There are some fantastic Labor Day sales going on right now, even though the holiday is a week away. We’ve picked out the best tablet deals currently available so you can save big in the runup to the event. We’ve spotted some great discounts on highly sought after tablets, whether you’re looking for Android tablets or one of the many Apple deals that are unfolding right now. That includes budget friendly options as well as some high-end slates too. We also have advice on what to expect from the sales and what to consider.
Best Labor Day tablet deals to shop right now
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite — $210, was $330
For an inexpensive tablet, check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It has a large 10.4-inch screen and includes an S pen stylus so you can easily use it to sketch out designs or write notes. It has support for Dolby Atmos surround sound so it’s a good bet for streaming shows while you’re relaxing on your commute, and there’s up to 14 hours battery life when streaming. 64GB of storage is pretty good for this price, and the slim metal design means it’s easy to toss into your bag or hold for extended periods of time.
Apple iPad 10th generation — $320, was $349
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE — $350, was $450
While we haven’t reviewed the standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, we have checked out the Plus variety and been impressed. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE offers a lot of the similar potential. It has an attractive 10.9-inch screen, which is great for watching movies, and it promises up to 18 hours of battery life. Its Exynos processor ensures that multitasking can be done speedily. There are plenty of Android games to check out too. Sleek and with a S pen included, it’s a good option for sketching out designs or writing notes, while the whole thing is lightweight yet surprisingly robust.
Apple iPad mini — $389, was $499
Our Apple iPad mini review explains that the tablet is best viewed as a mini powerhouse. It’s also my tablet of choice any time I don’t want to grab my laptop or phone. It may not be the biggest tablet, but its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display looks great with True Tone support as well as P3 wide color. It’s powered by a speedy A15 Bionic chip which I’ve found is great for switching between apps and also gaming through my Apple Arcade subscription. For quick video calls, it also has a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support. USB-C means it recharges fast too.
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch M4 — $1,195, was $1,299
A premium tablet in every sense of the word, the latest Apple iPad Pro 13-inch M4 is something special and the “best tablet” our reviewer has ever used. It’s incredibly powerful thanks to its M4 chip, which you’d usually see in the latest MacBook laptops. It means up to a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Alongside that is its gorgeous 13-inch Ultra Retina XDR display which provides extreme brightness and contrast, along with exceptional color accuracy, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone support. This is the ultimate tablet for anyone who wants a laptop replacement with the portability that comes from a tablet.
What tablet brands have sales during Labor Day?
During Labor Day sales, we tend to see pretty much all brands catered for. One name that shines through a lot of the time is Apple. Retailers love to discount the best iPads such as the iPad Air and iPad Pro, but also older models to help clear stock. Due to Apple generally being pretty good at supporting older models, there’s nothing to lose by taking a step back as it means you tend to save more while still enjoying an iPad with great features and extensive software support.
There are also often many of the best Android tablets on sale too with names like Samsung and Lenovo prominent in the field along with budget-friendly Amazon Fire tablets at a higher discount than usual.
Overall, you’ll see many of the best tablets featured in the Labor Day tablet sales. The big names to spot are Apple, Samsung, and Lenovo, but you may also see a few OnePlus models in the sale as the brand becomes an increasingly popular name in the tablet world. For the most part, you’ll only see quality within these Labor Day tablet sales, especially if you focus on those names.
When do Labor Day tablet sales start?
Labor Day sales are already happening right now, although technically, we’re not quite there yet. Labor Day itself is on September 2 so we’re counting on seeing more Labor Day tablet deals as we near the big day. However, retailers have started their sales early, combining their back-to-school sales with early Labor Day deals. That means that for the foreseeable future, we’ll keep seeing more Labor Day tablet deals and they’re likely to build up over time. There isn’t much different between back-to-school sales and Labor Day deals with all of them tending to be pretty good value for this time of year.
Timing is everything, of course. Many of the deals we’ve posted above are unlikely to be bettered, even if we’re not quite to the official day just yet. However, we will see more as we reach early September. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on what unfolds to experience the full complement of what’s out there, but don’t be afraid to buy now if you see something you love and at a price you’re willing to pay. Stock could change rapidly and you might miss out on a sweet deal by constantly holding on for what comes next.
Should you shop Labor Day tablet deals or wait until Black Friday?
When reaching the latter part of the year, it can be tough to know whether to buy now or wait until the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. It’s well known that the Black Friday sales are the best sales of the year, even beating the generally fairly respectable Prime Day sales of earlier in the summer. So what do you do? In an ideal world, it can be a smart idea to hold out until Black Friday. Prices tend to be at their lowest during this time period and once in a while, there are some spectacularly cheap deals happening.
However, are you able to wait that long? For instance, if you regularly use a tablet and your old one has just died, can you cope with weeks without your precious tablet by your side? We don’t blame you if you can’t. Because of that, it can be a smarter move to buy during the Labor Day sales instead. For one thing, sometimes, you’ll see a Black Friday deal that only reduces the price by a fairly incremental amount. It still ends up being the best price of the year but saving a few bucks while waiting months probably won’t seem good value to you.
Also, finances can be further stretched during the holiday season compared to September so it can make more sense to buy now so you can spread out the cost and feel more comfortable about making the purchase.
