Tech Talk

If you're in the market for a Black Friday tablet deal, you have a wealth of options to choose from this year. Not only are some of the best Android tablets from Samsung and Amazon available at a discount ahead of Black Friday, we've even seen some rare deals on iPads and iPad Pros. Some of the price cuts are deep enough that you'll want to snag one before the main deals event.

Best tablet deals:

• Amazon Fire
• Apple
• Samsung
• Other Black Friday Android tablet deals

If you're in the market for a cheap tablet, start your search with a Fire tablet. Nearly all of the best Amazon tablets are on sale in the lead up to Black Friday and could dip to even lower prices starting on Thanksgiving. Or, you could look into some other great cheap Android tablets from Samsung or Lenovo; some of the Galaxy Tab A7 or S6 series are steeply discounted right now.

Major online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart have already fully begun their Black Friday tablet deals if you don't want to wait for Friday. Have a look through this list to see some deals you can get right now, and check back as we'll be updating it as new deals become available.

Black Friday Android tablet deals: Amazon Fire

Among the best Amazon Fire tablets, most of them are currently 50% off for Black Friday week, in some of the best deals we've seen outside of Prime Day. That includes our top pick, the solid Fire HD 8 (2020), the new Fire HD 10 Plus, and even some Fire Kids tablet deals

Looking through last year's Black Friday Amazon Fire tablets deals, most were somewhere between $30 and $70 off, with the bigger discounts on older tablets. This year, with deals like $75 off the new Fire HD 10, $80 off the Fire HD Kids 10 Pro, and $125 off the Productivity Bundle, plus 50% off most tablets, you're already seeing better deals than last year.

We don't expect the deals to get much better on Black Friday itself, so we say go ahead and pick your favorite. You won't save that much more if you wait, and you'll regret it if you wait too long and miss out.

If you want our advice on which tablet to buy, the Fire HD 8 will save you money while offering basically the same experience as the newer Fire HD 10 Plus. The latter gives you a larger screen and slightly more RAM, but it's not as comfortable to hold as the compact 8-inch nor as affordable. We'd suggest only getting the 10 if you really value screen real estate, and the deal price lessens the blow. Or, looks at the Kids Editions if you're buying for someone younger.

Black Friday tablet deals: Apple iPad

Black Friday iPad deals have tended to be slim pickings in previous years. Last year, we spotted $50 off the iPad Pro (2nd gen) and $20 off the iPad Mini — not exactly doorbusters. But given how stingy Apple can be with discounts, it's better than nothing if you're shelling out Apple-level money on a tablet.

This year, Apple will offer $100 gift cards if you buy the iPad Pro (2021), starting on Friday, 11/26. But that still means you'll be paying full price. If you want a more traditional Black Friday discount, we've seen the 2021 Pro — one of our top picks for the best tablets for students — for $100 off upfront.

Apple iPad 12.9-inch Pro (2021)

$999 at Amazon ($100 off) $999 at Best Buy $999 at Walmart

It's rare that Apple ever discounts new products, much less premium ones, so this deal is one you won't want to miss. Save up to $200 off the brand-new iPad Pro with its new M1 chip, 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color, and up to 1600 nits of peak brightness.

Apple iPad 11-inch Pro (2021)

$750 at Amazon ($50 off) $750 at Best Buy

If you're okay downgrading your tablet size a bit, this year's iPad Pro 11-inch will save you plenty of money and give you very similar performance and specs, including the blazing-fast M1 chip and 264 PPI with a Liquid Retina display. It's even a half-pound lighter, making it easier to hold for long streaming sessions.

The lesson here is that you shouldn't wait: if you see even a small iPad discount on a newer model like the iPad Pro or iPad Mini 6, grab it while stock lasts. Older tablets like the iPad Air 2020 seem more likely to have bigger deals, but that's only a guess.

Black Friday Android tablet deals: Samsung

Among the best Android tablets if price is no object, three Galaxy S7 tablets top the list: the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7+, and Galaxy S7 FE. And all three have been discounted at various points throughout November.

