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The best Apple Black Friday deals of 2019: Apple Watch, AirPods, iPad, and more

It's a great year to save big on the Apple Watch Series 3 or the new 10.2-inch iPad.
Leif Johnson
By Leif Johnson
Contributing Writer, Macworld NOV 29, 2019 2:05 am PST
apple iphone 11 smartphone 2020 by apple
Image: Apple

Black Friday is now behind us, but many of the deals are still active and will remain so through Cyber Monday (or beyond). In the “absolute best deals” section below, we’ve updated this list and struck through deals that are no longer active or where the items are no longer in stock as of Saturday morning. Check back with us on Cyber Monday, as we’ll have a new roundup of excellent deals.

This page focuses entirely on Apple-related deals, so you’re looking for a larger selection of Black Friday offers, check out the massive roundup at our sister life PCWorld.

The absolute best deals

There’s a ton of information to sort through below, so if you’re mainly interested in knowing where to find the products with the steepest discounts, we’ve collected them in this section.

Apple

Here’s a generally reliable Black Friday tradition: If you want the best deals on Apple products on Black Friday, steer clear of Apple itself. This year is little different.

Apple is giving out gift cards this year, but only for highly specific purchases. Here’s what you can expect:

  • $25 for Apple Watch Series 3, AirPods (2nd-gen), or any Apple TV
  • $50 for purchase of iPhone XR or iPhone 8
  • $50-$100 for iPads, depending on model
  • $100 for purchases of various Beats headphones
  • $200 for pricey Macs

In other words, meh. You’ll be better off checking out the summary of the best deals at the top of the page.

Accessories and more

Casery: Casery makes some lovely marble-like iPhone cases, and you can get most of them on Amazon for 20 percent off by selecting the coupon on the product page. This deal lasts through December 2 (Cyber Monday).

Casetify: Casetify makes colorful cases for iPhones, and its products are especially appealing to people who like to switch out cases often. The case-maker is currently running a sale on its site through December 2 (Cyber Monday) that makes it easier to buy multiple cases. Simply enter the code FILLMYBAG at checkout. Buy one item, and you’ll save 15 percent on your entire order. If you buy two, you’ll save 25 percent and 3 percent if you buy three. The code works for all items on Casetify’s site aside from licensed accessories.

Mujjo: Mujjo is a popular maker of leather iPhone cases and accessories, and one of its leather cases even made our roundup of the best iPhone 11 cases. For Black Friday weekend, you can take 25 percent off the entire site from November 28 through December 3. Just use the code #25off when you check out.

Nomad: Nomad, known for its rugged iPhone cases, is offering large segments of its inventory for anywhere for 10 to 70 percent off. If you’re looking for iPhone 11 cases, be sure to check out the 20 percent off page . You’ll be especially happy if you own an iPhone 7/8, iPhone X, XS, or XR, as cases for those phones fall in the 70 percent discount range . You’ll also want to check out the pages for 50 percent , 30 percent , and 10 percent discounts —and these pages include plenty of accessories. This sale lasts until the end of day on Cyber Monday (December 2).

Zagg: Zagg is one of the best-known makers of iPhone and Mac accessories, and it’s also the company behind brands like Mophie, Invisible Shield, and Gear4. From November 27 until December 8, you can take 40 percent off everything on Zagg.com —although you’ll have to keep it limited to 10 products per order.

amazon logo banner Amazon

Amazon

As anyone who follows our daily deal posts knows, Amazon is an excellent place to find deals on Apple products. It’s also quite unpredictable. Sales will appear, and then the products will sell out before we even have a chance to write about them. Amazon also does a lot of price matching, which means that if Best Buy offers a killer deal on an iPad, Amazon will likely follow up with one of its own. With that in mind, though, here are the best deals we know of. Just keep in mind that they might change quickly.

AirPods: Amazon is now selling the second-generation AirPods for just $129 (down from 159), which is a match of Walmart’s highly publicized price. Walmart’s stock has sold out multiple times since Thanksgiving morning, though.

Apple Watch Series 5: Get the 44mm stainless steel GPS + Cellular model for $669, down from $749. It’s been at this price for a couple of weeks, but this is still the lowest price we’ve seen.

27-inch 5K iMac (2019): Get this model with 1TB of storage for $1,599.99, down from $1,799.

11-inch iPad Pro: Amazon is selling the 64GB Wi-Fi only version of this model for $649.99, down from $799. This is an all-time low price. 

MacBook Air (2019): Get the latest MacBook Air with 8GB RAM/128GB SSD for $899.99, down from the retail price of $1,099. This is the lowest price we’ve seen it listed for on Amazon, but it’s been at this price many times before.

MacBook Air (2017): This is the older model—that is, the one before Apple ditched the glowing logo and introduced the “butterfly” keyboard. Get this model with 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD for $699, down $300 from the normal retail price of $999.

13-inch MacBook Pro (2019): Get the i5/8GB/128GB model for $1,499.99, down almost $300 from the usual retail price of $1,799.

16-inch MacBook Pro (2019): This is the new model that resurrects the old (and beloved) keyboard. Get this 16GB RAM/512GB SSD version for $2,299, down from $2,400.

Mac Mini: The new 128GB model with a 3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 processor is selling for $699, down from $799. This is the lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s been at this price many times before.

targetinvis Target

Target

Target has long been one of the best stores to visit for Apple products on Black Friday, and it continues that tradition this year with some fantastic deals on iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. Most of the deals go live for the general public on Friday itself, but Target RedCard and Circle rewards members can start taking advantage of the deals on November 27, the day before Thanksgiving.

