Hurry, there's up to 25% off Apple iPads right now – just in time for back-to-school shopping

iPad A16 and iPad Air M3 with banner reading "big savings"
(Image credit: Future)

Just in time for the back-to-school shopping rush, Amazon has slashed the prices of the 11th generation Apple iPad (A16) and the iPad Air M3 by 20% and 25%, respectively.

While not the biggest discounts ever, this much of a price cut represents a great deal for current-generation Apple products, especially when outside of the bigger sale events like Black Friday or EOFY.

Our review of the 11th-gen iPad praised its performance, with the A16 processor allowing the device to run iPadOS 18 and most apps smoothly. And despite this upgrade, the base model with 128GB of storage didn’t get a price bump, making it a great value option for an iPad. We reckon it would suit most students as it performs well enough to handle tasks like homework, media consumption and some gaming on the side.

If you’re looking for a laptop replacement that can do a lot more, then the current-generation iPad Air fits the bill. The inclusion of the M3 chip places this device on par with previous-generation MacBooks (provided that you get a Bluetooth keyboard or keyboard folio to replicate that experience), and has 8GB of RAM to make it a better choice for multitasking over the base iPad (which has 6GB).

For a bigger screen, the iPad Air is also available with a 13-inch screen (compared to the base model’s 11 inches), and a larger battery capacity of 9,705mAh (compared to 7,606mAh for the 11-inch) means it will last all day whether at school, uni or work.

If you want to read more about how these two iPads compare and make your decision a bit easier, take a look at our full head-to-head matchup. In the meantime, get a wriggle on if you want an iPad for less as we don’t know how long these offers or stocks will last.

Apple iPad (A16) Wi-Fi 128GB
Save 20% (AU$121)
Apple iPad (A16) Wi-Fi 128GB: was AU$599 now AU$478 at Amazon

The 11-generation of the entry-level iPad was a welcome addition last year, coming three years after its predecessor. Its biggest upgrade was the A16 processor (over the A14 Bionic), making the device faster and more capable with iPadOS 18. This isn’t quite the lowest price we’ve seen for this iPad, but 20% off outside of a major sale event is hard to pass up, especially during back-to-school season.

Apple  iPad Air (M3) 11-inch Wi-Fi 128GB
Save 25% (AU$252)
Apple iPad Air (M3) 11-inch Wi-Fi 128GB: was AU$999 now AU$747 at Amazon

Representing a true laptop replacement given the inclusion of the M3 chip found in past-generation MacBooks, the iPad Air is great for students that need a bit more power for certain tasks, while also being thinner and lighter than the base iPad above. This price is also a bigger 25% discount, which is a great deal for a current-gen Apple product.

Apple iPad Air (M3) 13-inch Wi-Fi 128GB
Save 19% (AU$252)
Apple iPad Air (M3) 13-inch Wi-Fi 128GB: was AU$1,349 now AU$1,097 at Amazon

The 13-inch M3 iPad Air is identical to the smaller 11-inch model in every way except for the larger size, but the battery gets a sizable bump in capacity at 9,705mAh, compared to the latter’s 7,606mAh. This offer matches the same price from Black Friday at 19% off, which is a great deal for any Apple product.

While the above listings are the best iPad deals right now, there’s one more offer that might be worth considering. The only reason it’s relegated as an alternative is that it’s not as big a discount as the aforementioned options. And that’s the current-gen iPad mini. If you’re looking for something more compact and portable, there’s a small but not inconsiderable 13% discount.

Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi 128GB
Save 13% (AU$102)
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi 128GB: was AU$799 now AU$697 at Amazon

Not as good of a deal this time around, but if you want a more portable iPad that can also pack a punch in processing power, the 7th generation iPad mini might be for you. I personally own the previous-gen model and it’s perfect for what I need (media consumption while travelling). Our reviewer also praised the iPad mini 7’s A17 Pro chip providing a nice processing bump, and its support of both the USB-C Apple Pencil and the Apple Pencil Pro.

Speaking of the Apple Pencil, the USB-C model is discounted on Amazon as well at AU$117, or 16% off. This will work on all the iPads listed above. If you’re more partial towards the newer Apple Pencil Pro, JB Hi-Fi has it for AU$169 (23% off the RRP).

Unfortunately we did not spot any deals for the Apple Magic Keyboard for the iPad and iPad Air, but you can consider cheaper alternatives from third-party brands if you’re not too fussed about matching everything.

Nico Arboleda
Staff Writer

Nico is an experienced writer and journalist, having previously written for business titles like techpartner.news and Mumbrella. He also spent time working as a content writer and copywriter before joining TechRadar. While mainly focusing on phones at TechRadar Australia, he is also a keen cyclist and occasional hiker, so he also loves related tech like smartwatches and bike computers. Outside of tech, Nico is also a politics, basketball and movie obsessive.

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