Best tablet deals for Black Friday 2021: Sales on Samsung Galaxy Tab, Amazon Fire HD, Apple iPad, and more

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE in portrait mode, showing Android widgets
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE in portrait mode, showing Android widgets (Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

If you're in the market for a Black Friday tablet deal, you have a wealth of options to choose from this year. Not only are some of the best Android tablets from Samsung and Amazon available at a discount ahead of Black Friday, we've even seen some rare deals on iPads and iPad Pros. Some of the price cuts are deep enough that you'll want to snag one before the main deals event.

If you're in the market for a cheap tablet, start your search with a Fire tablet. Nearly all of the best Amazon tablets are on sale in the lead up to Black Friday and could dip to even lower prices starting on Thanksgiving. Or, you could look into some other great cheap Android tablets from Samsung or Lenovo; some of the Galaxy Tab A7 or S6 series are steeply discounted right now.

Major online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart have already fully begun their Black Friday tablet deals if you don't want to wait for Friday. Have a look through this list to see some deals you can get right now, and check back as we'll be updating it as new deals become available.

Black Friday Android tablet deals: Amazon Fire

Among the best Amazon Fire tablets, most of them are currently 50% off for Black Friday week, in some of the best deals we've seen outside of Prime Day. That includes our top pick, the solid Fire HD 8 (2020), the new Fire HD 10 Plus, and even some Fire Kids tablet deals

Looking through last year's Black Friday Amazon Fire tablets deals, most were somewhere between $30 and $70 off, with the bigger discounts on older tablets. This year, with deals like $75 off the new Fire HD 10, $80 off the Fire HD Kids 10 Pro, and $125 off the Productivity Bundle, plus 50% off most tablets, you're already seeing better deals than last year.

We don't expect the deals to get much better on Black Friday itself, so we say go ahead and pick your favorite. You won't save that much more if you wait, and you'll regret it if you wait too long and miss out.

If you want our advice on which tablet to buy, the Fire HD 8 will save you money while offering basically the same experience as the newer Fire HD 10 Plus. The latter gives you a larger screen and slightly more RAM, but it's not as comfortable to hold as the compact 8-inch nor as affordable. We'd suggest only getting the 10 if you really value screen real estate, and the deal price lessens the blow. Or, looks at the Kids Editions if you're buying for someone younger.

Black Friday tablet deals: Apple iPad

Black Friday iPad deals have tended to be slim pickings in previous years. Last year, we spotted $50 off the iPad Pro (2nd gen) and $20 off the iPad Mini — not exactly doorbusters. But given how stingy Apple can be with discounts, it's better than nothing if you're shelling out Apple-level money on a tablet.

This year, Apple will offer $100 gift cards if you buy the iPad Pro (2021), starting on Friday, 11/26. But that still means you'll be paying full price. If you want a more traditional Black Friday discount, we've seen the 2021 Pro — one of our top picks for the best tablets for students — for $100 off upfront.

The lesson here is that you shouldn't wait: if you see even a small iPad discount on a newer model like the iPad Pro or iPad Mini 6, grab it while stock lasts. Older tablets like the iPad Air 2020 seem more likely to have bigger deals, but that's only a guess.

Black Friday Android tablet deals: Samsung

Among the best Android tablets if price is no object, three Galaxy S7 tablets top the list: the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7+, and Galaxy S7 FE. And all three have been discounted at various points throughout November.

Thanks to the upcoming Galaxy Tab S8, Samsung is clearing out stock to prepare for the new launch, making this a prime time to snag a deal on these still-excellent S7 tablets. Right now, the best deals are on the S7 and S7+, currently discounted on Samsung's site, as well as on Amazon.

If you're looking for a more affordable Android tablet deal, look to the Galaxy Tab A series or the older S6 series instead. During Black Friday 2020, we saw deals of over $100 off on both tablet lineups. Even if they're not very powerful, the Galaxy Tab A tablets are some of the best cheap Android tablets if you prefer not to buy Amazon. And the S6 Lite series gives you former flagship quality at a lower price.

Where to find the best Black Friday tablet deals

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Compared to the best Black Friday phone deals, the best Black Friday tablet deals are much easier to find. Start your search with Amazon; it's had the majority of the tablet deals we've seen thus far. Also, keep your eye on Best Buy, which runs deals throughout November with "Black Friday guaranteed" prices. Walmart could also have some steep discounts as well closer to the main deals event.

When do the Black Friday tablet deals begin?

At the moment, there are a surprising number of Black Friday Android tablet deals available right now, well before the week of Black Friday. The S7 series are all majorly discounted, while most of the Amazon Fire tablets have also seen major price reductions. Apple tablet deals are harder to come by, but we have already seen a respectable iPad Pro (2021) discount.

We expect plenty more deals on the actual day and week of Black Friday, including deals on both older models you can get at deep discounts and newer ones you can snag for some money off. So whether you want an Android or iOS tablet, a premium or budget model, or a tablet for yourself or for the kids, we expect major Black Friday discounts across the board.

That said, if you see a deal you like now, there's no guarantee that same model will be discounted on Black Friday. So if you see a deal you want now, snag them before they're gone and cross something off your holiday list.

Jeramy Johnson
Editor-in-chief

Jeramy was the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand.