Update 11/20/24: While Black Friday is still about a week or so out, there are still some great deals worth grabbing. We’ve updated the deals below to the latest prices and changed a couple of the deals to new ones with better deals on them. Be sure to check back as we update these deals regularly!
It may seem like Black Friday deals are in the distant future, but actually, there are some awesome early Black Friday deals already happening. Because there are so many, we’ve spent the time to focus on some key areas. The focus here is iPad deals – if you’re interest in other tablets, check out our Black Friday tablet deals roundup for more. There are some big discounts on highly sought-after tablets. Read on and we’ll take you through the best iPad deals along with some insight into what to consider when buying one. Different iPads appeal to different people, so there’s something for everyone here.
While you’re loving all things Apple, don’t forget to check out the early Black Friday Apple Watch deals, Black Friday Apple Watch deals, and our general roundup of all the best early Black Friday Apple deals.
Apple iPad 10th generation — $319 $3499% off
If you want the latest iPad, check out the Apple iPad 10th generation. Our iPad 10 review explains it offers a great modern design and a “plenty powerful” processor, as well as strong battery life. Its larger display looks good too, so it’s a good budget all-rounder.
Apple iPad 9th generation — $330 $47931% off
As our Apple iPad 9th generation review explains, the tablet has great battery life, amazing software support, and powerful internals for its time. It may be older tech now, but it’s still pretty powerful and well supported. It’s a good budget entry point to all things iPad.
Apple iPad mini — $350 $49930% off
This is my favorite iPad. It’s described as a “little powerhouse” in our Apple iPad mini review. It’s very portable, has a great screen, and it’s pretty powerful for the price. It’s perfect for settling into the couch and relaxing with some games.
Apple iPad Air 11-inch M2 — $499 $59917% off
Described as “almost everything you want” in our Apple iPad Air review, this particular model has the faster M2 chip. It has a gorgeous Liquid Retina display, so it’s great for gaming as well as video editing, proving well as a laptop replacement.
Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M2) — $699 $79913% off
If you want something with a bigger screen but a similar level of power, this 13-inch version is a great choice. It still has the M2 chip under the hood, and while it doesn’t have as large a discount, the 8% off is a nice little reduction that we appreciate.
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch M4 — $1,649 $1,7998% off
Our Apple iPad Pro M4 review described it as “the best tablet I’ve ever used.” It’s powerful, with a sublime OLED screen and fantastic performance. It also has “top-notch speakers” and “surprisingly good battery life,” but bear in mind that it could be more powerful than you actually need.
How to choose an iPad on Black Friday
All the best iPads are pretty special, but each is best suited for certain scenarios. Why do you need an iPad? For most people, the iPad Air is the best all-rounder. The iPad Pro can be overly powerful for most regular situations and has a price tag to match that, while the iPad Air is fast, sleek, and not too prohibitively expensive. However, if you want one of the best tablets for portability, the iPad mini is a great choice. It’s well suited for delegating to your kids as it’s easy to hold yet still pretty powerful. It has a great looking screen too.
Now you’ve figured out which type of iPad is best for you, another major consideration is storage. You can’t upgrade the store of your iPad after purchase, so you want to get this right. Wherever possible, err on the side of more is more. Don’t go for the lowest amount of storage. Many people will be fine with one step up from that, but think carefully about this. If you plan on having many games installed, or you’re doing video editing on your iPad (which the iPad Air and Pro are particularly great at), you need more.
How we chose these iPad Prime Day deals
We know our way around iPad deals and spend our days seeking them out. Because of that, we’re in a great spot to know when these early Black Friday iPad deals are actually good and when they’re just incremental discounts that aren’t really worth your time. In addition to that, we also know what a good iPad is to own. Our writers own iPads and use them regularly, so we know what works best for which situation.
That combined knowledge means you can trust these deals. We update them regularly, so you always know where the best prices are and what’s worth buying. We won’t feature ageing iPads that aren’t really worth the investment, as even the best discount won’t make those tempting. Instead, we focus on the products that we would recommend to our friends and family, as well as the ones we’re tempted by ourselves.