The free storage upgrade for the Galaxy S24 series from last week is no longer available. Amazon and Best Buy are still offering their gift cards, but you’re only getting half the storage. Also, the OnePlus 12 and 12R are still on pre-order, nothing has changed there. So, let’s look at some tablets this week instead.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a relative newcomer. It’s an entry-level slate, but it has an 11” IPS LCD, a 1,920 x 1,200px (16:10) panel running at 90Hz. It is powered by the Snapdragon 695, so there is a 5G option, but there is no discount on that one. As for the Wi-Fi only slate, you get a free storage upgrade to 128GB (it normally costs $50 more).
Note that the Tab A9+ has a microSD slot, so you can easily add more storage with cards like this one.
But hold on a second. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (the 2022 re-release) has been around for quite a while. It comes bundled with an S Pen for the 10.4” 2,000 x 1,200px LCD (15:9, 60Hz) and supports DeX. This one also has a microSD slot and os powered by a Snapdragon chip. The batteries are effectively the same with 7,040mAh capacity and 15W charging. The Tab A9+ has more speakers, though, four vs. two.
If instead you are on the Apple side of the fence, the Apple iPad (2022) has been discounted too. This one is no spring chicken either, but it does have a USB-C port like current iPhones. It is powered by the Apple A14 and has a 10.9” 60Hz IPS LCD.
You could also pick up a version with LTE connectivity, though that is a pricey upgrade, so make sure you really need it (you can always tether the tablet to your phone). Note that the 2022 iPad comes with two free years of AppleCare+.
But if $250 is what you have to spend and you don’t like the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, there’s always the 2021 Apple iPad. This one has the now-outdated Lightning connector and an older Apple A13 chip. Both this one and the 2022 slate support the original Apple Pencil.
The price of the older Sony WH-1000XM4 varies quite a bit – we’ve seen it as low as $230. However, right now it is $280 and you may as way pay up a bit and get the newer WH-1000XM5. $330 is about as low as they have ever been.
Finally, some tracking tags. For the Galaxy users among you, the SmartTag2 is your entry into the fast-growing SmartThings Find network. These work with Bluetooth and (if your device supports it) UWB.
For Apple users, the AirTag is the one to get. This one also has Bluetooth and UWB, but Apple has UWB support on more of its devices – iPhone 11 and newer (excluding the SE models) and even the Apple Watches Series 6 and newer. As for Samsung, UWB is available on Galaxy S+ and S Ultra and the Z Fold units, the small S and Z phones are left out.
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