Andrew Cunningham
Black Friday is in full swing, and that’s great news if you’ve had your eyes on an Apple device but have been waiting for a solid discount to pull the trigger. Apple devices are notoriously expensive, and you typically don’t see many discounts throughout the year. Fortunately, Black Friday brings notable Apple deals not only from retailers, but Apple itself. Just as we do every year, we’re cutting through the noise to bring you the best Black Friday Apple deals we can find.
Below are a few of the most worthwhile Apple deals we’re seeing as of this writing. As always, we’re focusing on products we’d actually recommend based on our time reviewing them and excluding any we don’t think are worth your money. Lastly: there haven’t been any huge iPhone deals we think are worth your time, so the focus here is on other products.
Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
More Black Friday 2022 Coverage
Samuel Axon
Apple iPad Air 2022 10.9-inch for $500 ($560) at Amazon (discount at checkout)
Also at Apple for $680 with a $50 Apple gift card
These days, it’s not hard to make the case that Apple makes <em>too</em><em> many</em> iPad models. The lineup has gotten convoluted and confusing, and some models offer better value than others. Fortunately, if you can afford it, there’s one clear recommendation for the significant majority of would-be tablet owners: the iPad Air.
The iPad Pro’s 120Hz display, Face ID authentication, and other bells and whistles are all nice-to-haves, but they’re not essential. And on the other end of the lineup, the new 2022 iPad sacrifices a bit too much compared to the Air, given the price difference.
The Air doesn’t skimp on anything essential: it has the fast M1 chip, second-generation Apple Pencil support, a great screen, and strong accessory support. It’s currently on sale at Amazon for $500 ($60 off typical street price), but Apple’s also offering it for full retail at $680 with a $50 Apple gift card incentive.
Samuel Axon
MacBook Air 2022 for $1,050 ($1,200) at Amazon
The Mac has been through many permutations (and ups and downs) over the years, but the recent transition away from Intel processors to Apple’s own custom-designed silicon has made clear that this is as good a time to go Mac as any there ever was.
While many of Apple’s Macs (like the MacBook Pro or the Mac Studio) are specialized products for certain audiences, the 2022 MacBook Air is the Mac that makes the most sense for the most people. Its M2 processor is frankly faster than most desktop processors, and a recent redesign modernized a classic laptop—even if it did so at the cost of some its unique identity.
You can buy the Air at a $150 discount from Amazon ($1,050 for 256GB or $1,350 for 512GB) or you can buy it directly from Apple and get a $150 gift card.
If you need more power or a bigger screen, check out our Best Black Friday Laptop Deals post, where we have discounts on the well-equipped, multi-port-toting 14-inch MacBook Pro on sale for $1,600 ($400 off) and the most powerful Apple laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,000 ($500 off).
Jeff Dunn
Apple AirPods Pro (second generation) for $249 with a $75 Apple gift card from Apple
Also at Amazon for $199 and first generation for $159 at Walmart
AirPods are more convenient than any other wireless headphones we’ve used, they offer essential features like spatial audio and transparency mode, and the sound quality isn’t generally too bad for the price, either. You can absolutely find other headphones that beat any of Apple’s comparably priced AirPods models in either sound quality or noise cancellation (though you’d be hard pressed to find anything that’s as easy to use wirelessly) but as a complete package, let’s just say that AirPods are wildly popular for a reason. Just don’t bother if you don’t have an Apple device to pair them with.
The best AirPods for most people are the AirPods Pro; they strike a perfect balance between price and performance. Both the first- and second-generation AirPods Pro are on sale right now. While both deals offer solid value, the second-generation is an objectively better pair of headphones in all relevant ways, as you might expect. If you can find use for a $75 Apple gift card, then we’d recommend grabbing Apple’s deal for the second-gen AirPods Pro.
Noise cancellation is improved, as is spatial audio performance, lending to a more immersive sound experience. The second-gen also improves listening time from four and a half hours on the first-gen to six on the latest-gen, while adding goodies like a MagSafe charging case with a built-in speaker and chip for new Find My capabilities, in case your AirPods ever go missing. The first-generation AirPods still sound very good, and noise cancelation is on the higher end of the spectrum compared to most earbuds. So, again, if you have no uses for a $75 Apple gift card, we can’t fault you for saving a few bucks and getting the first-generation Pros instead.
Jeff Dunn
Apple TV 4K 2021 64GB for $100 ($130) at Amazon
Apple TV HD 2021 32GB $59 ($99) at Walmart
Apple just recently released a new revision of its Apple TV 4K streaming box, but it wasn’t a huge upgrade over the prior model unless you are using a TV that only supports HDR10+ instead of Dolby Vision. With the new one on the market, though, last year’s mostly-the-same model is steeply discounted, making it the best deal out there for a streaming TV platform. As always, its appeal compared to offerings from Roku and others is lessened if you’re not already living in Apple’s ecosystem, but if you have an iPhone or AirPods, the current discount is a steal.
If you don’t need 4K quality, the Apple TV HD is also on steep discount for the lowest price we’ve ever seen on a new Apple TV at $69.
Samuel Axon
Apple Watch SE second generation (40 mm) for $229 ($270) Amazon
Apple offers a plethora of Watch models now, including the new flashy, outdoorsy Apple Watch Ultra. But truth be told, the entry-level Apple Watch SE (available at 40mm or 44mm) includes most of the features most people would care to have. We’re not knocking the Series 8 or the Ultra—they have a lot to offer. If you want the most health-feature heavy device, the Apple Watch Series 8 is the way to go, and it’s on sale for $350 ($50 off) right now. But if you’re just looking for something to help you track your workouts and stay connected, the SE will do the job for a lot less money.
