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Kids Tablets: Apple iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab on sale starting at just $80

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Tired of your kids constantly breathing down your neck and complaining about boredom that you can’t focus on work? Well, then lock them up in the basement. Just kidding! There are plenty of kids tablets out there that are pre-loaded with age-appropriate games, apps, entertainment titles, and education materials to keep them preoccupied. Three such tablets are the Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0, and Apple iPad Mini. They’re the perfect size for kids and are great for homeschooling. Get them starting at only $80 at Best Buy today.

Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite

 — $80, was $130

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Not everyone is willing to spend nearly $400 on a tablet especially if it’s just for their kid (we’re looking at you, iPad Mini). Luckily, the Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite exists. With just a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage space, and Android 4.4 KitKat, it isn’t a powerhouse of a device, but frankly, it doesn’t need to be. That’s all it needs to run Samsung’s kid-friendly software, which comes with lots of fun and educational apps, games, and videos. Right now you can get this kiddie tablet on Best Buy for just $80 instead of $130.

The Kids Mode on the Galaxy Tab E Lite is like a pared-down version of the Android interface, with large shortcuts to the pre-existing apps on the tablet … and not much else. This design is ideal and perfectly understandable: To keep your kids from meddling where they shouldn’t, and make it easy to jump straight into the various STEM- and Common Core-focused games and books. Preloaded with 20 kid-friendly apps and a free three-month subscription to Samsung Kids, there’s plenty of content to choose from, including games and titles from big-name distributors like DreamWorks, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, and National Geographic. After the free trial period, you can choose to extend your subscription, or you can just fire up the kiddie version of YouTube, which literally has thousands of child-appropriate videos.

This tablet comes with a durable and colorful Bumper case that’s guaranteed to protect it from the inevitable drops and throws. It comes with a 3600mAh battery that’ll keep it running all day long, and a 2MP rear camera so your kid can practice photography at an early age. There’s no front camera though, so no selfies.

Just like the Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite isn’t powerful and is designed specifically for kids. Don’t expect it to handle proper productivity work. Get it for the incredibly low price of $80 on Best Buy.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0

 — $110, was $130

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0 is perfect for kids. It’s easy to navigate and has a Kids Mode so you can restrict your children’s app and internet access. Furthermore, it comes with a subscription to Samsung Kids, which provides your children with engaging educational content. Unfortunately, this tablet kind of looks cheap. While the build quality seems solid enough, it doesn’t scream premium. It has a full plastic body that feels slippery and is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. Still, the tablet is pleasantly compact and light, and your kid won’t be having any trouble holding it even with one hand.

Its front looks exactly like most Samsung tablets, with the physical home button found on the center underneath the screen. The 7-inch display has a 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution that looks good despite being a fairly low pixel density for a tablet of this price range. It has a 5-megapixel camera on the back that is adequate and can record high-definition videos (but not 4K), and the 2-megapixel front-facing camera is perfect for taking selfies. Just don’t expect the photos to be anywhere near Instagram-grade.

On the top-right edge, you’ll find the power button and volume control buttons, while on the bottom edge are the Micro-USB charging port and the speaker, right next to it. A 3.5 mm audio jack is on the top edge and a Micro-SD card slot is located on the left side.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal memory. This tablet’s performance is pretty good. It can easily handle multiple open tabs and runs apps smoothly for the most part. Some games were a little glitchy, but not enough to frustrate us.

During our battery test, the tablet managed to last more than 11 hours while running an HD video on a continuous loop, and that is a very good number considering the price. When used intermittently, the tablet lasted a terrific 50 hours. It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy Tab A 7.0 doesn’t lose any juice when the screen remains inactive.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 usually comes with a $130 price tag, but Best Buy has slashed a cool $20 off of it. Get your child this tablet for just $110.apple-ipad-mini-ipad-pro-samsung-galaxy-tab-a-7-0-s6-best-buy-work-from-home-deals

iPad Mini

 — $350, was $400

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The iPad Mini sports a nearly identical design to its predecessor. The bezels are still as chunky as ever, which is baffling considering the rest of the world’s gadgets, including the iPad Pro, have moved on from this outdated design trend. Nevertheless, the iPad Mini is still the best tablet that you can get for its size. It offers speedy performance, fluid software, and a gorgeous display. It’s also the most affordable option in Apple’s tablet lineup. Right now, you can purchase the iPad Mini with 64GB of memory on Best Buy for $350 instead of $400 – a cool $50 worth of savings.

Despite the lack of an edge-to-edge screen, the iPad Mini’s Retina display with a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution looks great, with sharp details and vibrant colors, and images appear completely natural, thanks to Apple’s True Tone technology. The home button below also serves as the Touch ID lock, and it’s very responsive even for users who have already gotten used to the convenience of Face ID. This tablet is powered by the same chip that’s inside Apple’s latest iPhones — the A12 Bionic processor — which is still one of the fastest mobile processors on the market. It won’t perform as well as the latest iPad Pro’s A12X Bionic chip, but it’s still impressively fast. If you’re looking to do some light editing work on Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Rush, you won’t encounter any problems, although the tiny screen might be an issue.

Unfortunately, the iPad Mini lacks Smart Keyboard support, which means you’ll need to buy a third-party keyboard case (or a detached Bluetooth keyboard) if you want to use it for writing. At least it now supports the first-gen Apple Pencil, which was previously only compatible with the iPad Pro (the second-gen remains exclusive with the iPad Pro). This makes the iPad Mini great for drawing and taking notes.

With a tiny 7.9-inch screen and a product weight of just 0.66 pounds, the iPad Mini is ideal for those who travel a lot and don’t want their hands to grow weary with prolonged use. Get one for $350 on Best Buy today.

For more options, visit our curated deals page for more kids tablet deals, tablet deals, and iPad deals.

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Timothy Taylor
Timothy Taylor
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Timothy is a deals writer for Digital Trends that specializes in finding the best discounts on smartphones, wireless…
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