The 18 best Black Friday tablet deals 2024: Early sales available now | ZDNET

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The holiday shopping season will be here before you know it. If you want to get a head start before Black Friday kicks off, there are already deals to be had across retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy on all things tech -- including popular tablets.

Also: Black Friday 2024: Everything you need to know

If you're looking to buy or gift a tablet this year, those from big brands like Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and more are going to be heavily discounted for the Black Friday shopping weekend. We've scoured retailers and found the best early tablet deals live now, so you can check one more thing off your shopping list.

Apple's smallest tablet comes with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, an A15 bionic chip, and compatibility with the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil. Of course, you'll also get iPadOS 16 with features like shared tab groups, Stage Manager, and external display support if you ever need to see something on a bigger screen.

Review: Apple iPad Mini (6th Gen)

With a 14.6-inch display, you're sure to have enough room for work and play on the Tab S9 Ultra. Included in the box is Samsung's S Pen stylus that can be used for drawing out ideas or writing notes, or you can use it to navigate the tablet's Android 13 interface -- and even write in any text field and have it automatically converted to digital text.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

With the Surface Pro, you're getting a tablet that runs Windows 11 out of the box instead of a mobile operating system like Android or iPadOS. That means you won't have to worry about finding apps or workarounds for your workflows.

Review: Microsoft Surface Pro (11th generation)

This Surface Pro generation also supports AI functionalities, thanks to the devices' Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips and built-in Mircosoft CoPilot.

For 43% off, you can get Amazon's largest tablet, which is also the only Amazon Fire tablet that works with a stylus. It's perfect for streaming and light work, thanks to its 14-hour battery life, 128 GB storage (with the option to expand to up to 1 TB with a micro-SD card), and an 8 MP camera for faster, clearer, and smoother connections on calls with family or colleagues.

Review: Amazon Fire Max 11: Easily the best Fire tablet yet

Black Friday always occurs the day after Thanksgiving in the US. This year, it falls on Friday, Nov. 29. However, you can expect deals the week leading up to the day, as well as all weekend long.

Cyber Monday is the Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday and only applies to online deals. This year, it falls on Monday, Dec. 2.

For some big-name brands, Black Friday is the only time specific devices go on sale all year. It's also the time of year that you'll see the biggest discounts for popular devices like the iPad, Kindle, and more, so yes, it's definitely a better time to snag a deal on a tablet than other sales events.

The main difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is that historically, Black Friday deals can be found both in-store and online, while Cyber Monday deals are almost exclusively online that Monday. However, both days now offer substantial online and in-store discounts.

ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.

We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.

All major retailers should have sales and discounts leading up to and during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Expect deals from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, B&H Photo, and more. If you prefer to shop in-person, there will be plenty of in-store deals as well, but we've also found that some of the best deals are exclusive to online.