It can be difficult to hold back when early Black Friday iPad deals are coming out the woodwork, but knowing if you should buy an iPad before Black Friday, or if you should wait it out can be even trickier. Gone are the days of iPads refusing to budge on their high MSRPs. We've already seen the 9th generation iPad hit a $199 sale price in 2024 that would have been unthinkable for its predecessor, and the latest generation iPad Air has taken some serious discounts in the last few months as well.
With October's Prime Day sale dropping another round of price drops, the pressure to jump in early is higher than ever.
The answer lies with the model you're on the hunt for. For example, Apple is keeping the 9th generation base version on the shelves alongside the more expensive 10th generation for another year. That means we're likely to see prices returning to that $199 record low before and on Black Friday itself. Meanwhile, there's a brand new iPad Mini hitting the shelves and it only offers incremental improvements over the previous generation. Discounts on the older model are going to move fast, and stock might not even last until Black Friday itself.
Each iPad has a different context to it, which can tell you whether you're better off diving in or holding out for something juicier later on in November. We're running you through all this information on every device, so that you can time your purchase right this Fall. If you're really stretching things out, you can take a look at everything we expect to see in this year's Cyber Monday iPad deals as well.
Should you buy a 9th generation iPad before Black Friday?
- Yes if: the price drops back to $199 / £279
As mentioned above, the 9th generation iPad has already hit some excellent prices in 2024, and as recently as the last few weeks. $199 for a 64GB model is an excellent offer, and one that we never saw on the previous generation model. We don't expect the base model iPad to drop further in November's sales, though, due to the fact that Apple will continue stocking the device with the newer 10th generation on the shelves.
If you spot more stock at this price, it's well worth jumping in ahead of official Black Friday discounts. Later sales will be far more competitive, and seeing as stock was already running out with this discount attached over Prime, the chances of actually landing a tablet in November are slimmer.
In the UK, we've seen a £279 sales price cropping up over the summer a couple of times, though it doesn't hold its position on the shelves. We would recommend holding out for a return to this record low. That cost has been heading back north for a couple of weeks, and things may well dip to £289 for a brief flash in November. If you're concerned about waiting for Black Friday, though, at least hold off until things dip back below £300.
Should you buy a 10th generation iPad before Black Friday?
- Yes if: prices are at $299 / £308
The 10th Generation iPad truly entered the fray for the first time this year. A permanent price drop kicked the MSRP down to $349.99 / £349.99, putting the newer model on the map. That came before new discounts dropped it to a record-low $299.99 position in the US - a price I wouldn't recommend passing up if it jumps back onto the shelves. In the UK, things have been a little slower, though that £349 RRP has just given way to a brand new record-low of £308. There could still be further wiggle room down to £299 - but considering the UK rarely matches US iPad pricing, that might be the best we get this year.
Should you buy an iPad Air before Black Friday?
- Yes if: prices hit $499 / £549
The 2024 iPad Air has seen a fair few discounts since its launch last year, and this month has marked the first time it dipped below the $500 threshold in the US. We've seen that $499 position leaping off the shelves, though - rising back up to $550 in the first week of November. I would wait this one out. The 11-inch iPad could well return to $499 over Black Friday itself, though you'll need to be hot off the mark to secure yours at this price. If you don't want to wait a few more weeks, at least see if those prices dwindle down to $519 again beforehand.
Of course, if you do spot that $499 rate on the shelves again it's absolutely worth jumping in. Last year's model was expected to reach this price over Black Friday with an extra year on the shelves under its belt - I would be surprised if we saw a higher discount over the day itself.
The numbers are a little more stable in the UK. A £559.97 sales price has been headlining the shelves for some time now, and doesn't look like it's going anywhere. This is a record-low that's been available for two months now - which means there could be more wiggle room over the next few weeks. It's a great price as it is (generally the going rate for an iPad Air over Black Friday), but the fact that this discount has been available for so long breeds a little suspicion.
Should you buy an iPad Mini before Black Friday?
- Yes if: you want the higher value Mini 6
The iPad Mini 6 has just been turned upside down. The newer Mini 7 is now on the shelves, but there's one problem. This is an incremental upgrade and it's really only focused on adding Apple's AI to the mix. That means the majority of deal hunters are going to get better value from the previous generation model - if stock holds out.
The Mini 6 (generally listed as the A15 Bionic) has been $349.99 / £437 for some time now, but once that stock goes it's gone. The newer model came in at $499.99 / £499.99 - and has only ever taken discounts to $399 once in the US in its life so far. That means value is on the Mini 6's side, but it may not last until Black Friday.
We tend to see newer generation iPads replacing their previous models particularly quickly. Prices drop and stock is swept up, leaving only more expensive counterparts on the shelves. This is definitely one to buy before Black Friday.
Should you buy an iPad Pro before Black Friday?
- Yes if: iPad Pro 11-inch prices drop to $899 / under £999
- Yes if: iPad Pro 13-inch prices drop to $1,199 / under £1,249
The M4 iPad Pro has seen a similar pricing trajectory to previous models in its first year on the shelves - though only in the US. Stateside, the 11-inch has hit record-lows of $899 in the past few months, a position we would expect to see returning over Black Friday. Meanwhile it's the 13-inch model seeing stocking difficulties this time around. The $1,299 device has been seen at $1,187.99 in the last few weeks, but availability is on a downward trend. If you spot a price around $1,199 it's worth jumping on.
Across the pond, savings have been a little more difficult to come by. The 11-inch model has been stuck at £999 since the day it released, so it's obviously worth holding out for a discount. The 13-inch model has been a little more forthcoming, dipping from £1,299 to £1,249 over the last month. That's a steady saving, though, so I would only jump early if prices went below that rate.
iPads are some of the best gaming tablets out there, but if you're looking for a more traditional computing experience, we're also rounding up all our expectations for this year's Black Friday laptop deals and Black Friday gaming laptop deals as well.
