I found the 5 best back-to-school tablet deals among today's early Labor Day sales

Apple iPad Air: $599 $549 @ Apple w/ free $100 Apple Gift Card
Students, teachers, parents, and faculty can pick up an iPad Air 6 starting from $549 and receive a free $100 Apple Gift Card. The iPad Air 6 is 50% faster than the previous-gen iPad Air 5 and features landscape stereo speakers. Made of 100% recycled aluminum enclosure the new iPad Air works with the Apple MacBook Keyboard and Apple Pencil.

Features: 11-inch Liquid Retina display with P3 wide color,  True Tone, and anti-reflective coating, Apple M2 Chip, 128GB of storage, 12MP wide wide camera, 12MP Ultra-wide front camera, supports Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil USB-C and Magic Keyboard

11" Apple iPad Pro M4: $999 $899 @ Apple+ FREE $100 Apple Gift Card
Lowest price! Get a free $100 Apple gift card from the Apple Education Store when you buy the iPad Pro. Students and faculty save $100 on the iPad Pro M4, so prices start from $899. The 2024 iPad Pro starts at $999 and has storage capacity options from 256GB up to 2TB. Apple's 2024 iPad Pro is the thinnest ever and, for the first time, features a state-of-the-art display called Tandem OLED, which delivers 1000 nits of full-screen brightness and up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness.

Features: 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED, Apple M4 9-core chip, 256GB of storage.

Price check: Amazon $928 | Best Buy $949 w/ Plus

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024): $329 $209 @ Amazon
Lowest price! This limited-time Amazon back-to-school deal knocks $120 off the 2024 Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite from Amazon. Samsung's refreshed Galaxy Tab S6 Lite packs an Exynos 8-core processor and runs on Android 14 and One UI 6.1. It also ships with an S Pen which makes it great for sketching, jotting down notes and so much more. 

Features: 10.4-inch WUXGA+ (2000 x 1200) TFT display, Samsung Exynos 1280 8-core processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage (microSD-expandable up to 1TB), 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, AKG-tuned dual speakers, Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v 5.3, 7,040mAh battery, up to 14 hours of battery life, One UI 6.1, Android 14

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE: $449 $332 @ Samsung
Samsung's Education Offers Program knocks $117 off the 10.9-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE. Sister site Tom's Guide rates its big brother, the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus 3.5 out of 5 stars. Some of the tablet's highlights are its premium design, large, bright display, and solid battery life. The nifty S Pen is also a welcome accessory for taking notes, marking up documents, and drawing.  

Features: 10.9-inch (2304 x 1440) touch screen, S Pen, Samsung Exynos 1380 8-core CPU, 6GB RAM, IP68 water-and dust-resistant, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, 128GB of storage (microSD-expandable up to 1TB), dual speakers w/ Dolby Atmos, 10,090mAh battery, 2 x AKG stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, optional Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus Keyboard Cover (sold separately), Android 13 (upgradeable to Android 15)

Price check: Best Buy $349

Google Pixel Tablet w/ Charging Speaker Dock (256GB): $599 $349 @ Best Buy
Save $100 on the Editor's Choice Google Pixel Tablet with Charging Speaker Dock bundle. When attached to the dock, you can play room-filling music, use it to control smart devices or pull up recipes on YouTube. If you're a Google ecosystem dweller or just looking for a premium Android tablet and love the convenience of Google Assistant, the Pixel Tablet is an excellent choice.I bought the standalone Pixel Tablet three months and I've been obsessed with it ever since.

Features: 11-inch (2560 x 1600) touchscreen, 1080p video recording, Google's Tensor G2 processor, fingerprint reader, 256GB of storage, charging speaker dock included.