Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Should You Buy an iPad Air on Black Friday 2021?

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

iPad air sitting on table.
Jeremy Bezanger/Unsplash

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

Tow iPads with keyboards.
Daniel Romero/Unsplash

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.

Editors' Recommendations

5 abandoned Apple products that need to make a comeback
Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review green wallpaper

Apple has launched a ton of amazing products over its history, and plenty of them have been put out to pasture as new successors have taken their place. But technology moves on, and what’s buried in the past should stay that way. Right?

Well, maybe not. Apple has discontinued a host of products that I’d love to see make a daring comeback. Whether they revolutionized the industry or just did something totally out there, they all made their mark -- and they could still have a place in today’s world. These are the Apple products I’d love the company to bring back for another roll of the dice.
27-inch iMac

Read more
The Pixel 7’s best camera trick is coming to the iPhone and all Android phones
Erasing items in Magic Eraser.

The Google Pixel series of phones, specifically the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, have an exclusive feature called Magic Eraser. With Magic Eraser, you can get rid of unwanted objects in a photo, such as people in the background or things like power lines. As of today, Magic Eraser is becoming available to all Android phones and iPhone users through Google One.

Magic Eraser debuted on the Pixel 6 lineup, which includes the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and the more affordable Pixel 6a, which is still available to purchase (the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have been discontinued). If you have a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, you also have the Magic Eraser feature. One of the reasons I had always wanted a Pixel device is because of Magic Eraser, and it is something that I desperately wished Apple would implement.

Read more
Someone just paid over $60,000 for this ultra-rare iPhone
An original 2007 iPhone sealed in its original box.

When outfitted with all of the best specs, the most expensive iPhone you can buy directly from Apple is the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It retails for $1,599 if you get the highest-end 1TB model.

Blatantly ignoring Apple's current price ceiling, rare iPhones are selling for ridiculously high prices at auction, and one recently showed the world just how much a collector is willing to cough up for a rare Apple device. The iPhone in question is an original, 2007 iPhone that sold for $63,356.40 through LCG Auctions earlier this month.

Read more