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If you've been waiting to buy a tablet from a popular brand, Black Friday is the time to pull the trigger. You'll be able to get huge discounts on devices from the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Samsung, all thanks to this rather special retail holiday. And best of all for our coronavirus-riddled nation: You'll be able to do it all with a few clicks from the comfort of your own home.
Whether you're an avid user or an adamant skeptic, tablets have become the third arm of the portable consumer tech community, right between smartphones and laptops. They're handy, they're portable, and they're increasingly powerful, which means you can get more done on these devices than ever before.
While price points are dropping across the industry, it never hurts to shop the sales, particularly with Black Friday so close. Luckily, we've collected a few choice deals to start your holiday shopping off right. Check them out below:
| Screen Size Measured diagonally across. | Screen Resolution In pixels - the higher the number, the greater the screen detail. | Battery Life As claimed by the manufacturer – actual performance will vary depending on daily tasks. | Operating System | Processor | Storage The built in storage space for files, programs, apps and the operating system | Rear Camera | Front Camera | Price | Amazon | Buy | |||
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| The newest iPad and the best choice for virtually everyone. The screen and A14 processor are perfect for day-to-day browsing, and it's a good value. | The largest Fire tablet, with a decent screen. While it's a lot cheaper than an iPad, there's quite a price jump versus the smaller Fire tablets | A slim tablet with an unbeatable processor and great rear camera but priced far above the excellent iPad 10.9. | An excellent portable tablet, but it feels less essential in this age of extra-large smartphones – especially as it's pricier than the iPad 10.2 | The newest 8-inch Amazon tablet is cheap but smart, with wireless charging, more RAM and an Echo Show mode when connected to a dock (sold separately) | A surprisingly good tablet given the price – it's no iPad, but this is a respectable bit of tech that's a particular bargain when on sale | An exceptional tablet, and cheaper than the top-of-the-range 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The screen is glorious and there's plenty of processing power | The absolute best iPad that money can buy, with a price tag to match. Pair it with the Magic Keyboard and it truly is a laptop alternative. | ||||||
| 10.9″ | 10.1″ | 10.9″ | 8.3″ | 8″ | 8″ | 11″ | 12.9″ | ||||||
| 2360 x 1640 | 1920 x 1200 | 2360 x 1640 | 2266 x 1488 | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 800 | 2388 x 1668 | 2732 x 2048 | ||||||
| 10 hrs | 12 hrs | 10 hrs | 10 hrs | 12 hrs | 12 hrs | 10 hrs | 10 hrs | ||||||
| iPadOS | Fire OS | iOS | iOS | Fire OS | Fire OS | iPadOS | iPadOS | ||||||
| A14 | Octa-core 2.0 GHz | M1 | A15 Bionic | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | M2 | M2 | ||||||
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| 12MP | 2Mp | 12Mp | 12Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 12Mp | 12Mp | ||||||
Best Black Friday iPad Deals
When you think of tablets, iPads are the first thing that come to mind. Since the iPad's debut in 2010, Apple has done a great job of keeping its tablet lineup relevant as the competition heats up.
From the Pro to the Mini, iPads are the high performance, feature-heavy devices everyone is after during the holidays. Although the price tag can be pretty high, the seamless integration possibilities, beautiful displays, and compatible Apple Pencil make the high cost worth it – if you can afford it, that is.
Unfortunately, from a Black Friday standpoint, you aren't likely to see a lot of huge deals on iPads, as Apple likes to keep its products in the premium category. However, it's still worth keeping an eye out, just in case one of your favorite models drops in price.
We'll keep this post updated throughout Black Friday week to catch any further deals as they come through.
Apple iPad 10.2
- Great value large-screen iPad
- 32 GB of storage
- Wi-fi only, no cellular
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (latest model)
- Cheaper than ever
- Powerful processor
- Fantastic screen quality
Best Black Friday Amazon Fire Tablet Deals
Odds are you're looking for Black Friday deals on Amazon already, so why not take a look at their very impressive Fire tablet lineup? These e-readers-turned-high-powered-tablets are compact, comprehensive, and competitively priced, so you can jump on the tablet bandwagon without breaking the bank.
The Amazon Fire tablet lineup consists of the Fire 7, the Fire 8, and the Fire 10, each designed for a specific kind of user. The Fire 7 is the most affordable, offering the most compact option of the three, but notably lags in performance. The Fire 8 is the best bargain on the list, with comparable speed to the Fire 10 at a little more than half the price. The Fire 10 is the most expensive Amazon tablet, but offers 2 GB of RAM and a Full HD resolution display.
On Black Friday, expect Fire tablets to absolutely go on sale. The Fire 7 and Fire 8 have both dipped in price by $20 in the last few months, whereas the Fire 10 has gone as low as $50 off, so keep an eye out.
Fire 7 with Alexa
- 1024×600 7″ LCD display
- Uses Amazon's FireOS version of Android, so it should feel familiar to most people
- It also features Alexa
- Up to 256GB expandable storage
Amazon Fire HD8 with Alexa
- Arguably Amazon's best tablet, the HD8 gets improved specs all-round with only a modest price increase
- Sharper 1280×800 resolution screen, more Ram and storage
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
- Alexa is available all the time
Amazon Fire HD 10 with Alexa
- The Fire HD 10 is Amazon's most expensive and highly-specced tablet
- 10″ 1920×1200 display
- 2GB Ram and an upgraded processor
- The Show Mode Charging Dock also turns the Fire HD 10 into, effectively, an Echo Show, giving you two devices for the price of one. You can read more about how it works here.
Best Black Friday Samsung Tablet Deals
While they might not be the first company you think of when it comes to tablets, Samsung has certainly established itself as one of the best consumer tech producers in the world. With a firm grip on the smartphone and their influence felt in a wide range of other markets, it's safe to say Samsung's tablet lineup is impressive.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup is filled with options which vary in price, performance and size. The Galaxy Tab S7, for example, is their heavy duty, high-powered flagship tablet. It has a stunning HDR display, quality Dolby Atmos speakers, and a battery that can provide 16 hours of video – and it will cost you a pretty penny. Conversely, you have the Tab A and Tab E, which both provide a more standard experience at a fraction of the price.
As far as Black Friday deals are concerned, you're definitely going to want to keep your eyes peeled. Whether you're looking to save a few hundred on the Tab S7 or just get the Tab A or Tab E for an even further discounted price, trends have shown these models dipping heartily during the holidays.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0″
- Affordable, LTE-connected tablet with available kid mode
- Runs Android 8.1 Oreo
- 32 GB of storage
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
- Robust, expensive, flagship tablet from Samsung
- Up to 256 GB of storage
- Edge-to-edge 11-inch screen
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Older model, so the price is low
- Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity
- Samsung S Pen included
Best Black Friday Microsoft Surface Tablet Deals
Now that we're past the affordable models, let's get to some tablets that have some serious potential for Black Friday savings. The Microsoft Surface lineup consists of some of the most popular tablets on the market today. Whether it's because of the stunning displays or the easy-to-use attachable keyboards, Microsoft Surface tablets are highly sought-after during the holidays.
As for the specific models available, Microsoft has three Surface tablet options: the Surface Pro, the Surface Go, and the Surface Book. The Surface Book is the most expensive model available, and that's because it's half tablet, half laptop, with a detachable base for easy transitions. The Surface Go is the smaller, more affordable option, but it comes with a lot fewer customization options and less performance power. The Surface Pro comes in all shapes and sizes, giving you a lot of options for processors, storage, and RAM, all more impressive than the Surface Go.
Black Friday could see some serious dips in price for these devices. While the Surface Pro is brand new and has no precedent for a drop, Microsoft could be looking to get a little holiday buzz around its new toy. As for the other two, historically they've dropped a lot around the holidays, so make sure to set an alert for these big-ticket items.
| Screen Size Measured diagonally across. | Screen Resolution In pixels - the higher the number, the greater the screen detail. | Battery Life As claimed by the manufacturer – actual performance will vary depending on daily tasks. | Operating System | Touchscreen | Processor | Storage The built in storage space for files, programs, apps and the operating system | RAM More RAM tends to help a computer to run quickly and multitask | Keyboard Included | Price | Amazon | Buy | |||
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| Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (13.5-inch) | Microsoft Surface Book 3 | Microsoft Surface Pro X | ||||||||||||
| The latest and greatest Surface laptop for 2021. Perfect for designers who want to run Windows | A tablet and laptop in one, the removable screen on the Book 3 offers the full Windows experience. Not cheap, but at least the keyboard is included. | Microsoft's cheapest Surface model, and a perfectly decent tablet. But the keyboard is a necessary extra expense for the Windows experience. | Arguably the best tablet to replace a laptop on the market, with an easy-to-use keyboard that attaches easily to the base. | Microsoft's most stylish tablet, with 4G LTE connectivity, a fabulous screen and powerful specs. But, it's heavy even without the (extra) keyboard | ||||||||||
| 13.5″ |
| 10.5″ | 13″ | 13″ | ||||||||||
| 2256 x 1504 | 3000 x 2000 | 1920 x 1280 | 2880 x 1920 | 2880 x 1920 | ||||||||||
| Up to 19 hrs | 15.5 hrs | 10 hrs | 15.5 hrs | 13 hrs | ||||||||||
| Windows 10 | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | Windows 11 | Windows 10 | ||||||||||
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7
- Newest model with lots of customization options
- Lightweight for the size
- 10.5-hour battery life
Microsoft Surface Go 2
- Cheaper version with comparable basics and no customization
- Very lightweight and portable
- Up to 10 hour battery life — double the previous model!
Microsoft Surface Book 3
- Heavy-duty half-tablet, half-laptop with a high price tag
- Detachable base
- Up to 15.5 hours of battery life
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