Black Friday and Cyber Monday
One of the overall best times to purchase an iPad is Black Friday. Online retailers like Amazon will have iPad deals, with discounts likely available even for this year's models. Some deals will be limited time discounts, while others will run across the length of the sale. As we get closer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can expect to see Apple offering a bonus with new iPad purchases, most likely a free Apple gift card.
New Year's
The start of the year right around New Year's is another fantastic time to pick up a new iPad. Here, Apple and other retailers tend to attempt to offload leftover inventory after the busy holiday season. Therefore, it's easy to score major deals on devices like iPads.
For the most part, you should not expect to see major discounts on current generation models, but older models are always discounted at rates up to 60%. If you miss the holiday sales, this is the next best option, and you will not have to wait long after.
Amazon Prime Day
Although Prime Day isn't as good as Black Friday for iPad deals, it is still one of the best times of the year to buy one. Amazon always discounts various iPad models during its two-day shopping event, making it one of the most consistent windows to find a good deal on an Apple tablet. This year, Amazon even had discounts on the newest iPad models, though the price cuts weren't that steep. We also saw some surprising iPad deals during Prime Big Deals Day in October, which is a good sign for discounts through the rest of the year.
Back to School Promotions
Many times, retailers will offer massive discounts on Apple iPads during August right before school begins for many, which makes this a great time to buy an iPad. Since many students, especially in college, use iPads frequently, Apple usually will discount select iPad models for a few weeks in August leading up to schooling. If you or someone you know is a student, you can even score a student exclusive discount to save more money on a shiny new iPad.
While the end of summer might be an inconvenient time to buy an iPad, this is a surefire way of saving money. This year, Apple added a free $100 gift card with any purchase of an iPad Pro, so you can expect something similar nect year more or less as well as additional discounts from Labor Day sales.
New iPads Available in 2025
Apple's most recently released iPad models include: a refresh of the iPad Air and the new 11th generation iPad. The M3 iPad Air, which starts at $599, and a new 11th-generation baseline iPad, which starts at $349. These are more spec-bump updates rather than major overhauls, but they’re the new 2025 models and they’re more powerful than their predecessors, so they’re probably the ones to get if you’re in the market for a new Apple tablet.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
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