Thanks to the upcoming Galaxy Tab S8, Samsung is clearing out stock to prepare for the new launch, making this a prime time to snag a deal on these still-excellent S7 tablets. Right now, the best deals are on the S7 and S7+, currently discounted on Samsung's site, as well as on Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

$499 at Amazon From $499 at Samsung

Thanks to its Snapdragon 865+ processor with 6GB of RAM, 11-inch LCD with 120Hz refresh rate, 8,000mAh battery, quad speakers, and 45W fast charging, the Galaxy Tab S7 has all the premium features you could want at a mid-range price.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus

From $699 at Amazon From $699 at Samsung

Upgrade to a 12.4-inch AMOLED display for the best visual quality for all your streaming, gaming, and productivity needs. It also gives you a larger 10,090 mAh battery and in-screen fingerprint sensor, though the processor and RAM are the same. It's a premium device at a lower price than usual.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

From $450 at Best Buy (6GB/128GB) From $530 at Samsung (6GB/256GB) From $430 at Amazon (4GB/64GB)

The 2021 Fan Edition tablet isn't as fast as the other S7 tablets, but it has a massive 12.4-inch display for much less than the smaller S7, plus amazing battery life. The best discount is on the model with 6GB of RAM, which will help the mid-range tablet handle more processor-intensive tasks like DeX mode.

If you're looking for a more affordable Android tablet deal, look to the Galaxy Tab A series or the older S6 series instead. During Black Friday 2020, we saw deals of over $100 off on both tablet lineups. Even if they're not very powerful, the Galaxy Tab A tablets are some of the best cheap Android tablets if you prefer not to buy Amazon. And the S6 Lite series gives you former flagship quality at a lower price.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite

$130 at Best Buy (64GB model, $70 off) $120 at Best Buy (32GB model, $40 off)

With an 8.7-inch display, quad Dolby Atmos speakers, 3GB RAM, 1TB of expandable storage, a durable 5,100mAh battery, and relatively lightweight 13oz design, the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a truly quality device that's especially attractive at this low Black Friday price.

Galaxy Tab A 8" (2019)

$100 at Best Buy ($50 off)

For pure affordability, the Galaxy Tab A tops the list. It's got a compact design that, like the Fire HD 8, is especially handy for streaming in bed or on the go. It's no workhorse but has more than enough juice as a casual streaming device.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

$250 at Best Buy ($100 off, 64GB model) $300 at Best Buy ($130 off, 128GB model)

This tablet skirts the mid-range line between affordable and higher-end tablets. It's more expensive than the Tab A series, but it gives you much more screen space and better performance, making it more likely to give you plenty of longevity. And at $100 to $130 off, it's not that much more expensive.

Where to find the best Black Friday tablet deals

Compared to the best Black Friday phone deals, the best Black Friday tablet deals are much easier to find. Start your search with Amazon; it's had the majority of the tablet deals we've seen thus far. Also, keep your eye on Best Buy, which runs deals throughout November with "Black Friday guaranteed" prices. Walmart could also have some steep discounts as well closer to the main deals event.

• Amazon: The greatest discounts, especially for Fire tablets
• Best Buy: Deals on Samsung, Amazon, and Microsoft tablets
• Walmart: A great retailer for deals on budget tablets

When do the Black Friday tablet deals begin?

At the moment, there are a surprising number of Black Friday Android tablet deals available right now, well before the week of Black Friday. The S7 series are all majorly discounted, while most of the Amazon Fire tablets have also seen major price reductions. Apple tablet deals are harder to come by, but we have already seen a respectable iPad Pro (2021) discount.

We expect plenty more deals on the actual day and week of Black Friday, including deals on both older models you can get at deep discounts and newer ones you can snag for some money off. So whether you want an Android or iOS tablet, a premium or budget model, or a tablet for yourself or for the kids, we expect major Black Friday discounts across the board.

That said, if you see a deal you like now, there's no guarantee that same model will be discounted on Black Friday. So if you see a deal you want now, snag them before they're gone and cross something off your holiday list.