Whatever this fall will look like for students, whether it’s back in the classroom or studying remotely, the time is ripe to look at a tablet, either as an accompaniment to, or even a replacement for, a laptop. One of the most versatile, and certainly the most portable, is the iPad Mini. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing tablet or discover the wonders of iPads for the first time as you browse different back-to-school sales, the iPad Mini is on sale for only $350 at Amazon — down $49 from the usual $399.

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The iPad Mini is the perfect medium combining the best of a laptop, a larger tablet, and a smartphone. Imagine grabbing it on your way to class, bringing all your notes, carefully stored on the cloud or in its 64GB storage, which is plenty of room for all the big apps, presentations, games and entertainment you might need. You can easily attach a keyboard case, making this mini tablet a whiz for taking notes, but that’s just the start.

The iPad Mini has a brilliant display, Apple’s 7.9-inch Retina, which keeps images sharp and precise, regardless of how you use it (it has True Tone and wide color technology, giving every image and graphic a little extra pop). Once we get inside, things are no less impressive. It has Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, which will all you to use a ton of apps at once, and can handle absolutely everything the Apple Arcade has to offer. It’s equipped with the latest iPadOS, Apple’s custom-build tablet operating system, which makes multitasking as well as general use even breezier.

There are also some features that you’ll recognize from the bigger, more expensive iPads, like the Touch ID, which employs the iPad Mini’s fingerprint sensor — in case security us any kind of concern. There’s up to ten hours of battery life which is double that of the original iPad. And, just as our work, group work, interviews and even classes start to take place over Zoom, there’s an 8MP back camera and a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera (works just as well for FaceTime calls to mom and dad and friends back home). For the creatively minded — whether your work includes sketches or designs — or you just like to doodle or play around in Photoshop or Illustrator, the iPad Mini supports Apple Pencil.

As cloud support and portability become ever more important and progressive, we’re seeing the tablet replace or at least supplement the laptop, as students’ weapon of choice. Take advantage of what pack-leader Apple has to offer with these iPad deals we’ve collected. For our money, the iPad Mini is an excellent choice, offering maximum portability, versatility, and convenience. Right now, it’s just $350 at Amazon, down $49 from its original price of $399.

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