We’re speeding through November, and early Black Friday deals have begun. An avalanche of Apple discounts are about to start dropping nationwide, if they haven’t already.
This is my eighth year covering the Black Friday sales, and if there’s anything I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that hefty savings on Apple products are extremely rare, until the Black Friday month of November, when iPhones, iPads, AirPods and more are heavily reduced.
Stores big and small, from Currys to Argos to John Lewis and Very have already begun slashing the price of products, and while Apple itself doesn’t take part in the sale, the tech giant always hands out gift cards in exchange for a purchase, which is better than nothing.
With the early Apple Black Friday deals in full swing, I’m rounding up all the best early deals and the ones yet to come below.
When will Apple Black Friday deals start in 2024?
Officially speaking, Black Friday falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US. That means this year, the mammoth Black Friday sale will kick off on Friday 29 November in 2024, and end on Cyber Monday on 2 December 2024.
Those are the official dates, however, and if you’ve shopped the Black Friday sales in the past couple of years, you know that the Black Friday discounts start earlier and earlier. In fact, John Lewis, Argos, Very, Currys, AO and more have already kicked off their savings.
What to expect from Apple deals this Black Friday 2024
If there’s anything guaranteed to go on sale this Black Friday, it’s Apple’s AirPods – both the Pro and non-Pro models. Retailers seem to cart out the discounts during big-ticket sales such as Amazon Prime Day (when they plummeted to the lowest price I’ve ever seen earlier this year) and Black Friday. In fact, the AirPods 4 have already been reduced, just two months after launching.
Last year, retailers also discounted products that had only just been launched by Apple two months prior, including the all-new Apple Watch Series 9 and the MacBook Pro M3. In fact, Amazon, Very and others have already discounted the latest Apple Watch Series 10, but as expected, the heftiest discounts have been reserved for older Apple devices from previous years.
On the iPhone front – I’m expecting to see big savings on the iPhone 15 line-up from retailers, given that the iPhone 16 has just launched, but if you’re looking for discounts on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, you’ll need to turn to phone carriers, who are likely to offer up contract deals rather than savings on the handsets. Giffgaff is the first carrier to slash the iPhone 16 in price.
Read more: Black Friday 2024 live updates
Does Apple do Black Friday?
While Apple doesn’t really take part in sales such as Black Friday, Apple always offers up gift cards in exchange for a purchase during the four-day Black Friday sale. Apple announced its Black Friday gift card perks on 17 November last year.
To give you a flavour of what to expect, here’s what Apple was offering up last year:
If you bought a Mac or Mac Mini, Apple offered up a gift card worth up to £160. An iPhone 14, 13 or SE resulted in a gift card up to £60. An iPad Pro, iPad Air, a 10th generation iPad or an iPad Mini secured you a gift card worth up to £80, while the purchase of an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch SE got you a gift card worth up to £40. Anyone who bought the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3rd gen or AirPods Max landed gift cards worth up to £60.
If you wanted a discount on the Apple product you were about to buy, instead of a future purchase, shoppers had to turn to third-party retailers.
Best early Apple offers to shop now
Apple iPhone 16: Was £799, now £779, Giffgaff.com
You can currently save £20 on the iPhone 16, which usually costs £799, at Giffgaff. Just buy a £10 plan with Giffgaff to take advantage of the offer, then just cancel or change as soon as you’ve paid. This trick gets you the handset for a cheaper price. This year’s base iPhone 16 gets the new A18 chip rather than using the chip from last year’s Pro phones, giving it speedy all-round performance.
Apple AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation: Was £179, now £169, Amazon.co.uk
Apple’s brand new Airpods only launched last month, but Amazon has slashed its price on the earbuds in the run-up to Black Friday. In tech criticDavid Phelan’s review of the Airpods 4, he described them as “amazingly small and light.” He added that the audio quality, noise cancelling and microphone are all strong, while the fit is snug and comfortable. “The new AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation are excellent and the price is great: just £10 more than AirPods third-generation, which didn’t have noise-cancelling on board,” he said.
Apple Watch Series 9, GPS, 45mm: Was £394, now £329, Amazon.co.uk
Released last September, the Apple Watch Series 9 might not be the latest smartwatch in Apple’s repertoire, but it’s still a very good smartwatch. Featuring an always-on display and the brightest screen on any Apple Watch ever, it’s the new S9 processor that makes the Apple Watch stand out. With a £70 saving, this is well worth picking up if you’re in the market for a new smartwatch.
Apple iPad, 9th generation, 2021: Was £369, now £279, Very.co.uk
The cheapest iPad around is the 10.2in model, which launched in 2021 and is still sold by Apple. The ninth-generation iPad is still a fast and powerful tablet with a great screen and full-sounding stereo speakers. It works with the Apple pencil and the smart keyboard, too, unlocking extra functionality for anyone who wants to stay productive while on the move. With a £90 discount, this is a pretty good saving on the entry-level iPad.
Apple TV 4K, 3rd-generation: Was £169, now £158, Amazon.co.uk
It might only be an £11 saving, but the third-generation Apple TV 4K is hardly ever on sale, and this is the lowest price I’ve ever seen it fall to. Boasting Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR 10+ for sharp picture quality and cinema-like sound, the Apple TV 4K is a fast and powerful streaming device. It boasts a huge library of streaming platforms, apps and games in the App Store, and it comes with a Siri remote, so you can control the box with your voice.
iPhone 15 Pro: Was £999, now £879, Laptopsdirect.co.uk
It might have been superseded by the iPhone 16, but that means last year’s iPhone 15 Pro can now be picked up with a decent discount. Laptops Direct is offering Apple’s previous generation phone with £120 off. In tech critic David Phelan’s iPhone 15 Pro review, he said it “delivered outstanding upgrades” over older models and is frankly just as good as the iPhone 16 Pro, boasting the same AI features as its newer brother. It’s the phone I’m still rocking because of how small the iPhone 16 upgrade is over the 15.
Apple HomePod, 2nd gen: Was £299.99, now £254.15, O2.co.uk
It feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for a discount on Apple’s HomePod 2, and O2 is finally delivering the goods. Slashed in price by almost £50, Apple’s smart speaker is at last on sale. “The first HomePod was the best-sounding smart speaker when it launched, and this one is even better,” The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan said in his review. “While there are other hi-fi oriented smart speakers that come close, the rich, open sound of the Apple HomePod 2nd gen is not yet outdone, to my ears, by a single speaker. And two together are just extraordinary.”
Apple MacBook Air M3, 13.6in: Was £989, now £914.97, Johnlewis.com
There’s a £75 saving on the latest 13in MacBook Air at John Lewis right now. “The Air’s speed and battery life are outstanding and more than enough for almost everyone. In fact, the Apple MacBook Air is the best general-use laptop you can buy, with gorgeous looks, weight and thickness that are the ultimate in portability, and deeply impressive performance,” our tech critic said in his review.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Was £799, now £649, Ee.co.uk
The latest Apple Watch Ultra 2 has just been slashed by £150 at the EE Store. It boasts a brighter 3000-nit display; a sleep apnoea-detection feature to track breathing irregularities over time; and an upgraded S9 processor, making it faster and last longer. You also get that neat double-tap gesture feature for one-handed control.
Apple AirPods Max: Was £499, now £429, Johnlewis.com
Apple’s AirPods Max are currently . on sale at John Lewis. Now with £70 off, there’s no better time to invest in a new pair of cans. In tech critic David’s review of the AirPods Max, he described them as “an astonishing achievement”. He said: “These headphones are premium, but they sound premium, too. If you are even slightly tempted you will find an admittedly expensive piece of hardware that could change how you listen to music.”
Apple iPad, 10th generation, 2022: Was £349, now £309.97, Amazon.co.uk
With a discount of over £40, the 2022 iPad is almost at its cheapest-ever price at Amazon. “The new design, faster processor, better and bigger display are easily worth the price, and the new iPad is a real rival to the iPad Air, which usually costs £170 more,” tech critic David Phelan said in his review. “This is the best tablet under £500 from any manufacturer, in my opinion,” he added.
Apple Watch Series 10: Was £399, now £379, Amazon.co.uk
Released just two months ago, the all-new Apple Watch Series 10 has already been discounted by £20 at Amazon. “While at first glance it looks similar to the Series 9, the bigger display, thinner profile and handsome new colours make the Series 10 a lot more appealing,” The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan said in his review. “The features that have defined the Apple Watch, from subtle notifications, brilliant mapping capabilities on your wrist and above all, great health features, are all at their best here.”
Apple iPhone 12, 128GB: Was £499, now £399, Argos.co.uk
It might be a few years old at this point, but if you’re looking for a cheap and capable smartphone, then Apple’s iPhone 12 has just received a £100 price cut in Argos’s early Black Friday sale. “If you don’t mind having a less advanced camera than the iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 is the better choice. It’s cheaper, performs the same, looks the same, has the same display, has the same 5G connectivity and weighs less,” I said in my review.
Anker Prime USB-C to USB-C cable, 240W: Was £22.99, now £19.49, Amazon.co.uk
This is my favourite USB-C cable for charging any iPhone with a USB-C port – essentially an iPhone 15 or an iPhone 16. Made from a super strong upcycled-braided nylon, it’s very durable and has 240W of charging power, meaning you can also charge a 16in MacBook Pro to 50 per cent in just 26 minutes if you have the right power adapter. While the iPhone 16 is capped at 20W, this cable will work for all your devices, including your laptop and iPad. It’s currently 15 per cent off.
Anker GaN USB-C charger, 30W: Was £14.99, now £12.99, Amazon.co.uk
The iPhone no longer comes with a plug, so you’re going to need to buy one if you don’t already have one lying around. If you want to charge wirelessly using MagSafe at the highest speeds, you’re going to need one with 30W of power, and I highly recommend the Anker GaN charger. It charges my iPhone fast, works very well and costs significantly less than buying an official charging plug from Apple. Better yet, it’s currently 13 per cent off at Amazon.
Anker 310 USB-C-to-lightning cable: Was £13.99, now £9.99, Amazon.co.uk
Still rocking an iPhone with a lightning port? Anker’s 310 USB-C-to-lightning cable is my favourite one for affordability and durability. Long at 6ft and braided for extra strength, it’s also fast-charge compatible. You can currently save almost 30 per cent on the cable at Amazon – always good to have spares hanging around.
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