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Best tablets for every budget: iPad Mini, MS Surface Pro, and more

Best tablets for the holiday season will still be competitively priced up through Christmas. Read on for the best tablets to fit any budget.

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP/File
An Apple employee demonstrates the iPad Mini in San Francisco. The holidays are a great time for tablet sales, and Dealnews has a rundown of the best tablets for any budget.
  • By Marcy Bonebright Guest blogger

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2013 offered up some amazing tablet sales, and the savings just keep coming! With that in mind, today we're highlighting the best tablets of the week. Check out the best price we've ever seen for a 13" tablet, an all-time price low for the iPad with Retina, and a $128 savings on the Microsoft Surface Pro.

Hannspree 13.3" 16GB Android Tablet

Store: TigerDirect
Price: $199.99 with $6 s&h
Lowest By: $29
Is It Worth It?: With its 13.3" 1280x800 IPS multitouch LCD, the 2.6-lb. Hannspree 16GB Android tablet is a great laptop replacement for casual users. Powered by an ARM 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, this tablet also has the power to keep you productive. Best of all, this Editors' Choice tablet is tied as the lowest price we've seen for any 13" tablet. Other features include 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, front- and rear-facing cameras, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, and Android 4.2.2 OS (Jelly Bean).

Apple iPad with Retina Display 16GB WiFi Tablet

Store: MicroCenter
Price: $359.99 with in-store pickup
Lowest By: $50
Is It Worth It?: If you live near a MicroCenter location (or have a good friend who does), then you don't want to miss this price drop on the 4th-generation iPad. Available in Black or White, you can pick up this Apple tablet at the Editors' Choice price of $360. That's a $50 savings over current prices elsewhere and an all-time low for a new unit. This previous-generation iPad model is just 0.4" thick, weighs 1.4 lbs. and features a 9.7" 2048x1536 Retina display, A6X dual-core processor with quad-core graphics, a 5-megapixel iSight camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, and iOS 6.

Refurbished Apple iPad mini 32GB WiFi Tablet

Store: Apple Store
Price: $419 with free shipping
Lowest By: $80
Is It Worth It?: If you're not in the market for a full-size iPad, grab a factory-refurbished iPad mini 64GB WiFi tablet in White or Black for just $419. This 1st-generation tablet comes with a 1-year Apple warranty (the same as a new unit), and costs $80 less than a new one elsewhere. This 0.3"-thick tablet weighs 0.7 lbs. and features an Apple A5 1GHz dual-core processor, a 7.9" 1024x768 LED-backlit touchscreen LCD, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, and iOS 6.
Don't want to be limited by WiFi access? The Apple Store also offers a selection of factory-refurbished iPad mini WiFi + 4G tablets for AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. With prices starting at $359, each model is tied with its pre-Black Friday price and at the best price we've seen for refurbished iPad minis with a full 1-year Apple warranty.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10.6" 128GB Windows 8 Tablet

Store: Microsoft Store
Price: $679 with free shipping
Lowest By: $128
Is It Worth It?: Coming in at $69 under our Black Friday week mention and $128 under the best price we could find elsewhere, this Microsoft Store offer for the Surface Pro 10.6" 128GB Windows 8 tablet is an easy Editors' Choice pick. (Select the 128GB capacity to see this deal. Best Buy offers it for the same price.) Weighing 1.5 lbs., the Surface Pro features an Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz dual-core processor, a 10.6" 1920x1080 (1080p) multi-touch LCD, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal flash storage, front- and rear-facing 720p cameras, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, and Windows 8 Pro.
Don't mind a refurb? Manufacturer Certified via eBay offers the refurbished Microsoft Surface Pro 10.6" 64GB Windows 8 Tablet for $499 with free shipping, or the refurbished 128GB model for $599, also with free shipping. Whichever capacity you choose, you'll get an Editors' Choice deal, as both models represent the lowest price we've ever seen for these tablets.

Vtech InnoTab 3S Learning App Tablet

Store: Kmart
Price: $69.99 with free shipping
Lowest By: $9
Expires: December 25
Is It Worth It?: If you're looking to score a great deal on kids' tablet, check out the Vtech InnoTab 3S, in Blue, Pink, or Sofia. At just $70, you'll save $9 on this tablet, which features a kid-friendly Web browser and loads of interactive, educational apps and games. (Amazon offers this tablet for the same price.) Additional features include a 5" touchscreen, 4GB of internal storage, and a 2-megapixel camera.

Marcy Bonebright is a features writer for Dealnews.com, where this article first appeared: http://dealnews.com/features/Tablets-for-Every-Budget-Cheapest-iPad-with-Retina-MS-Surface-Pro-for-680/931746.html

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