Start your week off right with these handpicked deals, all part of this balanced breakfast. Our inaugural discount this week sees the M1-equipped MacBook Air discounted to $849.99 at Best Buy from its usual $999.99 price. This is the best discount we’ve seen yet on the 256GB model of the M1-equipped MacBook Air, making this an excellent chance to snag this lightweight Apple laptop. If you need a model with a little more storage space, you can also get the 512GB model for $1,049.99, a discount of $200 off the regular price.
It may not share the same level of performance with the newer M2-laden MacBooks, but the lightweight form factor and impressive battery life still make the M1 MacBook Air an excellent choice for a daily driver, especially for students returning to academia. Read our review.
Continuing on our Apple tangent, the latest models of the iPad Mini and the last-gen version of the iPad Air are on sale, matching their best prices ever. Normally priced at $459.99, the 64GB configuration of the 2021 iPad Mini is currently discounted to $399.99 at Target, while the $599.99 iPad Air is currently discounted to $449.99 at Best Buy.
The latest model of the iPad Mini may lack the comforting presence of the home button, but its larger display more than makes up for its absence. The 8.3-inch display features a resolution of 2266 x 1488 and includes True Tone technology that allows you to fine-tune the display based on the lighting in your environment. Just note that this version of the iPad Mini won’t work with Apple’s smart keyboard or Magic Keyboard folio but is still compatible with the second-gen Apple Pencil. Read our review.
The older model of the iPad Air may not sport Apple’s awesome M1 CPU, but its A14 Bionic processor is still capable of delivering enough power for most users. The tablet is also compatible with various iPad Air accessories, which allow you to transform it into an ad hoc laptop using add-ons like Apple’s Magic Keyboard. The 10.9-inch tablet offers a terrific Retina display with 2360 x 1640 resolution and a wide color gamut as well, not to mention a USB-C port for charging. Read our review.
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2020 iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi)
The 2020 iPad Air includes thinner bezels around the display and has relocated the Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the power button at the top of the device.
If you’re in the market for a slightly less expensive tablet, both the standard and Plus sized models of Amazon’s latest Fire HD 8 tablet are discounted to their lowest price ever at Best Buy. The standard HD 8 tablet was originally priced at $89.99 but is on sale for $44.99, while the HD 8 Plus is down to $64.99 (normally $109.99). While these prices are for the 32GB configurations of the tablets, Best Buy has applied similar discounts to the 64GB models as well. However, it’s worth noting that both models can have their base storage expanded with microSD cards.
The standard version of the 10th-generation Fire HD 8 tablet features an eight-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. The relatively low-end processor and 2GB of RAM make it difficult to recommend this tablet for anything work-related, but it’ll fit the bill for media streaming or light gaming.
The Amazon HD 8 Plus mirrors the standard model in virtually every aspect but includes a couple of key differences. It includes 3GB of RAM, allowing it to handle simultaneous apps slightly easier, and it features wireless charging capability, allowing it to serve as an Echo Show in some instances if you mount it on a charging dock. Even with its additional RAM, the HD 8 Plus is pretty sluggish by modern standards but remains an excellent choice for a dirt-cheap tablet. Read our review of the Fire HD 8 Plus.
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Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet
The Fire HD 8 is Amazon’s eight-inch Fire HD tablet. This model offers 32GB or 64GB of storage as well as access to apps like Netflix, Facebook, Hulu, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
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Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Plus
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Plus packs a lot of value in for the money. It’s a suitable vessel for all of your Prime content, and this model in particular supports wireless charging.
