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No matter how old you get, something happens inside your brain in mid-August that signals it's time to buy new supplies. As a child preparing to go back to school, this might have been notebooks and erasers. As an adult, it can be a little bigger — especially if sales are going on — like a new iPad. Currently, Apple's 64GB ninth-generation iPad is back down from $330 to its all-time low price of $250 in both Space Gray and Silver. Now this deal is a little tricky in that you will initially see a markdown to $269, but when you head to checkout, it will drop further to $250. 

Apple's ninth-gen iPad isn't the newest model, having first come out in 2021 and followed by a 10th-gen version the following year. We gave the earlier model an 86 in our initial review and, while it wasn't a massive upgrade from its predecessor, found it to be a great option if you're looking for a well-working device with all the basics at a solid price — even on sale, the 10th-gen iPad is $150 more. 

The 10.2-inch iPad has a retina display, A13 Bionic chip and 12MP Ultra Wide front camera. It's compatible with the first Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. The ninth-gen model still has a lightning connector versus the newer model's USB-C port and has a physical home button. 

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This is a good time to buy a tablet for summer reading or road trip entertainment. Amazon is once more selling Apple's 10.2-inch iPad at a record low price of $250 (normally $329) after an instant $20 discount at checkout. You'll need to buy a 64GB WiFi model to get the full savings, but there are also price drops for some 256GB and cellular variants.

The 10.2-inch iPad may be nearing two years old at this point, but it's still our pick for the best budget Apple tablet even at its official price. It's still reasonably speedy for games and casual tasks, and it's the device to get if you still want a headphone jack or a physical home button. On sale, it's an easy choice — you're getting the core iPad experience at a much lower cost. That could make it a great option for reading in bed, and you might not worry quite so much if your kids are less than gentle with it.

There are reasons you might want to spend more, of course. The 10.9-inch iPad from 2022 offers more screen real estate, brisker performance and a USB-C port, not to mention a front camera better-suited to video calls. With a price gap as large as $200, though, it's harder to justify the newer version unless you absolutely insist on its updated design.

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