Black Friday iPad live blog: the best Apple tablet deals around
(Image credit: Future)
The Black Friday iPad deals are a cornerstone of the post-Thanksgiving sales rush, and this year is no different – we’re seeing deals on the iPad Pro, iPad Mini, iPad Air and more, and there’s almost certainly more to come as retailers fall over themselves to get the iPad deal.
We’ve got a huge iPad section in our Black Friday deals roundup – they’re proving pretty popular as our readers try and grab a deal for themselves or an excellent Christmas present. We’re going to spend the next 24 hours finding all the best iPad deals for you – just bookmark this page or leave it autorefreshing in a tab, we’re fine with either.
Black Friday iPad deals: US
Amazon: $100 off the latest iPad ProBest Buy: up to $150 off iPads, with Apple Music bonusApple: Get an extra voucher with certain purchasesWalmart: Limited sale that matches other retailers Adorama: Small price cuts on Pro and Air modelsB&H Photo: Discounts on 256GB iPad Pro 2021
Black Friday iPad: UK
Amazon: over £150 off the top-end iPad Pro modelsCurrys: £50 off some iPad Pro modelsJohn Lewis: Save up to £150 with a trade-inArgos: £150 off a 512GB iPad Pro 2021Apple: Get extra vouchers on certain purchasesVery: Minor discounts on iPads selling out fast
Welcome to our iPad Black Friday deals live blog – we’ve got our main page that’s rounding up all the deals, but there’s going to be so much shifting in terms of prices today that we’re not sure it can catch up – so live blogging makes much more sense.
We’re going to be looking out for the best deals on the iPad units, obviously, but there’s a world of stands, cases and Pencils to talk about too – stick around and we’ll give you all you need to know.
Let’s start here: the current best iPad deal in the US is the iPad Air 2020, which is down to $539, and in the UK it’s the iPad Pro 11 (from 2021) that costs just £699 in this year’s Black Friday sales.
If you’re in the UK or US and want to take our (excellent) recommendation for the best iPad deal, you’ll want to invest in an Apple Pencil.
Both of these iPads have high-quality touchscreens that mean the addition of Apple’s stylus dramatically enhances their usefulness. I still don’t love scrawling on a piece of glass – I wish it felt more like paper – but there’s no doubting having one of these is a real win – especially when the pen sticks magnetically to the side of the tablet.
With that in mind, the Apple Pencil 2 (with said magnets in it) costs just $99 at Amazon in the US, and £99 in the UK… again with Amazon, the brand that clearly doesn’t give a hoot about exchange rates.
(Image credit: Future)
Look, we want to foster a good relationship here, between you and I. You need to trust me that I’m looking for the good deals for you – and with that in mind, I need to tell you that I’m not currently seeing any good iPad deals for the iPad 2021, the 10.2-inch model from this year.
I think that’s got the potential to really rocket this year, even though it’s new – but then again, it keeps going out of stock with key retailers like Amazon, which hints that maybe there aren’t enough to stay around.
If you want it in the US, you can get the 64GB version for $329, and in the UK you’re looking at £319 for the same device… again, that’s not great on the ol’ exchange rate.
Right, time for another piece of accessory chat – this time, it’s the Apple Magic Keyboard, which I see as something of a conundrum.
It’s genuinely game-changing on the iPad Pro or the iPad Air – it allows you to make the iPad far more like a computer, with the large track pad and very clickable keys. I loved it… but it costs $349.
NOT ANY LONGER! In the US, Best Buy has it for $199. While that’s still a huge extra amount, it’s a lot less, and if you’re going to invest in the iPad experience, I say it’s worth it.
(Image credit: Future)
Right – let’s fill you in on another iPad that we’ve been checking out – and this is one that I really would recommend if you can afford it.
The iPad Pro 12.9 is a superb tablet, with our review showing just how versatile and powerful it can be – it can handle any task you throw at it, and the screen uses the new mini LED (or Liquid Retina XDR, if you give it Apple’s fancy name) to look great.
But honestly, having a 13-inch screen in your bag is excellent – I loved it and you should too. For $999 for the 128GB version in the US, it’s not the worst price in the world, given it was $1,099 to start.
In the UK the same model is £949, so you don’t save as much (it started at £999), but it’s still decent to see savings on this top model.
