Thanks to a healthy batch of ad leaks over the last month, we’re finally able to paint a somewhat accurate portrait of the best Apple Black Friday deals. We’ve rounded up all of the most notable offers on MacBooks, Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and more below.
Traditionally Black Friday has been one of the — if not the — best time, to snag discounts on Apple products. Thanksgiving week has historically delivered deals on just about every category under the Apple umbrella. Black Friday 2018 is shaping up to be an interesting test case of this theory. With a pair of keynote events this fall, it’s been rather unclear to date how the deals will be divided out this week. Here’s how it’s shaken out so far.
The best Apple Black Friday deals aren’t at Apple
Surprise, surprise. Apple is slated to once again give consumers the short end of the stick when it comes to discounts this Black Friday. Although Apple has yet to unveil its plan for Thanksgiving week, you can guess it will ultimately amount to a handful of gift card offers. Look for these details to pop up on Monday and ultimately not be worth your hard-earned money.
Best Buy has historically been one of the major players for Apple Black Friday discounts. That’s slated to continue in 2018 as it rolls out deals across the entire Apple lineup. Target, B&H, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco are all expected to also deliver aggressive pricing this year.
It’s important to compare and contrast all of the offers slated to arrive this week. A great example is at Target, where they are expected to throw in aggressive gift card offers with the purchase of iPhone and other products. While the cash discount may not add up, the ability to save on other purchases during the holidays may outweigh other offers.
All of that being said, Amazon is now hosting an official Apple storefront as of last week. Who knows how aggressive they’ll be with pricing matching or discounts, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Best Apple Black Friday deals — Overview
Apple’s MacBook lineup has seen a major refresh this fall. A new Air model joins the traditional MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook. All of which are expected to see notable price drops throughout Black Friday.
We know that Best Buy is expected to take up to $250 off MacBook Pros this week. You can expect that deal to be matched (or exceeded) at B&H and Adorama where potential tax savings may come into play. Traditionally the higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pro models have seen the biggest price drops during Black Friday. Expect the previous generation models to be discounted by over $1,000 at B&H, as well.
MacBook Air has already seen $150 off at B&H and a limited in-store $200 off discount at MicroCenter. We expect that to be par for the course throughout Black Friday as Apple’s latest MacBook has largely been excluded from any Black Friday ads. Look for Woot to deliver the strongest 12-inch MacBook deals this week, where it has previously offered deals up to $500 off. There’s bound to be a few more surprises crop up as we’re not completely certain what eBay plans to do on Black Friday. More details coming there this week.
Best Buy is also slated to offer up to $200 off select iMac models. This is another category where you can expect B&H and Adorama to be major players. With demand decreasing for Apple’s desktop computers, it’s more difficult to predict than ever before what we’ll see here. Apple’s new Mac Mini is expected to only see gift card deals or around the same $50 off already being offered at MacMall.
Best Apple Black Friday deals — iPad
Much like Apple’s MacBook lineup, a recent refresh to its iPad offerings leaves us somewhat in the dark for Black Friday. Target, Walmart, and others will be marking the 9.7-inch iPad Wi-Fi 32GB to $250 (Reg. $329), one of the best prices that we’ve ever seen. Best Buy is also set to bring the 128GB model down to $330, which is good for nearly $100 off. The aging iPad mini 4 will see a $149 discount to $250 at Best Buy, which would also be among the best deals we’ve seen.
As far as the new iPad Pros are concerned, we know that MacMall will continue to offer $50 off various models. Otherwise, there hasn’t been much in the way of hints at any other price drops to date.
Best Apple Black Friday deals — Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 3 will be receiving hefty discounts at both Target and Macy’s this year. The smaller 38mm size is slated to hit $200 while the larger 42mm will be listed at $230. Both of these are all-time low prices. Best Buy will not be reaching those price points this week, only taking $50 off Apple Watch Series 3.
Those looking for the latest Apple Watch Series 4 may end up disappointed this Black Friday. Early ad leaks have yet to detail any notable deals coming down the pipeline. Best Buy is likely to offer some sort of open-box discount and we may see a late gift card offer at Target, but otherwise things are looking pretty dry for Series 4.
Best Apple Black Friday deals — HomePod
Looking for a HomePod this year? Well, you’re in luck. Best Buy will be dropping the price to $249.99. That’s good for nearly $100 off and the second best price that we’ve seen all-time. There was a very limited offer at B&H earlier this week that sold out almost instantly. Best Buy is definitely the leader in the clubhouse here and we don’t expect anyone to come close.
Best Apple Black Friday deals — iPhone
Walmart will be rolling out an aggressive $400 gift card offer on iPhone 8/Plus and X. You can also get a $300 gift card at Walmart with iPhone XS/Max and XR purchases. Various other retailers will be offering similar credits and buy-one-get-one offers, such as T-Mobile, which plans to deliver BOGO deals. If you don’t mind going with a previous generation model, there will also be plenty of deals to go around headlined by iPhone SE for $79 at Walmart on a pre-paid plan.
Other notable Apple Black Friday deals
- 20% off iTunes gift cards | Best Buy
- Beats Wireless Headphones: from $50 | Best Buy
- iPhone 6 pre-paid: $99 (Reg. $149) | Walmart
- Powerbeats3 Wireless Headphones Neighborhood Collection: $90 (Orig. $200) | Target
- Beats Solo3 Wireless Neighborhood Collection: $180 (Reg. $300) | Target
More Best of Black Friday Guides
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Amazon: Echo Devices under $20, Fire TV $25, Ring, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Google: Pixel 3 BOGO 50% off, Home Hub $99, Chromecast, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Smart Home: Echo Dot $24, Hue Lighting, Arlo, Nest, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Headphones: Bose QuietComfort, Beats, truly wireless, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Streaming Media Players: Shield TV, Chromecast, Roku, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Games: Xbox One $200 + $20 GC, Xbox One X, Switch, PS4, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Home Theater: Sonos, AirPlay 2 A/V receivers, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Fashion: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Nike, Macy’s, Levi’s, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – Home Goods: Anova, Instant Pot, Dyson, robot vacs, more
- Best of Black Friday 2018 – TVs: 4K from $130, doorbusters, LG, Samsung, more
Black Friday at Electronicsforward
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