Yahoo Finance Best tablet and iPad Black Friday deals: Early offers in the 2019 sale so far
Last year more than 173.8 million tablets were sold globally and, thanks to an onslaught of early Black Friday deals, we are likely to see 2019's sales records spike this week, too.
Tablets have long been the tech companion of choice for many people’s browsing, streaming and news-reading needs. They fit the gap between smartphone and laptop, particularly for those who don’t feel the need to splash their cash on the latest and greatest upgrades, and have become increasingly powerful in recent years.
With that said, tablets do come in a wide range of capabilities and price points, making the shopping process more difficult to navigate than ever before.
Thankfully, we've done the hard work for you — these are the best Black Friday tablet deals available to UK customers today (and we'll be updating them all the way through 'official' Black Friday, which starts tomorrow):
1. Fire HD 10 Tablet
Amazon's latest and greatest Fire tablet has taken pride of place in its Black Friday sales. The HD 10 is still the priciest of the lot, of course, but its tech specs speak for themselves. The tablet is up to 30 per cent faster, according to Amazon, and has a larger 10.1" screen, making it ideal for catching up on your favourite shows during your commute. It also has 10 hours of battery life and a super-crisp 1080p Full HD display.
Older Fire models are also on offer this year, should you want to buy a few as Christmas gifts, and the Fire HD 8 is actually fairly similar to the HD 10 (only with a smaller and lower-quality screen). The best Fire HD deals include:
Fire HD 8 - was £79.99, now £44.99.
Fire 7 - was £49.99, now £29.99.
Fire HD 10 Kids Edition Tablet - was £199.99, now £134.99.
Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet - was £129.99, now £84.99.
2. Apple iPad 10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB (Latest Model)
Was £349, now £299 from Amazon
Apple fans, you're in luck; you can now get the brand's 7th-generation iPad for less than £300. The latest model does everything you'd expect and more, with its Retina display increased from the standard 9.7 inches to 10.2 inches and full-size Smart Keyboard compatibility. Available in Gold, Silver and Space Grey.
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 10.5-inch Tablet
This is the kind of product that turns tablet skeptics into tablet fanatics. The light and powerful Galaxy Tab S4 has a Super AMOLED display (1600 x 2560, specifically) that brings everything to life with rich, detailed and vibrant colours. The user experience is a real feast for the eyes and, weighing just 382g, you can take it everywhere with ease. With tonnes of memory (64GB) and an unusually good camera for a tablet (13 megapixels on the back), it can't be faulted.
4. Google Pixel Slate GA00347-GB Tablet
Was £969, now £669 from John Lewis
With a massive £300 off its retail price for Black Friday 2019, there has never been a better time to get your hands on the Google Pixel Slate. This computer-esque tablet comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a battery life of up to 12 hours, meaning it is powerful enough to be used for everything from gaming to photo editing. John Lewis are even offering a discounted bundle (plus keyboard cover) should you want to purchase everything at once.
5. Apple iPad Pro 10.5-inch, Wi-Fi, 256 GB (Previous Model)
Was £769, now £448.99 from Amazon
Amazon have knocked a whopping 42% off the iPad Pro – one of the world's most popular tablets – today, and you won't want to miss out on this deal. Though the deal is reserved for the brand's previous Pro model, the 10.5-inch tablet still comes with a 10.5-inch Retina display (with ProMotion), A10X Fusion chip, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, 12MP back camera, 7MP FaceTime HD front camera, and a four-speaker audio system.
6. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Was £919.99, now £804.99 from John Lewis
This Black Friday, you can save over £100 on this chic and powerful laptop/tablet hybrid. Though the Surface Pro 6 is light enough to carry around every day, its tech specs are better than computers double its size; it boasts an 8th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, 256 GB SSD storage, an all-day battery, Dolby Audio Premium sound and a high-res PixelSense display, to name but an impressive few.
7. Lenovo Tab E7 7-inch 16GB Tablet
Was £69.99, now £39.99 from Very
At almost half price, this small and budget-friendly tablet would make a brilliant Christmas gift for multiple members of your family. The sleek device uses Android Oreo Go to better the performance of other entry-level tablets and its long battery life (up to 8 hours) makes it an ideal piece of kit for Netflix binges and gaming on-the-go.
What should I look for in a tablet?
The best tablet deals won’t necessarily be the cheapest one you find. You’ll want to keep an eye out for a deal which affords you a tablet equipped for your personal needs.
For some, this will be a rugged and parental-locked device to leave in the hands of young ones. For others, it might be a tablet with a super-fast processor perfect for editing videos.
Figure out your primary tablet needs and start from there, looking at each tablet’s processor storage capacity (especially for photos/videos), weight (to avoid discomfort during extended periods of reading/watching), and general features to ensure it’s a good fit.
If you anticipate typing or emailing regularly with it, it’s worth paying a little extra for a two-in-one tablet; most come with a detachable keyboard and stand.
Of course, most tablets are simply used to make YouTube and Netflix binges that little bit more comfortable. If this is your primary concern, you really only need to ensure your tablet supports your favourite apps and that the picture quality is high-definition (HD). Lenovo Tabs and Apple iPads are crowd favourites, in this case.
How do I choose the right operating system?
The four most trusted names in the world of tablets are Apple, Android, Windows and Amazon.
As the creators of the iPad, Apple have long-been considered the birthplace of great tablet tech but their best models are especially expensive. iOS is a pleasure to use, however, and linking your tablet to an iPhone (if you have one) will no doubt prove useful.
Android is next, with their easy access to a wide range of apps and Google features. Android tablets are generally less expensive than Windows tablets and iPads, but some users feel Android apps aren’t as well developed as those for the iPad.
Amazon’s FireOS is very similar to Android and many of the same apps are available on both. Because Amazon sell some Fire tablets with built-in ads to price them lower they are often the cheapest tablets available for the quality.
Last but not least, we have Windows. Most Windows tablets are a two-in-ones which run on a tablet-friendly version of Windows 10. Some of the apps available on these tablets are also exclusive to Windows and their complimentary clip-on keyboards regularly win consumers over.
