The best Black Friday deals on AirPods, MacBooks, and other Apple tech

By The Verge | Created at 2024-11-26 00:20:15 | Updated at 2024-11-26 02:43:42 2 hours ago

Since the beginning of November, Amazon and other retailers have been releasing a steady drip of early Black Friday deals. However, now that we’re officially just a few days out from the main event, it feels like there are more deals than ever — and they’re getting better by the day.

Surprisingly, some of the best deals currently available are on Apple devices. Right now, for instance, the latest AirPods Pro and second-gen Apple Watch SE have already dropped to their lowest prices to date. There are also steep discounts to be had on iPads, MacBooks, Apple Pencils, MagSafe-compatible chargers, and other accessories.

To make sorting through the various discounts easier, we’ve organized the deals below based on category. It’s always possible some of these items will drop further in price on Black Friday, though, which is why we recommend you bookmark this post and check back on November 29th.

The best AirPods and Beats deals

The second-gen AirPods Pro improve upon Apple’s original pair with much better noise cancellation, sound quality, and onboard volume controls. The latest refresh also ships with a USB-C charging case, as opposed to Lightning. Read our review.

Compared to their predecessors, the Beats Studio Pro feature improved noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort. They were the first Apple headphones to support lossless audio over USB-C, too, and probably are your best option if you frequently switch between iOS and Android devices. Read our review.

The Beats Studio Buds Plus are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $129.99 ($40 off), which is one of their better prices to date. The wireless earbuds offer significant improvements over their predecessor, delivering superior sound, active noise cancellation, and battery life. Admittedly, they don’t silence your surroundings as well as Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro, but they do offer native support for both iOS and Android features. Plus, Beats offers a translucent option that looks way slicker than the AirPods Pro. Read our review.
The original AirPods Max with a Lightning port are down to $399 ($150 off) at Amazon and Target — which is just $5 shy of their lowest price to date — while the updated USB-C model is going for $499.99 ($51 off) at Amazon. Both pairs of headphones offer the same luxe, comfortable design, with terrific sound, ANC, and a natural-sounding transparency model. However, the updated model supports USB-C charging and comes in a few extra colors. Read our original AirPods Max review.

With lossless USB-C audio, 50-hour battery life, Find My, spatial audio, and more comfy ear cups, the Beats Solo 4 gained significant quality-of-life improvements over their eight-year-old predecessors. They still deliver that bass-rich Beats sound, too. Read our review.

The best Apple Watch deals

The latest SE borrows a few features from the Series 8, including the same chipset and Crash Detection feature, but it’s an otherwise subtle upgrade from the last-gen SE. Read our review.

The Apple Watch Series 10 has a larger, wide-angle OLED display with up to 30 percent more screen area. It’s also thinner and lighter than its predecessors. Read our review.

You can buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with an Ocean Band starting at $699.99 ($100 off) at Amazon, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. The new black model is also on sale for $20 more at Amazon and Best Buy. The rugged wearable offers better performance than the original Ultra thanks to Apple’s S9 SiP, which lets you take advantage of the newer double tap feature. It continues to offer a wide range of features that’ll appeal to outdoorsy types as well, including robust water resistance, sensors for measuring dive metrics, a battery that lasts for days, and the brightest display of any wearable in Apple’s lineup. Read our review.

The best iPad deals

The newest iPad Pro comes in either an 11- or 13-inch configuration with Apple’s M4 processor. Both models also feature an OLED display, a much thinner and lighter build, new horizontal placement for the front camera, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro. Read our review.

Apple’s 10th-gen iPad is the successor to the older ninth-gen model. In exchange for its revised design, landscape-oriented webcam, USB-C port, larger 10.9-inch screen, and faster processor, it ditched the headphone jack and home button. Read our review.

The older 2021 iPad is also on sale with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage at its all-time low of $199.99 ($129 off) at Best Buy and Target. The last-gen iPad remains a great tablet for entertainment, even if it offers a smaller, 10.2-inch display, lacks USB-C, and runs on Apple’s slower A13 Bionic chip. It’s still fast enough that you can comfortably use it for a range of tasks, from streaming and video chatting to browsing the web. As an extra perk, it features a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can still use a pair of wired headphones.

The best Mac deals

The 2022 MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight device powered by Apple’s M2 chip. The M2 model touts an improved 1080p webcam and a better display than its predecessor, while retaining features like long battery life and MagSafe charging. Read our review.

The MacBook Air M3 is a jack-of-all-trades, with a balanced combination of performance and power efficiency. It also now supports dual displays with the lid closed, and the storage speed is noticeably faster. You don’t need to think about if this laptop will meet your needs — it just will. Read our review.

