Early Black Friday savings on iPad, Lenovo, Samsung and Fire tablets

Early Black Friday tablet deals are arriving and the discounts are big enough to make you reassess your holiday shortlist. Retailers are slashing hundreds off prices for iPads, Lenovo Tabs, Samsung Galaxy Tabs and Amazon Fire tablets, some of the steepest discounts we’ve seen outside clearance events.

The Best iPad Deals You Can Act On Today

And, if you’ve been holding out for an iPad, the headliner right now is a similarly equipped (processor and memory) iPad Air with the M3 chip dropping to around $449 — about $150 off or 25% below list. That makes laptop-level performance much more attainable for creatives and students who don’t want to shell out the dough for a MacBook. The bigger 13-inch Air is getting three-digit cuts as well, and the small iPad mini and mainstream 10.9-inch iPad are discounted low enough that plenty of buyers could pick one up impulsively.

For its part, iPads historically discount more conservatively than Android rivals, so any 20%+ reduction on current-generation models usually doesn’t last for long. Retail analysts often observe that Apple gear seldom undersells its own brand value; and, when it does, stock vanishes fast.

Samsung and Lenovo cut deeper into Android tablets

The greatest absolute savings is coming to Android. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab line is getting the steepest cuts: offers include up to $220 off higher-end Tab S10+ configurations, while the already excellent value Tab S10 FE is going for around the mid-$300s — or roughly a $140 discount. Even the Tab S6 Lite, with its perennial appeal, has dropped to almost $159.99 — that’s a humongous haircut of $170 and one helluva choice for note-taking and streaming.

Lenovo remains on a roll, with the Legion Tab Gen 3 falling to around $389.99 (that’s $160 off). It’s designed for gaming — snappy performance, good thermals and a backpack-friendly footprint — but it also serves as a versatile media slate. Entry-level models, such as the Lenovo Tab One, are coming close to sub-$100 pricing, which is about as low as we go for non-Fire tablets with serviceable specs.

Price cuts like this reflect where the market is at: IDC recently noticed a slight tablet surge after the post-pandemic cooling, with Samsung and Lenovo gaining share by cranking out deep holiday deals. In practice, that means Android buyers often get to see higher percentage cuts — and more bundles (pens and cases) — than iPad shoppers.

Amazon Fire tablets fall to budget lows this week

For straight-up value, Amazon Fire tablets are hitting seasonal lows. The Fire Max 11 is now down to around $189.99, a discount of $90 on an item that’s finally fast enough for split-screen multitasking and when the largest corner of your entertainment is dedicated to loaded-up streaming. And the Fire HD 10 (around $69.99) and Fire HD 8 (about $54.99) are top choices for secondary displays, smart home dashboards and kid-friendly devices — especially when Kids or Kids Pro versions drop below $80 with a rugged case and parental controls.

There are trade-offs: the Amazon Appstore doesn’t have as large a selection as Google Play and the processors won’t be great for serious video editing. But if all you want is entertainment, reading and light browsing, these are the least expensive options you’ll have that also won’t be obsolete by this time next year.

Real-world prices and what they mean for shoppers

We’re seeing phase-specific patterns across retailers. Current standouts include:

• iPad Air M3: about $449 (save $150)
• Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3: about $389.99 (save $160)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+: dropped by as much as $220
• Pixel Tablet: around $249 (save $150)
• Fire Max 11: about $189.99 (save $90)

According to Adobe holiday shopping data, electronics discounts rise as Black Friday nears and reach their peak during Cyber Week — often crossing the 30%-off threshold on select categories — but doorbuster pricing can come early and sell out quickly.

How to choose the best deal and secure it

Get the discount that’s right for you

For productivity and longevity, the iPad Air M3 provides the most robust app ecosystem and years of OS support. For media and stylus juggling without the Apple premiums, Samsung’s S series is a star — many models include an S Pen, essentially $50 to $100 of extra value in the box. If you’re a gamer or you do a lot of travel, then the Legion Tab Gen 3 is worth considering for balanced performance and battery life.

Read the fine print on specs and connectivity

Storage tiers can swing prices by $100+, and some Android models offer microSD expansion that saves money compared to paying for higher internal storage. Then there’s the display refresh rate (90Hz/120Hz) for smoothness when scrolling and pen latency, plus Wi‑Fi 6/6E support to futureproof connectivity. Consumer Reports also suggests favoring RAM and storage over cellular models if you spend most of your time on Wi‑Fi.

Verify the baseline price before you buy

Finally, verify the baseline price with price history tools and retailer badges. For a cross-company comparison, you can track changes over time or look for previous weekly lows by clicking into the product page on some websites. If a model on your wish list is at or near its lowest tracked price, you should feel pretty safe to buy it now (as opposed to waiting for a marginal extra drop) rather than risk it going out of stock.

Bottom Line: The best tablet deals to know right now

This is the once-in-a-lifetime window where literally every major tablet platform is deeply discounted all at the same time. If you’re looking for top-notch performance, step up to the iPad Air M3 at 25% off. If you want value and free bells and whistles, Samsung and Lenovo are offering the really big cuts. If you’re pinching every penny, Amazon Fire tablets are crazy cheap. Whatever lane you opt for, the top plays are on the table — and they won’t be there for long.