If you’re shopping for an iPad for yourself or someone on your holiday shopping list, you may be wondering if Black Friday is the time to buy. We examined early Black Friday deals on the iPad Air (4th Gen) and the previous model, and we also looked for hints to any upcoming deals leading into Black Friday 2021. Should you buy an iPad Air on Black Friday? We break it down.
- View iPad Air Black Friday Deals at Amazon
- View iPad Air Black Friday Deals at Best Buy
- View iPad Air Black Friday Deals at Walmart
Black Friday is the best time to buy an iPad Air — but shop early deals
Black Friday and Cyber Week are the last major shopping events of the year, and the best time of year to buy electronics. While you may not see those huge (50% or more) Black Friday iPads deals like you’ll see on other electronics like TVs, Amazon products, and robot vacuums, you can still get pretty some sweet Black Friday Apple deals. Last year, we saw small discounts of around $40 to $50 on the iPad Air. For Black Friday 2021, we’re already seeing better deals than that.
The newest iPad Air typically retails for a starting price of $599 for the 64GB version (Wi-Fi only). If you want the Wi-Fi only 256GB version, the price rises dramatically to $749. You can also opt for cellular connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi, and that’ll set you back $729 for the 64GB version, or $879 for the 256GB version. We’re seeing some early deals on iPad Air models at Walmart and Amazon in particular, but it remains to be seen whether the prices will further decrease as Black Friday approaches.
Walmart is currently selling the 64GB version online (Wi-Fi only) for $60 off in the space grey, sky blue, and rose gold colors, and the retailer is selling the 256GB version (Wi-Fi only) for $50 off. On Amazon, you can find the silver, green, and sky blue 64GB iPad Air Wi-Fi for $60 off as well. Also on Amazon, the Wi-Fi and cellular model is $70 off in the silver color, and other colors are marked down by smaller amounts.
While retailers may reduce the prices on the iPad Air further (likely down to $499), we don’t expect to see dramatic price decreases beyond what’s already here. And, if the price does lower to $100 off, stocks may run low and shipping times may lengthen, so it’s a good idea to shop early.
Why buy an iPad Air
The iPad Air 2020 earned our Editor’s Choice Award. Our reviewer called it, “the iPad Pro for the masses…perfectly situated to offer an exceptional tablet experience, without pushing into the territory of high-end laptop pricing.” It’s not too much, not too little, but just right—the Goldilocks of iPads.
The latest iPad Air has Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, a 10.9-inch screen, a good battery life with USB-C charging, and support for the Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard. It doesn’t have Touch ID or 5G cellular connectivity, but it’s still a highly capable tablet for productivity.
If you’re not going to be creating music, photo editing, video editing, or performing tasks that require the extra power you get with the iPad Pro, the iPad Air is likely your best option. It’s still a high-quality iPad, but it’s not so high-end that it costs more than a grand. Overall, the iPad Air 4th Gen is a phenomenal deal at $539, especially considering how well Apple tablets hold their value.
The previous model of the iPad Air is still a decent option too, especially if you’re shopping for a teen or looking for a tablet you can use for basic daily use. This model was just released in 2019, so it should still see updates for quite a while. At many retailers, you can find a deal on a refurbished iPad Air 3rd Gen, and you can likely pick one up for around $350. We do not recommend buying the iPad Air 2 at this point, however, simply because it’s just too old.
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