Brick-and-mortar Target stores will open on Thanksgiving Day at 5:00 p.m. local time and stay open until 1:00 a.m. on Friday. On Black Friday itself, stores will open at 7:00 a.m. We’ve singled out the Apple stuff below, but if you want to see everything Target is offering, check out its massive 54-page mailer.

Deals Available Now

AirPods: Get the second-generation AirPods with charging case for $144.99 , down from the usual price of $159.99. Alternatively, you can get the AirPods with the wireless charging case for $169.99 (down from $199.99). Not bad, but right now can get them for $139 at Amazon.

Black Friday Deals

iPhone: If you buy an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max from Target and activate it with either Verizon or AT&T, Target will give you a $200 Target gift card. This deal lasts the whole weekend, starting at 7:00 a.m. on Friday and ending on Sunday, December 1.

iPad: Target is selling the new 10.2-inch iPad for $249.99 , which is the lowest price we’ve seen for this model. It retails for $329.99.

Apple Watch Series 3: Get the still-impressive Series 3 for as little as $169.99. It’s hard to confirm, but the model looks like the 38mm aluminum model with the white sport band. Walmart is offering a better deal.

App Store and iTunes gift cards: Buy one gift card at full price and buy a second for 30 percent off . The values of the cards included in the deal aren’t specified, but it’s probably safe to assume the deal covers all of them.

walmart logo Walmart

Walmart

Walmart has some fantastic deals this year—some of the best, in fact—particularly if you’re in the market for a slightly older Apple Watch. The items below go on sale online on Wednesday, November 27 at 1 a.m. Eastern, and then you’ll see then in stores on Thanksgiving Day beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Apple Watch Series 3: You can get the 38mm Apple Watch Series 3 for $129, down from the current going price of $199. Alternatively, you can get the 48mm version for $159, down from the going rate of $229 (and the $309 retail). In both cases, that’s the best price we know of—and around $40 less than what you’d pay at Target.

iPad: Walmart will sell the new 32GB 10.2-inch iPad for $249 , down from the normal retail price of $329. Other retailers are selling it for this price, but it’s a good one—certainly the lowest we’ve seen so far this year. Amazon is currently selling it for this price.

iPhone: Head to Walmart if you want an iPhone. If you buy and activate an iPhone 11 , iPhone 11 Pro , or iPhone 11 Pro Max , Walmart will give you a $300 Walmart gift card. If you buy and activate an iPhone XS , Walmart will give you a $450 gift card. You’ll get a $400 gift card if you buy either an iPhone XS Max or XR . Trade in a qualifying smartphone, and you’ll get another $250 Walmart gift card. Walmart is also selling the 32GB iPhone 6s Plus for $149 if you buy it with either its Straight Talk or Total Wireless plans.

AirPods: Walmart will be selling the standard second-generation AirPods for $129, down from the regular retail price of $159. This is the best price we know of. As of the time of writing, they’re already on sale for $139.

b and h photo logo banner B&H Photo

B&H

B&H Photo is one of the better destinations for Mac and iMac deals, and this year there are plenty to choose from .

It’s also the best place to shop for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, as you can find discounts of $200 on many variations . At the least expensive, you can get one for $2,199 .

We also recommend checking out the two models below. Unfortunately, these aren’t really “Black Friday deals,” as both will end at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday night (November 27).

For one, there’s this 2017 27-inch Retina 5K model with 8GB of RAM and a 2TB Fusion drive , which is on sale for just $1,599, down a whopping $700 from the usual price of $2,229. That’s easily the best price we’ve seen for this model to date.

For another, you can get this 2017 1TB 21.5-inch 5K model with 8GB of memory for $1,349, down from $1,799. Both deals also come with free two-day shipping.

costcologo Costco

Costco

Most retailers drop all their deals on the table at once, but not Costco. Instead, it’s dropping new deals every few days. As such, we’ve organized Costco’s section by date rather than product. Just a reminder: You have to be a Costco member in order to take advantage of its deals.

Some of the best deals, though, aren’t strictly limited to Black Friday. From November 25 through December 24, Costco is selling the GPS-only 40mm aluminum space gray Apple Watch Series 5 for just $354.99, down from Apple’s normal retail price of $399. The larger the larger 44mm model is selling for $384.99, down from Apple’s retail price of $429. These are the best prices we’ve seen this watch listed for.

Until December 2

November 28 (Thanksgiving)

November 29-December 2

December 2

bestbuylogo Best Buy

Best Buy

Best Buy already had an impressive “Black Friday” sale for Apple products earlier this month, and we covered those deals individually when they dropped. The retailer’s actual Black Friday sales are kind of tame by comparison (at least for Apple products).

One exception is the discount for the Apple Watch Series 4 , which starts at $299 for the smaller 40mm model, down $50 from the usual retail price of $349.

You can also get the HomePod for $199.99 , down for $299.99. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen.

Staples

Staples has some decent deals for Black Friday, but nothing remarkable—we’ve seen these prices (and better) at other retailers. You can take advantage of these deals online on Thanksgiving and in the stores beginning at 7:00 a.m.

, Contributing Writer

Leif is a San Francisco-based tech journalist. He's a big fan of fantasy RPGs, and you can find his previous work on IGN, Rolling Stone, VICE, PC Gamer, Playboy, Mac|Life, TechRadar, and numerous other publications.

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