own right. For example, a few devices I tested supported text search in handwritten notes along with handwriting recognition, the latter of which allows you to translate your scribbles into typed text.
The final factor to consider is sharing and connectivity. Yes, we established that E Ink tablets can be great distraction-free devices, but most manufacturers understand that your notes and doodles aren’t created in a vacuum. You’ll likely want to access them elsewhere, and that requires some form of connectivity. All of the E Ink tablets I tried were Wi-Fi devices, and some supported cloud syncing, companion mobile apps and the ability to export notes via email so you can access them elsewhere. None of them, however, integrate directly with a digital note taking system like Evernote or OneNote, so these devices will always be somewhat supplementary if you use apps like that, too. Ultimately, you should think about what you will want to do with the documents you’ll interact with on your E Ink tablet after the tablet portion is done.
Lenovo made a solid E Ink tablet in the Smart Paper, but it's too pricey and too married to the company's companion cloud service to warrant a spot on our top picks list. The hardware is great, but the software isn't as flexible as those of competitors like the reMarkable 2. It has good Google Drive integration, but you must pair it with Lenovo's cloud service to really get the most use out of it — and in the UK, the service costs £9 per month for three months, which is quite expensive.
The Boox Tab Ultra has a lot of the same features we like in the Note Air 2 Plus, but it’s designed to be a true, all-purpose tablet with an E Ink screen. Running Android 11 and compatible with a magnetic keyboard case, you can use it like a standard 2-in-1 laptop, albeit a low-powered one. You can browse the web, check email and even watch YouTube videos on this thing — but that doesn’t mean you should. A standard 2-in-1 laptop with a more responsive screen and better overall performance would be a better fit for most people who even have the slightest desire to have an all-in-one device. Like the rest of Onyx’s devices, the Tab Ultra is specifically for those who put reading and eye comfort above all else.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-e-ink-tablet-130037939.html?src=rss
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