Best Tablet Black Friday Deals 2026

The base iPad is the tablet we would hand most households. It runs every streaming, school and game app, starts at 128GB, and has the deepest library of apps designed for a tablet rather than stretched from a phone. GSMArena called it a competent update, and Tom's Guide and CNN Underscored both name it the value iPad.

It is the wrong choice for note-takers and artists. It skips Apple Intelligence, works only with the cheaper Apple Pencils, and leaves a small air gap between the screen and the glass, so the pen tip feels a step away from the line. The iPad Air below fixes all three.

At $399 it is only a few dollars under its 90-day average. Its 12-month low came over Thanksgiving weekend 2025, before Apple raised its US iPad prices in June, so we would not count on seeing it again.

The Air is the iPad to buy if the tablet will do real work: handwritten notes, sketching, photo edits or two apps side by side. Tom's Guide and Stuff both rank it the best tablet for most people this year. Its M4 chip and 12GB of memory run Apple Intelligence and should stay quick for years, and because the display is bonded to the glass, a Pencil Pro stroke lands exactly under the tip.

Skip it if the tablet is mostly for video in bed; the base iPad does that for about $250 less.

At $649 it sells for about $35 under its 90-day average, a small but real cut. Its lower price in June came days before Apple's increase.

This is the cheapest tablet we would still buy, and the clearest price cut on this page so far. The 10.1-inch 1080p screen is sharp enough for streaming, reading and video calls, and Tom's Guide and TechRadar both reported its October price as the lowest they had seen. It suits a child, a kitchen counter or a long flight.

Know what you are getting. Fire OS has no Google Play, so apps come from Amazon's own store, and the chip is slow to open and switch apps. On October 8 Amazon announced it will stop making Fire tablets in favor of the new Alexa Tablets. It says existing Fire tablets will keep getting support, and CNBC reported that means four years after the last one ships.

At under $75 it is about $55 below its 90-day average and at its lowest price of the past year.

The Galaxy Tab S11 is the best Android tablet Amazon sells itself, and PCMag names it its top Android pick. Notebookcheck praised its bright OLED screen and strong speakers, the S Pen comes in the box, and it is rated IP68 against dust and water. Samsung's newer Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra are not sold by Amazon in the US; Samsung and Best Buy carry them.

Notebookcheck also found the battery merely average and the fingerprint reader slow, and Samsung leaves the charger out of the box.

Wait for a discount before buying. At about $900 it sells for about $60 more than its 90-day average, and it went for far less in late June. Expert Reviews already felt it was starting to look overpriced. If you mainly want the S Pen, the Tab S10 FE below costs about $350 less.

The Tab A11+ is the lower-cost tablet for people who live in Google's apps. Unlike the Fire HD 10, it runs Google Play and Gmail out of the box, and PhoneCompass notes Samsung's promise of seven years of Android and security updates. Notebookcheck found it well made, with only a little flex in the housing.

Tech Advisor came away underwhelmed because so little has changed from the Tab A9+, and TechRadar's Dutch edition found the battery on the small side. It does not work with a stylus, so students who handwrite notes should look at the Tab S10 FE.

At $299.99 it sells for about $20 above its 90-day average and well above its June low, so this is not a deal yet. That leaves it only about $100 below the base iPad, so we would wait for a cut unless you specifically want Android.

The Tab S10 FE is the cheaper way into Samsung's S Pen tablets. Like the Tab S11, it comes with the S Pen and an IP68 rating, and PhoneArena rates it the best mid-range Samsung tablet. It suits a student who takes handwritten notes and would rather have Android than an iPad. This is the US model, not an import.

The savings show in the screen and the chip. The 10.9-inch 90Hz LCD lacks the depth of the Tab S11's OLED, and Samsung's Exynos processor is a step slower.

At $549.99 it sells for about $70 more than its 90-day average and far above its August low, so wait for a discount. It still costs about $350 less than the Tab S11.

The mini is the tablet for one hand: reading in bed, a travel screen or a small child's first iPad. CNN Underscored and Trusted Reviews both name it the best small tablet, and unlike the base iPad it runs Apple Intelligence and takes the Apple Pencil Pro.

Timing matters more than its 60Hz screen. Apple's OLED iPad mini with an A20 Pro chip reaches stores November 6, which makes this the outgoing model. Buy it only if a small iPad for less matters more to you than the new screen, and only once it is discounted.

At $559.99 it is a couple of dollars under its 90-day average, which is no real saving. It sold for far less on Cyber Monday last year, before Apple's price increase.

The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is Amazon's new flagship, and unlike any Fire tablet it runs Google Play alongside Alexa+. Engadget scored it 8.4 and recommended it for the couch and for travel, and The Shortcut gave it an Editor's Choice award. Reviewers like the 12-inch 2.8K screen, though the anti-glare Nanomatte version they single out is a separate, pricier listing. It suits Prime and Echo households that want Alexa+ on a big screen.

The software is the catch. The Verge gave it 6 out of 10, citing Amazon's ads, the assistant and battery life, and Tom's Guide still found the base iPad's software steadier for most people. The base iPad also costs about $100 less.

This is its first Black Friday. At $499.99 it has not been discounted since it went on sale in October.

The iPad Pro is the best tablet you can buy if price is not the deciding factor. Trusted Reviews calls its tandem OLED the best screen on any tablet, and Stuff found that the M5 and the latest iPadOS multitasking now come close to a laptop. Notebookcheck's tablet ranking puts the 11-inch Pro first. It suits artists, video editors and anyone who wants one device for work and the couch.

The total climbs quickly once you add the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. If you mainly read, stream and take notes, the iPad Air does those for about $450 less.

At about $1,100 it is about $30 under its 90-day average. Its lower price in February came before Apple's June increase.