The best cheap iPad deals for January 2021

The best iPad deals for 2021 so far offer respectable discounts on Apple's family of tablets. We're seeing markdowns on various configuration iPads among this week's tablet deals. 

From previous to current-gen models like new iPad Air, there are plenty of iPad deals to be had right now. Generally speaking, depending on the iPad you're looking for, you can expect to save from $15 to $500. Naturally, the higher-capacity iPad Pros see the biggest discounts,

• Best tablets in 2021

The Apple iPad is one of the best tablets to buy and is one tough act to beat. From the traditional iPad to the lightweight iPad Air, to the powerful iPad Pro, Apple has a tablet for everyone. 

Although the price of iPads lean toward the expensive side, a solid iPad deal can help ease the strain on your wallet. Luckily, we're currently seeing discounts on everything from previous-gen iPads to the latest iPad Pro. 

So if you've been bargain hunting for deals on Apple's best tablets, you've come to the right place. Here are the best iPad deals you can get right now. 

Best iPad deals right now

• Apple iPad 10.2-inch 2020 (32GB): was $329 now $299 @ Amazon
• Apple iPad Air 10.9" 2020 ( 64GB): was $599 now $ 559 @ Amazon
• Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 2020 (256GB): was $1,099 now $999 @ B&H
• Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 2020 (128GB): was $999 now $949 @ Amazon
• Apple iPad Pro 11" 2020 (128GB): was $799 now $759 @ Amazon

The redesigned iPad Air is the best tablet for most people. It features a modern chassis, fast performance and long battery life. What's more, it supports Apple's best accessories which makes it an iPad Pro alternative.

In our iPad Air (2020) review, we praised its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's good battery life, which lasted 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award for its excellent performance. 

Design-wise, the iPad Air resembles an iPad Pro more than an entry-level iPad. The tablet's redesigned form factor boasts slimmer display bezels than its predecessor. This smaller footprint provides a more immersive viewing experience.

The iPad Pro 2020 offers blazing speed, long battery life and (finally) mouse support. It sports a new dual camera system which features an ultra-wide lens and a LiDAR scanner for a more responsive AR experience.

As we note in our iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2020) review, we loved its fast A12Z Bionic chip performance and brilliant display. Its upgraded cursor control is also impressive and we gave the 12.9-inch iPad Pro a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award. 

It's easy to mistake the 2020 iPad Pro for its predecessor since they're nearly identical. Just about the only thing that separates them design-wise is the square camera bump on the newer model. 

Apple's latest tablet, the 10.2-inch iPad supports Apple Pencil (1st gen) which makes it ideal for creators who want to sketch or draw from anywhere. It's also the first of its kind to support Apple's Smart Keyboard for when you want the familiar feeling of a laptop.

Released in late 2019, the iPad 10.2-inch replaces the 6th generation 9.7-inch iPad. Like its predecessor, it packs an A10 Fusion processing chip for Web browsing, streaming and gaming. 

The base model 10.2-inch iPad is priced at $329 and hit an all-time price low of $229 ($100 off) over the holidays. Meanwhile, the 128GB model also got a $100 price cut which brought it down to $329 on Cyber Monday. 

Since Apple no longer sells it, the replaced 9.7-inch iPad is harder to find nowadays. Powered by the same A10 Fusion chip found in the latest 10.2-inch iPad, it's nearly identical to its larger successor and the 2018 iPad--minus the Smart Keyboard compatibility. 

We don't recommend paying more than $229 on this tablet since the newer 10.2-inch iPad gives you the best value, especially when it's on sale for $249 or less. 

The redesigned Apple iPad Air (2019) has everything you look for in an iPad--it's insanely thin and has a beautiful design. With its 10.5-inch screen, it's perfect for  gaming, drawing, multitasking, and content streaming. 

Its A12 Bionic CPU delivers plenty of speed for photo-editing apps like Procreate and Pixelmator Photos. You can also do more-traditional laptop tasks with it. 

Don't judge its pint size, the Apple iPad Mini (2019) is the most powerful compact tablet around. It's powered by Apple's new A12 Bionic processor, so gameplay is ultra-smooth on this tablet. In real-world testing, we easily juggled a few apps on screen at once and I enjoyed fluid gameplay in Injustice 2  on this iOS 12 iDevice. 

The iPad Mini may be the smallest of the bunch, but the tablet's 7.9-inch screen delivers bright and vivid images. In our lab, we found that the iPad mini's display reproduces an excellent 135 percent of the sRGB color gamut, which is more than the iPad mini 4 (99.8 percent). 

Unfortunately, the iPad Mini doesn't go on sale that often and when it does, it only gets a modest discount. The 64GB model hit an all-time price low of $323 ($77 off) in a 24-hour Rakuten flash sale in September 2019. Amazon or Walmart are currently taking $15 off the iPad Mini. If you're after the 256GB model, it's usually $30 off at the aforementioned retailers. 

The Apple iPad Pro 11-inch tablet is engineered with serious power users and professionals in mind. So if you're a creative who works with massive 4K video files or you spend lots of time editing high-resolution JPEGs, this is the tablet you want. 

It's powered by Apple's A12X Bionic CPU, which is the A12's big brother. This current-gen chip features four performance cores as well as four high-efficiency cores. It's coupled with a refreshed GPU that delivers double the graphics performance of the A10X processor which lives inside the now discontinued 10.5-inch iPad Pro. 

Unlike its siblings, the iPad Pro supports Apple Pencil Gen 2 which has new touch gestures like double tapping. It attaches to the side of your iPad for convenient charging. We've seen good deals knock anywhere from $50 off the base model to $250 off the high capacity 512GB/1TB models. 

Finally, Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the brand's top tier iPad. It houses the same A12X Bionic CPU that powers the 11-inch iPad Pro. This makes it just as suitable for creative and business professionals who look for laptop level performance in a versatile tablet. 

In our lab, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with its A12X Bionic chip scored 17,995 on Geekbench 4's overall performance test. It surpassed the Core-i5 powered Surface Pro 6's (13,025) and the Core i7 Dell XPS 13 (14,180) laptop. 

There's not a tablet on the market that can hold a candle to the iPad Pro's performance. If you see $50 off (base model) to $250 off (512GB/1TB models), then it's a deal worth your while.