The 20+ best Black Friday tablet deals

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The holiday shopping season officially starts this week, when Black Friday kicks off, and there are deals to be had across retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy on all things tech -- including popular tablets.

Also: The best Black Friday deals: Live updates

If you're looking to buy or gift a tablet this year, those from big brands like Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and more are heavily discounted for the Black Friday shopping weekend. We've scoured retailers and found the best tablet deals live now, so you can check one more thing off your shopping list.

Our favorite tablet deals for Black Friday 2024

Apple iPad Mini (6th gen): $400 (save $100 at Best Buy): The iPad Mini is a powerful tablet packed into a small package (it's our top pick for the best small tablet), with features like support for the second-gen Apple Pencil, a slightly bigger screen size, and a USB-C port for charging and data transfer.Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: $800 (save $400 at Best Buy): Listed as one of our top picks for the best large tablet, this 14-inch Samsung tablet is a well-rounded Android device that lets you take advantage of Samsung's DeX platform and comes with an S Pen. Microsoft Surface Pro: $1,000 (save $350 at Best Buy): This tablet comes with a detachable keyboard, plus built-in Windows 11, making it a great option as a laptop replacement. Google Pixel Tablet: $279 (save $120 at Best Buy): A top pick on our list of the best Android tablets, the Google Pixel Tablet has an included charging dock that converts it to a smart home display when you're not using it.Samsung Galaxy Tab A7: $140 (save $90 at Walmart): This Samsung tablet has a 10.4-inch screen, a 10-hour battery life, 32GB of storage, and a quad-speaker system with Dolby Atmos sound. Apple iPad (9th generation): $244 (save $85 at Walmart): Although not the most recent model, our top pick for the best cheap tablet has a 10.2-inch Retina display, a powerful A13 Bionic chip, and an Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage.Wacom Intuos Pro: $314 (save $66 at Amazon): Listed as one of our best drawing tablets, this device allows for touch gestures and programmable buttons to give you a broad range of ways to personalize the way you work and create.

Current price: $400Original price: $500

Apple's smallest tablet was just updated, but the previous generation is still impressive with an A15 Bionic chipset, landscape stereo speakers, Apple Pencil (2nd gen) compatibility, and a True Tone display.

Review: iPad Mini (6th gen)

For students, the iPad Mini offers portability and all-day battery life, making it an ideal companion for note-taking, content creation, and multitasking on the go.

Current price: $800Original price: $1,200

With a 14.6-inch display, you're sure to have enough room for work and play on the Tab S9 Ultra. Included in the box is Samsung's S Pen stylus that can be used for drawing out ideas or writing notes, or you can use it to navigate the tablet's Android 13 interface -- and even write in any text field and have it automatically converted to digital text.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Current price: $1,000Original price: $1,350

With the Surface Pro, you're getting a tablet that runs Windows 11 out of the box instead of a mobile operating system like Android or iPadOS. That means you won't have to worry about finding apps or workarounds for your workflows.

Review: Microsoft Surface Pro (11th generation)

This Surface Pro generation also supports AI functionalities, thanks to the devices' Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips and built-in Mircosoft CoPilot.

Current price: $279Original price: $399

The Google Pixel tablet makes our best tablet list because it pulls double duty and acts as a smart home hub when it's not in use, thanks to the included Charging Speaker Dock. The dock has a built-in speaker that ups the bass by 4x, while enabling a hub mode feature that effectively makes the Pixel Tablet more like a Nest Hub, instead of a tablet.

Review: Google Pixel Tablet

Best Black Friday tablet accessory deals

Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard: $105 (save $55 at Amazon): Compatible with the base-model iPad, this keyboard has iOS shortcut keys, an adjustable backlight, and a smooth trackpad. Apple Pencil (1st gen): $59 (save $40 at Walmart): The first-generation Apple Pencil is compatible with most models and is great for note-taking, sketching, and more. Apple Magic Keyboard: $240 (save $109 at Walmart): This detachable keyboard is built for certain iPad Pro and iPad Air models. Samsung S Pen: $34 (save $7 at Amazon): This stylus is compatible with the Galaxy Tab S9 Series for drawing, writing sketching, and more. Plus, it's rated IP68 waterproof.

Best Black Friday Samsung tablet deals

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for $200 (save $76 at Amazon): This is a lightweight 10.4-inch entry-level tablet, with 64GB of storage and Samsung DeX compatibility for better productivity. Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE$300 (save $150 at Amazon): The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE has an 8,000mAh battery, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, 128 or 256 GB of included storage, and support for a microSD card up to 1TB. Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+$150 (save $70 at Best Buy): This tablet is great for entertainment purposes like streaming movies or games, and has an engaging 11-inch screen. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+: $850 (save $150 at Best Buy): Samsung's newest tablet Galaxy AI capabilities, refined productivity tools, and an impressive battery life to boot.

Best Black Friday iPad deals

Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (7th gen): $1,199 (save $100 at B&H Photo): Apple's newest iPad Pro is faster than ever, thanks to the new M4 chip that can handle a diverse range of tasks, making it our top pick for the best large tablet you can buy. Apple iPad Air 11-inch (6th gen): $499 (save $100 at Best Buy): The newest iPad Air has the M2 chip, which allows for Apple Intelligence capabilities and all-day battery life in a lightweight size. Apple iPad (10th gen): $319 (save $30 at B&H Photo): Apple's base-line iPad is a formidable tablet to use for browsing, playing games, streaming shows and movies, note-taking, and more. It's our pick for the best tablet for most people. Apple iPad Mini (7th gen): $469 (save $30 at Best Buy): This new iPad Mini features the A17 Pro chip, Apple Intelligence capabilities, all-day battery life, and more, in a small package.

FAQs

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday always occurs the day after Thanksgiving in the US. This year, it falls on Friday, Nov. 29. However, you can expect deals the week leading up to the day, as well as all weekend long.

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is the Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday and only applies to online deals. This year, it falls on Monday, Dec. 2.

Are tablet deals really better on Black Friday?

For some big-name brands, Black Friday is the only time specific devices go on sale all year. It's also the time of year that you'll see the biggest discounts for popular devices like the iPad, Kindle, and more, so yes, it's definitely a better time to snag a deal on a tablet than other sales events.

What's the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

The main difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is that historically, Black Friday deals can be found both in-store and online, while Cyber Monday deals are almost exclusively online that Monday. However, both days now offer substantial online and in-store discounts.

How did we choose these Black Friday deals?

ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.

We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.

Where can you shop the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals?

All major retailers should have sales and discounts leading up to and during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Expect deals from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, B&H Photo, and more. If you prefer to shop in-person, there will be plenty of in-store deals as well, but we've also found that some of the best deals are exclusive to online.

What are the best Black Friday 2024 deals?

ZDNET's experts have been searching through Black Friday sales live now to find the best discounts by category. These are the best Black Friday deals so far, by category: