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I get why picking a tablet for school feels harder than it should. There are iPads, Galaxy tablets, Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets and Chromebook tablets, and most of them cost more than they did last November.
The expensive mistake is the stylus. Buy a tablet that doesn’t ship with a pen and you can add $79 to $129 at checkout, which wipes out most of a Black Friday discount.
My advice is simple. For handwritten notes on a budget, I’d buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, since Samsung includes the S Pen. If you’re already on an iPhone, I’d buy the base iPad plus Apple’s $79 Pencil (USB-C), and only at a Black Friday price.
Each expected price below applies last year’s Black Friday discount to today’s price. This year’s sale lands on November 27.
Student Tablet Black Friday Prices
I’d shortlist these 13 tablets, from a $155 Fire tablet to an iPad Pro for art students:
| Tablet | Pen in the box? | List price | Last November | Target price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad (A16) | No | $449 | $274 | About $350 |
| iPad Air 11-inch (M4) | No | $749 | M3 model $449 | About $560 |
| iPad mini (A17 Pro) | No | $599 | $399 | About $480 |
| iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) | No | $1,199 | $899 | About $1,080 |
| Galaxy Tab S10 Lite | Yes | $399.99 | $249.99 | About $285 |
| Galaxy Tab S10 FE | Yes | $549.99 | $359.99 | $395 to $400 |
| Galaxy Tab S11 | Yes | $999.99 | $639.99 | About $800 |
| Galaxy Tab A11+ | No | $299.99 | Not out yet | Under $220 |
| Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 | Yes | $499.99 | Gen 1 $279.99 | Under $330 |
| OnePlus Pad Go 2 | No | $399.99 | Not out yet | Under $320 |
| Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 | No | $329.99 | Not out yet | Under $250 |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 | No | $154.99 | $69.99 | About $77 |
| Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 | No | $629.99 (8GB) | $199.99 (4GB) | Under $300 (8GB) |
List prices come from Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Lenovo and OnePlus. Retailers usually sell below them during the sale.
Tablet Prices in 2026
Almost every tablet maker raised prices in 2026, and two well-known tablets are gone:
- Apple raised every iPad in June. The base iPad rose from $349 to $449, iPad mini from $499 to $599 and iPad Air from $599 to $749.
- Samsung raised most US Galaxy tablets on April 14 by $50 to $280. The Galaxy Tab S11 is now $999.99, up from $799.99 at launch.
- Amazon is replacing Fire tablets with Alexa Tablets. They launched on October 14 and run Android 16 with the Google Play Store. The Fire Max 11 is no longer sold new.
- Google discontinued the Pixel Tablet in September, with no successor. Existing ones get updates until June 2028.
So I’d compare each deal with last November’s price and the target in the table, and ignore how big the struck-through number looks.
Best Tablet Black Friday Deals for Students
Every card has the list price, what it sold for last November and my target price. Amazon India sells most of these, so India buttons appear where the same tablet is listed there.
Apple iPad (A16)
Apple’s entry iPad is the tablet I’d buy most iPhone users for class notes and reading. It pairs with Apple’s $79 Pencil (USB-C), bought separately.
- Specs: A16 chip, 128GB, 11-inch Liquid Retina screen
- List price: $449 ($429 with Apple’s student pricing)
- Last November: $274, 21% off the old $349 price
- Target price: about $350
- Pen: Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
iPad Air suits a student who wants Apple Pencil Pro support and a tablet that lasts all of college. The M4 chip handles drawing and video editing easily.
- Specs: M4 chip, 128GB, 11-inch Liquid Retina screen
- List price: $749, or $699 for students
- Last November: the M3 model sold for $449, 25% off
- Target price: about $560; retailers already took $100 off in October
- Pen: Apple Pencil Pro or USB-C, sold separately
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
iPad mini is the most portable tablet here at 8.3 inches. I’d pick it for reading PDFs and quick notes on the go. Long typing sessions are easier on a bigger screen.
- Specs: A17 Pro chip, 128GB, 8.3-inch screen
- List price: $599, up from $499
- Last November: $399
- Target price: about $480
- Pen: Apple Pencil Pro or USB-C, sold separately
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M5)
iPad Pro is overkill for most students. I’d only buy it for an art, design or architecture student who draws for hours on its tandem OLED screen.
- Specs: M5 chip, 256GB, 11-inch Ultra Retina XDR OLED screen
- List price: $1,199, up from $999
- Last November: $899
- Target price: about $1,080
- Pen: Apple Pencil Pro, sold separately
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite
Galaxy Tab S10 Lite is the best-value note-taking tablet here, because the S Pen is included and Samsung promises 7 years of updates.
- Specs: 6GB, 128GB, 10.9-inch screen
- List price: $399.99, up from $349.99 in April
- Last November: $249.99 at Samsung and Amazon, and $229.99 for one day at Best Buy
- Target price: about $285
- Pen: S Pen included
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE
The Tab S10 FE steps up from the Lite with a faster chip and 8GB of RAM. It’s the Android tablet I’d buy for 4 years of notes and streaming.
- Specs: 8GB, 128GB, 10.9-inch screen
- List price: $549.99, up from $499.99
- Last November: $359.99
- Target price: about $395
- Pen: S Pen included
Samsung Galaxy Tab S11
Galaxy Tab S11 is Samsung’s premium 11-inch tablet, with an AMOLED screen and an IP68 rating against water and dust. It’s also the tablet that rose most this year.
- Specs: 12GB, 128GB, 11-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen
- List price: $999.99 on Samsung.com, up from $799.99 at launch
- Last November: $639.99 at Samsung
- Target price: about $800
- Pen: S Pen included
Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+
Galaxy Tab A11+ is the cheapest Samsung tablet I’d buy for reading, video calls and streaming. It doesn’t come with a pen, so I’d skip it for handwritten notes.
- Specs: 6GB, 128GB, 11-inch screen
- List price: $299.99, up from $249.99 at its January launch
- Last November: not out yet; the Tab A9+ sold for $149.99
- Target price: under $220
- Updates: 7 years of Android upgrades
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Gen 2 gives you the biggest screen here, a 13-inch 144Hz display, with a pen included. I’d pick it for split-screen study and watching lectures.
- Specs: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, 8GB, 128GB, 13-inch screen
- List price: $499.99, and Lenovo sold it for $399.99 in October
- Last November: the Gen 1 model sold for $279.99
- Target price: under $330
- Pen: included
OnePlus Pad Go 2
OnePlus Pad Go 2 is a 12.1-inch tablet built for streaming and reading, with 8GB of RAM at a mid-range price. It’s sold in both the US and India.
- Specs: 8GB, 128GB, 12.1-inch screen
- List price: $399.99
- Last November: not out yet
- Target price: under $320
- Pen: sold separately
Amazon Alexa Tablet 11
Alexa Tablet 11 is Amazon’s new tablet, and it fixes the biggest Fire tablet problem: it runs the Google Play Store, so Google Docs and Classroom install normally.
- Specs: 8GB, 64GB, 11-inch 2.5K screen, Android 16
- List price: $329.99
- Last November: not out yet; the Fire Max 11 it replaces sold for $189.99
- Target price: under $250
Amazon doesn’t sell the Alexa Tablet in India yet.
Amazon Fire HD 10
Fire HD 10 is the cheapest tablet I’d still recommend, for videos, Kindle books and light browsing. It runs Fire OS, so Google apps aren’t built in.
- Specs: 4GB, 32GB, 10.1-inch Full HD screen
- List price: $154.99
- Last November: $69.99
- Target price: about $77
Amazon doesn’t sell Fire tablets in India.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9
Chromebook Duet is a ChromeOS tablet with a detachable keyboard, so it works like a small laptop for Google Docs and the course portal.
- Specs: 10.95-inch detachable with a Kompanio 838 chip, 8GB of RAM and 128GB
- List price: $629.99 (8GB model, Lenovo.com)
- Last November: $199.99 (4GB model)
- Target price: under $300 (8GB)
- Updates: until June 2034
My Chromebook Black Friday deals page covers 10 more Chromebooks and Google’s new Googlebooks.
How I’d Choose a Tablet for School
I’d answer these questions before comparing discounts:
- Do you write notes by hand? Then count the pen in the price. Samsung’s Tab S10 Lite, S10 FE and S11 and Lenovo’s Idea Tab Pro include one; iPads don’t.
- Which phone do you use? An iPad fits an iPhone user best, and a Galaxy tab fits an Android phone, because AirDrop, Quick Share and copy-paste work across them.
- Will it replace a laptop? A tablet with a keyboard covers essays and Google Docs. It can’t install Windows or macOS programs.
- How long should it last? Samsung promises 7 years of updates on its newer tablets. Apple has supported iPads for about 6 to 7 years in recent generations.
If you’d rather have a laptop after all, my Black Friday student laptop deals start with the $699 MacBook Neo.
Tablet Prices to Expect This November
Going by last year’s sale and the 2026 price rises, here’s what I expect:
- Likely: Samsung tablets 25% to 35% off, which still leaves most of them above last year’s sale prices.
- Likely: iPads $80 to $150 off at Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, while Apple offers gift cards instead.
- Possible: the first Alexa Tablet 11 discount, near $250.
- Possible: Fire HD 10 back near $70 as Amazon clears Fire stock.
- Unlikely: a $274 base iPad again.
For Apple’s full lineup, including the larger iPads, see my iPad Black Friday deals.
FAQs on Tablet Black Friday Deals for Students
What is the best tablet for students on Black Friday?
For handwritten notes on a budget, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite near $285, because the S Pen is included. For iPhone users, the base iPad near $350 with the $79 USB-C Apple Pencil.
Is an iPad or a Galaxy Tab better for students?
An iPad fits students who already use an iPhone or Mac and want the widest app choice. A Galaxy Tab fits Android users and costs less once you count the pen, since Samsung includes the S Pen on its S10 Lite, S10 FE and S11.
Why are tablets more expensive in 2026?
Memory chip prices rose sharply in 2026. Apple raised every iPad in June, with the base iPad going from $349 to $449, and Samsung raised most US Galaxy tablets by $50 to $280 in April.
Are Amazon Fire tablets good for students?
Only for reading and video. Fire tablets don’t include the Google Play Store, so Google Docs and Classroom need a workaround. Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets fix that, because they run Android 16 with Google Play.
Is the Google Pixel Tablet still sold?
No. Google discontinued the Pixel Tablet in September 2026 with no replacement. Existing units get updates until June 2028.
Do students get extra discounts on tablets?
Apple takes $20 to $50 off iPads with education pricing, and Samsung’s education store adds 10% to 30% with a school email or ID.me. Apple’s education price didn’t combine with its Black Friday gift card last year.
Before You Pick a Tablet
If you can’t decide between an iPad and a Galaxy Tab, I’d let your phone decide, since the two work best with their own phones. Then I’d add the pen to the price before comparing deals.
For everything else on a student’s list, from headphones to a Kindle, my student Black Friday roundup has 13 more picks.