The Black Friday iPad Deals Are Selling Out Quickly, Here Are the Best Deals of 2024

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. Deals on select Apple iPads – including new 2024 models – have already gone live at Amazon and Target now that Black Friday is here. The only problem is that pricing and inventory fluctuates throughout the day, so it’s important to jump on a fabulous deal when you see one. From past experience, I actually do not expect these deals to return on Cyber Monday.

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

iPad 10th Gen

The 10th gen Apple iPad is all the way down to $249.99 exclusively on Amazon. For most people, the iPad (not the Air, Mini, or Pro) is the best model to get because it offers nearly all the benefits of the iOS operating system and snappy performance at an affordable price. 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 upgrades include the transition to a USB Type-C port, a better camera, and the Wi-Fi 6 protocol.

iPad Pro (M4)

iPad Pro (M4) 11″

iPad Pro (M4) 13″

The 2024 iPad Pro is the best tablet, iOS or otherwise, thanks to the new M4 processor which is both powerful and power efficient. Amazon has dropped the prices by up to $200 and I don’t think the price will drop any further. In our 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.”

Compared to the previous generation iPad M2, the new M4 chip boosts performance across the board by about 20%. However, the biggest update of the iPad Pro is actually the newer processor, 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 display is much smaller, but that’s also why the iPad Pro is priced much higher than the other iPads in Apple’s 2024 lineup.

iPad Air (M2)

iPad Air (M2) 11″

iPad Air (M2) 13″

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.

We chose the iPad Air as our best iPad of 2024 because it’s the ideal tablet for both casual and professional use — from watching videos, listening to music, drawing with the Apple Pencil to getting some work done with the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio or Apple Magic Keyboard.

iPad Mini (A17 Pro)

The 2024 iPad Mini is now only $399.99 $459, again exclusively at Amazon (make sure you clip the coupon code on the product page). This is a pretty huge discount, considering the fact that it was released just over a month ago on October 23. 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 measuring 7.7″ long, 5.3″ wide, and only 0.25″ thin, but still manages to pack in a gorgeous 8.3″ Liquid Retina display with True Tone, P3 Wide Color, and ultra-low reflectivity. This new generation improves upon its predecessor, with a more powerful A17 Pro processor, double the base storage capacity, an updated faster Wi-Fi 6e protocol, a USB Type-C port that offers faster charging, compatibility with the newer Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), and upcoming support for Apple Intelligence.

iPad Mini 6th Gen (A15 Bionic)

iPad Mini 6th Gen

Don’t discount the older iPad Mini just yet. Even with the release of the new iPad Mini, the 6th gen iPad Mini has plenty of power and features under the hood that keep it up to date. As part of Target’s Black Friday Sale, you can get it for $299.99 $349, making it an attractive buy. Like its successor, the 6th gen iPad Mini boasts an 8.3″ Liquid Retina display with True Tone, P3 Wide Color, and ultra-low reflectivity. It’s powered by an Apple A15 Bionic processor, which is still superior to the A14 Bionic found on the 10 generation iPad. It’s also equipped with a USB Type-C port for supports the Apple Pencil 2 Apple Pencil (USB-C) for better workflow.

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. These are just some of Apple’s Black Friday deals, so check out the rest if you’re in the Apple ecosystem.

Will the Deals Change for Cyber Monday?In my experience, many of the same deals we saw on Black Friday will return for Cyber Monday 2024, including deals that were sold out or expired. Retailers usually release their hottest selling items in batches so that every sale event has at least some inventory reserved. That said, I also expect plenty of new, never before seen deals. Traditionally, Black Friday was known as the “retail holiday,” where the best deals were found in-store, and Cyber Monday was known as the “online holiday,” where the best deals were online only. Although today the lines have blurred, it is still true that many online only retailers still consider Cyber Monday the sale event of the year instead of Black Friday. Expect some amazing sales to come out of online-only sites like Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP, Lenovo and several online-only deals from traditional retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. In fact, Amazon has taken the preemptive and already switched over to Cyber Monday.

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:

Dec 1, 2024 1:15 am