Best Black Friday Deals on Tablets
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
It’s always nice to see Black Friday deals on tablets.
At the right price, they make great holiday gifts. They’re versatile enough to suit almost anyone, from teens to grandparents, but without all the worry sparked by laptops over getting the specs just right.
This year, we’re seeing terrific markdowns on not only Amazon Fire tablets but also Apple iPads. At Walmart, for example, you can now purchase an iPad Pro with a whopping 512 gigabytes of storage at a savings of $150 or more.
Here are the best Black Friday deals on tablets we’ve seen so far; we’ll update the article as we discover more.
Amazon Fire 7 16GB
The deal: $30 at Kohl’s
CR’s test results: Amazon Fire 7 (16GB)
At $30, this one’s a steal. The tablet is usually priced at $50, and it scores much better in our labs than models that cost two or three times as much. Our testers like the very bright 6.9-inch screen, which makes for easy viewing indoors or out. The 8-plus-hour battery life is solid, too. The cameras are a little unimpressive, though. Kohl’s deals start online at 12:01 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 25, and run through Black Friday (Nov. 29). The in-store sale begins at 5 p.m. (local time) on Thanksgiving Day.
Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition (With $15 in Kohl’s Cash)
The deal: $60 at Kohl’s
CR’s test results: Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition (16GB)
This tablet usually sells for $100. It’s essentially the Amazon Fire (see above) with some appealing add-ons. You get a free year of FreeTime Unlimited, which gives you thousands of hours of children’s TV, movies, books, and apps; a rubber bumper case to protect against drops; and a two-year, no-questions-asked replacement policy if a drop still ends up doing some damage.
8-Inch Amazon Fire 8 HD
The deal: $50 at Amazon
CR’s test results: Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 (16GB)
This deal starts Nov. 22—a week before Black Friday proper—and trims $30 from the list price. Amazon will also offer a Kids Edition of the Fire 8 HD for $80, down $50 from the standard price. That offer also nets you the free year of FreeTime Unlimited, the rubber bumper case, and the two-year, no-questions-asked replacement policy.
10-Inch Amazon Fire 10 Tablet
The deal: $100 at Target
CR’s test results: Amazon Fire HD 10 (32GB)
Normally sold for $150, CR’s best-rated Amazon Fire tablet is a savvy choice if what you need is a tablet to watch movies and TV shows. Our testers rated the bright screen, capable of showing movies in 1080 resolution, as Very Good, and the 11 hours of battery life keeps it running almost a full day (or a long flight) without a recharge. The size and aspect ratio also make the Fire HD 10 a great reading device, especially for comic books and graphic novels—it can display a single full page of a comic in almost the same size as the print original. Target will roll out select Black Friday deals every weekend through Dec. 15. But its circular does not specify when most of the offers begin.
10.1-Inch Samsung Galaxy Tab A
The deal: $149 at Walmart
CR’s test results: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 SM-T580 (16GB)
The retailer currently sells this model for $198 and we’ve seen it drop to $179, but this deal—available online starting at 10 p.m. EST Nov. 27 and in stores Nov. 28—drops the price an additional $30. Our testers give the tablet Very Good and Excellent ratings across the board. And if that 16GB of storage seems low to you, you can quickly and inexpensively expand the storage with a microSD card.
10.2-Inch iPad 32GB
The deal: $249 at Walmart
CR’s test results: 10.2-Inch iPad (2019)
Available online starting at 10 p.m. EST Nov. 27 and in stores Nov. 28, this deal shaves $80 off the normal price for the newest base iPad. In addition to having a slightly larger screen than the 9.7-inch model from 2018, this one also is compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard cover, which attaches magnetically and doesn’t require charging or pairing like a Bluetooth keyboard—handy for anyone planning to do a lot of typing.
10.5-inch iPad Pro 512GB
The deal: $599 at Walmart
CR’s test results: Apple iPad Pro 10.5
This deal, available right now, knocks $400 off the 2017 version of the iPad Pro. Other retailers have the model hovering around $750 or $800. Our testers recommend the tablet, noting its excellent display quality. With 512GB of storage, you’ll be able to fill it up with many, many seasons of your favorite TV shows for holiday binge-watching.
More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.
