The Best Black Friday iPad Deals Are Already Here

Apple has a reputation of being stingy when it comes to discounts and sales, but you’ll be still be able to take advantage of significant savings on iPads during the holiday season. Although we are still weeks away from Black Friday, most of the Apple iPad models – including the ones that were released this year – have already dropped to the lowest prices we’ve ever seen. Many of these deals are likely to be the same ones we’ll see from Apple on Black Friday proper, so it might be a good idea to get ahead of the rush and start your holiday shopping now before the rest of the crowd wakes up.

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The list of iPads and their lowest prices are listed above. For a breakdown of each iPad model, then read on below.

iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ 64GB

This super popular deal is back ahead of Black Friday. Amazon is currently offering a brand new 9th gen (2021) Apple iPad 10.2″ Wi-Fi 64GB tablet for only $199.99. That’s 40% off the $329 list price and the lowest price we’ve seen. This is the most affordable iPad model you can get brand new with warranty.For most people, the iPad (not the Air, Mini, or Pro) is the best model to get. Despite its very low price tag, the 9th gen Apple iPad is a fully featured and capable tablet. The 10.2″ Retina display is bright and crisp, and the Apple A13 Bionic chip offers good CPU and GPU performance. The iPad is also equipped with both a front-facing camera for voice chat and rear camera for taking photos and videos. This is a great option for school, work, or simply relaxing with your favorite movie, book, or streaming service.

iPad 10th Gen 10.9″ 64GB

The 10th gen iPad was released in 2022 at a launch price of $449, but it’s all the way down to $299 for Black Friday. This model has significant improvements over its predecessor. For starters, it boasts a larger 10.9″ screen without adding to the overall dimensions thanks to a slimmer bezel. It also has a faster A14 Bionic chip, which is a 20% increase in CPU performance and 10% increase in GPU performance over the A13. It’s now compatible with the Magic Folio keyboard so you can convert it into a mini laptop for better workflow (making it one of the best iPads for students). Other welcome features include the transition to a universal USB Type-C port, a better camera, and an updated Wi-Fi 6 protocol. For people with more demanding needs, the upgrades are worth the $100 surcharge.

iPad Mini (A17 Pro) 8.3″ 128GB

The new iPad Mini was released in October of 2024, and it’s already on sale. The iPad Mini may be the most diminutive tablet of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean it’s hindered in any way. This is the most compact and portable iPad and it’s not that much bigger than an iPhone Pro Max. It sports a 8.3″ Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 Wide Color. It has some pretty significant improvements that are well worth the $50 surcharge over the previous generation model. Upgrades include a more power A17 Pro processor, double the base storage capacity, the newer and faster Wi-Fi 6e protocol,a higher bandwidth USB Type-C port, compatibility with the newer Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), and upcoming Apple Intelligence support. If you’re looking for a powerful yet pocketable iPad, this is definitely your pick.

iPad Mini 6th Gen (A15 Bionic) 8.3″ 64GB

Even with the release of the new 2024 model, the 2021 6th gen iPad Mini is still relevant and costs $50 less. It’s powered by an Apple A15 Bionic processor that’s superior to the A14 Bionic found on the newest standard iPad. It has a USB Type-C port for non-legacy charging and supports the Apple Pencil 2 for better workflow.

iPad Air (M2)

iPad Air (M2) 11″ 128GB

iPad Air (M2) 13″ 128GB

The 2024 iPad Air is nearly as powerful as the iPad Pro but at a much lower price point. It comes in two sizes, an 11″ display with 2360-by-1640 (264ppi) resolution and a 13″ display with 2732×2048 (264ppi) resolution. The display is superior to the one found on the standard iPad model with more premium features like P3 wide color, True Tone, and an ultra-low reflectivity film that helps combat glare and direct sunlight. Upgrades over the previous gen iPad Air include an M2 chip that’s 15% faster in CPU performance and 25% faster in GPU performance over the M1, compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, and adoption of newer connectivity standards like Wi-Fi 6E and USB Type-C.

iPad Pro (M4)

iPad Pro (M4) 11″ 256GB

iPad Pro (M4) 13″ 512GB

In our 2024 iPad Pro M4 review, Jacqueline Thomas wrote, “For creative professionals, the 2024 iPad Pro is the most powerful tablet on the market and is going to shine if your work revolves around a touchscreen. For the rest of us, though, the iPad Pro is simply the most beautiful display you’ll find in a tablet, with hardware that’s powerful enough to be a top-end device for years to come.”

The 2024 iPad Pro is the most powerful tablet on the market, iOS or otherwise, thanks to the new M4 processor which is both powerful and power efficient. Compared to the previous generation iPad M2, it performs about 20% better. However, the biggest update of the iPad Pro is not the M4 chip, but instead the tandem OLED panel which hadn’t previously been seen on an Apple product. Tandem OLED is better than traditional OLED in two ways: (1) it’s far brighter and (2) it’s less prone to burn-in. If you’re wondering why this technology hasn’t found its way into TVs, the answer is simply because it’s not cost effective. The iPad can get away with it because the 11″ screen is much smaller, but that’s also why the iPad Pro is priced much higher than the other iPads in Apple’s 2024 lineup.

Should I wait for better prices on Black Friday?Black Friday is the best opportunity to score some great deals on electronics, and Apple products are no exception. You might be wondering just how low these prices can go. Although we have no direct feedback from Apple themselves, we have years of our own historical price trends to back up our predictions. At this point, Black Friday is close enough that there’s certainly no harm waiting. That said, we don’t expect these iPad prices to drop much further, if at all. The iPads most likely to drop in price are the iPad 10th Gen, the iPad Air 11″, and the iPad Pro. If Amazon isn’t your preferred vendor (or if they run out of stock), I expect these deals to be available at Best Buy and Walmart as well. The Apple Store will also host its own Black Friday Sale, although these deals usually aren’t nearly as good as the third party retailers.

Looking for more iPad resources?If you’re not sure which iPad is best for you, we have an iPad guide which details which iPad is ideal for which use case. If you intend want to get an iPad for schoolwork, we have an iPad guide for students as well. If you’re looking for options outside of iOS, check out the best Android tablets of 2024.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Originally posted:

Nov 6, 2024 9:40 pm