The 15-inch MacBook Air M3 is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for an all-time low of $1,044 ($255 off). The laptop is nearly identical to its 13-inch sibling, except that it offers a larger screen and better speaker array.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip is on sale with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage starting at $1,399 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The new laptop addresses almost every complaint we originally had with its predecessor, offering double the base memory and a third Thunderbolt 4 port that lets you connect an external display to either side. It also comes with other perks, including an upgraded 12MP webcam with Center Stage, a new Desk View mode, and an optional nano-texture display. Read our review.
The base 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip, which offers the same features as its 14-inch sibling, is currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2,199 ($300 off). Compared to the 14-inch model, though, it’s more powerful and features Thunderbolt 5 ports.
You can buy the new M4-powered iMac at Amazon for an all-time low of $1,149 ($150 off) when you clip the on-page coupon. That discount is available on the base model, which comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU M4 chip, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. We wish the base model came with more than a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, but it’s otherwise a good desktop machine with a great 24-inch display and speedy performance. It even supports Apple’s Center Stage feature and comes with the same 12MP webcam as the M4 MacBook Pro. Read our review.

The best deals on Apple-compatible chargers

A Qi2 pad on the front and a party in the back, with three AC outlets and four USB ports. It can deliver up to 67W through a single USB-C port or divided between its two USB-C and two USB-A ports. Read our MagSafe / Qi2 charger buying guide.

The Satechi 3-in-1 has a sturdy aluminum frame and folds flat for travel. Its included 45W power adapter allows simultaneous charging of a Qi2 phone, wireless earbuds, and Apple Watch (with fast-charging).

If you want a basic Qi2 charging puck, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charger (Pad) is our favorite on the market. It’s currently on sale at Amazon for Prime members without an AC adapter for an all-time low of $19.19 (about $5 off) — a price Anker is matching with offer code WSPEV2OTG3CH. Prime members can also buy the charger with an adapter for $26.99 ($3 off). The magnetic charging pad supplies a maximum of 15 watts of power to compatible iPhones and comes with a five-foot USB-C cable.
ESR’s Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is on sale for $21.83 ($14 off) at Amazon, which matches its best price to date. The charger delivers up to 15 watts of power to MagSafe-compatible iPhones — specifically the iPhone 12 and newer phones — and can be mounted to either your car vent or dash. Bear in mind, however, that you’ll have to buy your own power adapter.
Anker’s Qi2-certified MagGo Wireless Charging Station (Foldable 3-in-1) is available for an all-time low of $82.49 (about $28 off) from Amazon and Anker with promo code WSTDOZTVE2. The charger is a good option for travelers thanks to its foldable, lightweight design, one that can deliver up to 15 watts of power to MagSafe-compatible phones. It’s also capable of charging an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods simultaneously.

The latest version of Belkin’s 3-in-1 BoostCharge Pro stand uses Qi2 for 15W wireless charging and a refined design allowing the attached phone to tilt. It also comes with a compact 36W USB-C power adapter.

Nomad’s updated 3-in-1 Stand One Max adds Qi2 support for charging compatible iPhones at 15W. It can simultaneously charge AirPods and fast-charge an Apple Watch.

Other Apple deals

Apple’s AirTags are unobtrusive, waterproof, and tap into the massive Find My network for out-of-range locating. Read our review.

You can buy Apple’s official iPhone 16 Clear Case with MagSafe from Amazon starting at $37 ($12 off), which is its best price yet. Apple designed the polycarbonate case so that it works well with the iPhone 16’s new Camera Control button. The company also added a “glossy scratch-resistant coating,” likely after many complained about how last year’s FineWoven cases scratched easily.
While not technically a part of a Black Friday sale, you can also save money on various Apple Pencils. The Apple Pencil (USB-C), for instance, is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $69 ($10 off), which is $4 shy of its best price to date. The stylus is compatible with Apple’s current iPad lineup and supports tilt sensitivity, along with the nifty hover feature when used with the latest iPad Pro models. However, while it does magnetically attach to the side of your iPad for easy storage, it doesn’t offer wireless charging.

The Apple Pencil Pro offers a slate of new features, including Find My support so you can find the stylus when it gets lost. It also touts new creative capabilities, like squeeze gestures and a “Barrel Roll” gyroscope.

The second-gen Apple Pencil is also on sale for $79.99 ($49 off) at Amazon and Target. Unlike the USB-C Apple Pencil, Apple’s older stylus offers wireless charging and pressure sensitivity. It’s not, however, compatible with newer iPads — including the 10th-gen iPad, M2 iPad Air, and M4 iPad Pro — though it does work well with older tablets.
The Apple Studio Display is down to an all-time low of $1,299.99 ($300 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The 27-inch display boasts impressive 5K picture quality and pixel scaling for macOS computers, along with great speakers. However, be mindful that while it is a decent monitor, it lacks a variable refresh rate and features like HDR, which are features you’d expect to find in a display this expensive. Read our review.