Here are the best Black Friday 2021 tablet deals
In many cases, the deals are for older-model tablets, and not just for the best Android tablets either. So if you have been looking for a budget tablet you can use to knock around with at home, a premium one to use for work or bring on vacation, or one you can comfortably hand over to the kids, now is the time to save. A tablet is a great gift under the tree, ideal for playing games, watching videos, or, with some models, even for doing work when you attach a keyboard or use a stylus pen.
Best tablet deals:
Major online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are already giving a sneak peek into the kinds of deals they will be offering and even starting to discount items.
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.
Where to find the best Black Friday tablet dealsCompared 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 found thus far. Also keep your eye on Best Buy, which is running 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
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 seen major price reductions as well. Apple tablet deals are harder to come by, but we have seen a respectable iPad Pro (2021) discount already.
We expect plenty more deals to be had 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. 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 being said, if you see a deal you like now, there's no guarantee that same model will be discounted on Black Friday. If you see a deal you like now, snag them before they're gone and cross something off your holiday list.
Black Friday Android tablet deals: Amazon Fire
Among the best Amazon Fire tablets, we've spotted discounts on the Fire HD 8 (2020), 2019 Fire HD 10, and Fire HD 10 Plus earlier this month. However, most are currently full price; Amazon is clearly saving the best deals for closer to the main Black Friday event. The best deal we could find is the Fire HD 10 Productivity bundle, currently $50 off.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Productivity bundle
Want a Fire HD device you can use for work as well as play? The 2021 Fire HD 10 has a 10-inch screen and 3GB of RAM to help it handle productivity apps. The productivity bundle comes with an attachable keyboard, detachable case, and a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal.
Looking through last year's Black Friday Amazon Fire tablets deals, we never saw any deals more than $85 off on the day itself, with $60 to $70 in most cases. We saw similar discounts earlier in the month, and if you see those price cuts again prior to Black Friday, there's no reason to wait for something better! Amazon Fire tablets are already pretty darn affordable, making these Black Friday discounts especially impressive.
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.
As of today, the best deals are on various generations of the iPad Pro. The 2021 model is one of the best laptop-replacement tablets for students that we've ever seen, but older models are cheaper and still have plenty to offer.
Apple iPad 12.9-inch Pro (2021)
$1,099 at Amazon ($100 off) $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 12.9-inch Pro (4th gen)
$1,000 at Best Buy (256GB)$1,100 at Best Buy (512GB)
If you want to save a little money, the 4th-gen iPad Pros are discounted for Black Friday, so you can get more storage for the same price. It has the Bionic A12Z instead of the M1, but the same battery life, design, pixels per inch in the display, and other similar perks.
Apple iPad 12.9-inch Pro (2nd gen)
For the cheapest iPad Pro available, the 2nd-gen model is more dated but still has plenty of firepower. It also has a 12.9-inch retina display with the same ppi and brightness and Apple Pencil support, though you do lose out on some newer perks like the M1 chip and an improved FaceTime camera.
The lesson here is that you shouldn't wait: if you see even a small iPad discount on a newer model like the 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 AmazonFrom $499 at Samsung
Thanks to its Snapdragon 865+ processor with 6GB of RAM, 11-inch LCD display 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 AmazonFrom $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.
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 series gives you former flagship quality at a lower price.
The other Black Friday tablet deals
Outside of Apple, Amazon, and Samsung, there are other Black Friday tablet deals to look out for. We've seen deals on Lenovo tablets, which tend to be affordable rivals to the Galaxy Tab A series. But for some tablet deals, you'll want to look outside of iPadOS or Android.
For example, we've seen $200 off the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 at Amazon. It's a 2-in-1 laptop with a touchscreen and removable keyboard, meaning it can work as a tablet while primarily functioning as a work device. Or you could look at the best Black Friday Chromebook deals, as several Chromebooks have 2-in-1 designs and can function as tablets. These devices are typically more expensive but also will have bigger discounts during Black Friday.