Why You Can Trust CNET Tablet Tuesday: Get a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 for $399.99
Well, sort of: You need to trade in any working tablet and schlep out to a Best Buy store to do so.
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As you know, I'm all about cheap tablets. The cheaper, the better, especially if you don't need them to do any heavy lifting.
But what if you're looking for a tablet that's really state-of-the-art, something that's going to be your full-time friend for watching movies, reading books, hitting up the Web and maybe even managing your business? Now we're into premium-tablet territory, and that means spending at least $500, right?
Not today: If you've got an old tablet clunker lying around, Best Buy will give you a $100 trade-in bonus when you purchase a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 -- the new Rolls Royce of Android-powered tablets. That means you can get the 8-inch model for $299.99 or the 9.7-inch for $399.99. Still pricey, yes, but still an unusually good deal on a brand-new SKU.
First, the particulars: Take your working (i.e., undamaged and able to be powered on) tablet to a Best Buy store, where you'll receive a $50-off coupon (good only on a Galaxy Tab S2) and a $50 Best Buy gift card. (I'm not clear whether the latter can be immediately applied to your Galaxy Tab purchase or must be used later on something else.)
Second, the tablet: The new S2 models have received positively glowing reviews over the past couple weeks. Although CNET hasn't done a full-on review yet (here's the First Take ), I'll add my two cents because I recently spent some time with the Tab S2 9.7.
Put simply, it's a sweet piece of hardware. Amazingly thin, amazingly light, very fast, and expandable in the way all tablets should be: with a microSD slot. Of course, I didn't love the $500 price tag, even if it did include twice the storage (32GB) of the comparable iPad Air 2.
Will prices drop in the months to come? Sure, but right now it's just about impossible to find it anywhere below SRP. The Best Buy deal effectively shaves off $100. If you want a premium tablet and can find a working trade-in, this is worth a look!
Bonus deal: Game time! If you like open-world games that involve running, gunning and dangling from airplanes, it's time you played Saints Row IV (PC), currently on sale at Amazon for $3.99. (That four bucks buys you a code for redemption on Steam.) GameSpot's review put it best: "Saints Row IV's crazy missions, fun superpowers, and funny writing make it an enjoyable way to live out your destructive fantasies." And just think: In the next 12-18 months, you'll probably be able to score Saints Row V for the same price!