Want a Black Friday tablet for $100? Here's one to buy, and what to avoid
There are a few good tablets on sale, get the Samsung
There are great Black Friday deals on tablets, but shopping for a cheap tablet is like shopping for a used car. You might find a newer model with a cheap price tag, but an older, luxury model might be the better buy. If you want a Black Friday tablet for under $100, you can find an Amazon Fire HD tablet, but an older Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite for $99.99 at Amazon will probably make you much happier.
Amazon sells its Fire tablets so cheap that they seem to be in a perennial fire sale, but that doesn't make them the best choice. If you love Amazon Prime, Kindle books, and all of the other Amazon services, go for a Fire tablet. If you want a bit more versatility, without the ongoing sales pitch to join up with Amazon, I'd stick with an Android tablet like the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite.
The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is admittedly three years old, so it won't be getting any new features or updates. This is the lowest price we've seen on this tablet, the same low price we saw for a few days last year during the Black Friday shopping period.
The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite will do a fine job running all of your favorite streaming services, and the selection of apps will be much better than what you'll find on the more limited Amazon App Market, which is separate from Google Play Store. If you want a cheap but capable tablet this year, pick the Galaxy over Amazon's Fire tablets.
Black Friday deal - Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite: was $119 now $99.99 at Amazon
This all-time low price on Samsung's capable bargain tablet makes it a great pick if you want to more than just watch Amazon content and buy Amazon stuff. Instead of a Fire tablet, pick this Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, which has great battery life and a fine display, plus enough power to play all your streaming hits.
More Black Friday tablet deals
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: was $529.99 now $303.50 on Amazon
Samsung loves to make a bargain device for the fans, and the Galaxy Tab S7 FE gives you a huge 12.4-inch display – the same size as the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, for much less. You get S Pen stylus compatibility, great performance, and now all at its lowest price ever.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8: was $229 now $149 at Walmart
A fraction larger than the Tab A7 Lite, this baseline Galaxy Tab sports a 10.5-inch screen and 32GB of storage, plus a tidy discount at Walmart that's dropped a further $30 as we edge closer to the day itself.
Apple iPad 10.9 2022 (64GB): was $449 now $349 at Amazon
Apple's latest baseline iPad enjoys a range-wide $100 reduction; from the entry-level 64GB WiFi-only model, to the 256GB WiFi and cellular variant. Boasting WiFi-6, 5G, Apple Pencil support and more.
Apple iPad 10.2 2021 (64GB): was $329 now $229 at Amazon
If you're looking for a cheap iPad this of Black Friday, Amazon has the 10.2-inch iPad on sale for a record-low price of $229.99. While it's not the speediest tablet in the range, a decent screen, quality design, and relatively speedy chip make this the iPad that suits most people's needs the best. For streaming, shopping, and doing a few light work tasks, it's a great choice, especially with today's $80 discount.
Google Pixel Tablet w/ Speaker Dock (128GB): was $499 now $398.99 at Amazon
Google has attempted to make its own tablets time and again, with mixed results, but the combination of Pixel Tablet and its magnetically attaching speaker dock make for a great duo for use around-the-house, as well as on-the-go and this latest discount knocks more than $100 off.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE: was $449.99 now $399 on Amazon
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE has only just launched and yet it's already available with an initial discount of $50. There's a smaller reduction on the Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus too. Highlights include a sleek design, IP68-certified against dust and water, and up to 18 hours battery life on a single charge and a sharp 90Hz WUXGA+ display and AKG-tuned stereo speakers. S Pen stylus, also included.
Today's best Black Friday sales
- Amazon: 50% off TVs, air fryers, AirPods & clothing
- Apple: AirPods Pro, Apple Watch 8 & iPads from $99
- Adidas: 40% off running shoes, sweatshirts & leggings
- Beauty: 51% off viral makeup, skincare & hair tools
- Best Buy: up to $800 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
- Cheap TVs: big-screen 4K TVs from $269.99
- Christmas: 40% off decor, pajamas & trees
- Dell: save on best-selling Inspiron and XPS laptops
- DreamCloud: 40% off all mattresses
- Family pajamas: matching Christmas PJs from $12.99
- Gaming: console bundles from $289.99 at Walmart
- Lowe's: up to $800 off major appliances
- Nectar: mattress deals starting at $359
- Nordstrom: 30% off Nike, Levi's, Skims, Adidas & more
- Samsung: up to $2,000 of TVs, phones and appliances
- Target: 40% off furniture, TVs, clothing & appliances
- Toys: Disney, Barbie, Lego & board games from $14.99
- Walmart: Apple Watch 9, cheap TVs, air fryers & toys
You can also look forward to the Black Friday OLED TV deals event and see more of the best Amazon Black Friday deals and our Best Buy Black Friday deals guide.
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Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, having reviewed his first device (the Sony D-EJ01 Discman) more than 20 years ago for eTown.com. He has been writing about phones and mobile technology, since before the iPhone, for a variety of sites including PCMag, infoSync, PhoneScoop, and Slashgear. He holds an M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University.
Phil was the internal reviewer for Samsung Mobile, writing opinions and review predictions about top secret new devices months before launch. He left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. He has been a High School English teacher at Title I schools, and is a certified Lifeguard. His passion is smartphones and wearables, and he is sure that the next big thing will be phones we wear on our faces.