I simply can't stop recommending this iPad Black Friday deal

iPad Mini deal
(Image credit: Future)

With the Black Friday deals pretty much in full swing it's time for me to dust off my yearly recommendation and flag that the iPad mini is on sale at Amazon for $349 (was $499) and I think you should simply go and buy it.

With the new iPad mini A17 Pro now out I suspect you'll be hard-pressed to find the older compact iPad being sold at full launch price anywhere, but $150 off that is still a good deal; the iPad mini 6 no longer features on our best iPads list, but it does make it onto my rundown of the best Black Friday tablet deals.

Not in the US? Scroll down for iPad deals in your area.

Today's best iPad mini deals

Apple iPad mini (65GB, 2021)
Apple iPad mini (65GB, 2021): was $499 now $349.99 at Amazon

Amazon has the 2021 iPad mini back down to a record-low price of $349.99. You get a powerful A15 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, and an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, making this iPad mini a great choice if you're looking for a smaller tablet with premium features.

Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad mini (2024): was $499 now $459 at Amazon

If you can't stomach an older iPad mini, then Amazon's Black Friday sale has knocked a welcome $50 off the price of the new, M4-powered iPad mini. You'll have to choose the Space Gray model for the maximum saving, though smaller discounts are also available on the other color variants.

So why am I emphatic about this deal? Well, it's because I have the iPad mini 6 and have been an iPad mini users for years.

Sure, with larger smartphones now the norm one might wonder why a compact tablet has my affections. Simply put, it's just an awesome little device. Pretty much every trip I go on I have it with me; it's an excellent note-taking device, a good e-reader, great for mobile gaming, and excellent for media consumption when I'm lying in bed trying to avoid staring into the void.

It may not be the latest and greatest iPad mini, but its design is still slick, the A13 Bionic chipset rarely feels slow and that Retina display is still lovely to look at, despite the lack of a high refresh rate. I love the iPad mini, and I think if you give it a spin, especially at a bargain price, you will too.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

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