The iPad mini 5 drops back to its lowest prices ever

Amazon and Best Buy have slashed the price of the latest iPad mini with Wi-Fi by $49, bringing it back down to the lowest prices we’ve ever seen for those sites. That discount allows you to get the entry-level 64GB model for $349.99 , down from the normal retail price of $399.99. The roomier 256GB model is selling for $500 with the discount. You can also find these same prices at Best Buy .

If you’re interested, we recommend hopping on this deal now because the units are selling quickly. At the time of writing, only the Space Gray model remains fully in stock at Amazon. If you want a wider choice in colors, check out Best Buy’s listing.

Here are a few more specs:

• 7.9-inch Retina Display with True Tone
• A12 Bionic chip
• Touch ID
• 8MP back camera
• 7MP FaceTime HD front camera
• Stereo speakers
• Roughly 10 hours of battery life

For more information, be sure to check out our review of Apple’s scrappy tablet from April of last year. The device’s extreme portability isn’t as attractive as it used to be now that we’re all sheltering in place, but it’s still the iPad I reach for when I want to read a digital book on the couch. Here’s how I wrapped up my thoughts at the time:

“If you want more display space than what you get on your iPhone XS Max but also don’t want to worry about a gigantic tablet falling on your face when you’re watching a movie in bed—and believe me, I’ve been there—the iPad mini gets the job done. If you want a Paperwhite-like device that’s quite capable of performing other tasks, the iPad mini has you covered. It’s even decent for reading magazines in Apple News+ that are still in PDF format, and it makes a good sketch pad (if not a massive canvas) with an Apple Pencil. If you’re looking for portability in a tablet above all else, this mini marvel towers above the rest.”