Science

Black Friday 2018 deals: iPad for $250, $250 off Apple MacBook Pro, $400 off gaming PC bundle, plus Chromebook, tablet sales – CNET

Origin PC is discounting its EON15-S gaming system.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Black Friday is once again pr..

Published

November 23, 2018

Origin PC is discounting its EON15-S gaming system.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Black Friday is once again proving itself to be the best time of the year to grab deals on tablets, computers and monitors. And though they were a bit late to the party this year, the gaming vendors have now emerged with deals in hand, and we've added a bunch of them to the gaming systems subcategory below.

Updated, Nov. 23 at 9:50 a.m. PT: Deals and availability confirmed.

Every retailer that sells computers — desktops and laptops, Chromebooks and gaming rigs, tablets and convertibles — is looking to clear out inventory before the end of 2018. We're seeing lots of markdowns on older machines and configurations featuring Intel's previous seventh-gen processors. But that's not to say that there aren't any brand-new systems with cutting-edge tech on sale. There are.

We're also seeing how increased competition in the tablet market is driving down prices this year. At the high end, the rash of newly announced tablets in October from Apple, Google and Microsoft has already yielded one dynamite deal: A brand-new Microsoft Surface Pro bundled with a Surface Pen and Type Cover keyboard for $800 at Costco (note this deal is still available, but backordered until December). And the newest Apple iPad appears to be an early favorite this year, available now for $250 — that's an $80 discount — in multiple stores.

Also, Office Depot appears to be undercutting many other retailers with a handful of superior deals this year. Members of its rewards program will get early access to some of them starting Nov. 21. Plus, the purchase of a computer that costs $300 or more makes you eligible for freebies including Microsoft Office, a SquareTrade protection plan and other tech support services.

Now playing: Watch this: Tricks to score extra savings on Black Friday and Cyber…

2:06

As always, remember the caveats. Some of these deals may already be live today, some will launch over the next few days and others won't start until Black Friday, Nov. 23. In addition:

Deals and prices have been verified and updated as of Friday, Nov. 23.
The deals below are available from companies including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Dell (and Alienware), HP, Office Depot, Origin PC, Target, Sam's Club, Staples and Walmart. When more come in, we'll include them too.
CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.
We linked to the current listing at the retailer's website when one was available, but of course sale pricing won't be available until the respective sales begin.

Tablets

2018 Apple iPad (gold, 32GB) for $250 ($80 off)

Apple made its entry-level iPad even better with the latest version, released in March. Walmart is currently selling it for $250, which is likely to be the lowest price we'll see this year. Target also has it for $250, and Best Buy is currently selling it for $260.

Deal available through Nov. 24.

See at Walmart Read the CNET review

Surface Pro 6 with Surface Pen and Type Cover for $800 (save $200)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Buried deep in Costco's extended Black Friday circular is a gem of a bundle: a new Surface Pro 6 with Intel Core i5, Surface Pen and Surface Type Cover for $800. Typically, the complete set would cost more than $1,100.

Note that Best Buy also has a good Surface Pro bundle: You get the newest version of the tablet (albeit with a lesser Core m3 processor and just 128GB of storage) and the keyboard for $600. The pen, which costs $100, is not included. But still — that brings the price of the whole enchilada to $700.

The Costco deal is available now for members through Nov. 26 — though Costco says the product is backordered and not expected to ship until Dec. 5-21.

See at Costco Read the CNET review

Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with Alexa Hands-Free for $100 ($50 off)

Amazon will discount a bunch of its tablets, including the Fire HD 10, which was already a great value at $150. At $100, this Fire tablet, with its high-res screen, solid performance and 32GB of storage, is a total steal.

While other retailers, including Best Buy, Target and Staples, have announced similar prices for Black Friday, Amazon has already begun discounting its own tablets:

See at Amazon Read the CNET review

Laptops

2017 & 2018 Apple MacBook Pros discounted up to $250

Best Buy is offering discounts ranging between $150 and $250 on the newest batch of MacBook Pros and some still-current 2017 versions, too. You can max out the discount by choosing more expensive configurations — including this 15.6-inch model that features an Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Nice.

Deal is live now and available through Nov. 24.

See at Best Buy Read the CNET review

Lenovo IdeaPad 330s with Core i5 and 1TB hard drive for $349 ($150 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

It's not the fanciest laptop in the world, but it is slim and lightweight. And Walmart's configuration, which has an eighth-gen Intel Core i5 processor and 1TB hard drive, is a remarkable value.

Note that Costco and Staples are also selling discounted versions of this model on Black Friday, though the Staples deal is available in stores only, not online. Costco's deal started on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, and is available online only.

Walmart's deal is available now.

See at Walmart Read the CNET review

HP Pavilion X360 15.6-inch convertible for $500

Walmart has a solid deal on the convertible version of HP's Pavilion x360. You get an eighth-gen Intel Core i3 plus 8GB of RAM and a huge 1TB hard drive.

This deal is no longer available online, but will be in stores from Nov. 22 at 6 p.m.

Huawei MateBook X Pro for $1,350 (save $150)

This machine is compact and light, has a stellar sRGB display and very good sound system and delivers solid performance for its size. This is the best price we've seen.

Deal available now through Nov. 26.

See at Microsoft Read the CNET review

HP 15t laptop with Intel Core i7 for $500 ($740 off)

This is a solid deal on a good machine with a slightly older, though high-end processor. You get a 15.6-inch touchscreen with a seventh-gen Core i7 CPU plus 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive.

This deal is available now.

See at HP

HP Pavilion X360 with Intel Core i7 and 1TB hard drive for $450 ($350 off)

Lots of retailers have deals going on this machine — but we haven't seen any better than this one from Office Depot. HP model 15-da0086od features some killer components including a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and an enormous 1TB hard drive.

Staples is selling a similar version for $500.

Office Depot's deal starts on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, at 12:01 a.m. ET.

See at Office Depot

Dell XPS 13 for $1,400 ($600 off)

We don't know exactly which configuration Costco is selling with this promotion — but the XPS 13 is one of the best all-around 13-inch laptops, and this is a significant discount.

Costco's deal is live now and available online only.

See at Costco Read the CNET review

Lenovo Flex 5 with Intel Core i5 and 1TB hard drive for $500 ($300 off)

A simply killer deal from Office Depot. The Flex 5's 15.6-inch display gives you more room for work and, complemented by its speakers, makes it good for video, music and games. It also has plenty of battery life to get you through the day.

This deal is currently out of stock online.

See at Office Depot Read the CNET review

Gaming PCs

Origin PC Eon15-S and games bundle for $1,300 (save $400)

Sarah Tew/CNET

We're fans of Origin PC, and its Eon15-S, which includes some features you don't normally see in a gaming system at this price: support for three external monitors, including one with G-Sync support, and a removable battery. In addition to discounting the system by more than $200 for Black Friday, the company is also throwing in some extras with some configurations:

A digital copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
A digital Steam key for SCUM
A Free Star Trek: Online Gamma Vanguard starter pack and Tier 6 Archon Class Assault Cruiser

This deal is available now.

See at Origin PC Read the CNET review

Dell Alienware Aurora desktop PC (with Liquid Cooled Intel Core i7-8700K, GeForce RTX 2080) for $1,600 (save $650)

The Alienware Aurora can accommodate two graphics cards in its relatively small case — and Amazon is including the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with this configuration.

This deal is live and available online now.

See at Amazon Read the CNET review

HP Pavilion gaming laptop with Nvidia GTX 1050Ti for $599 ($230 off)

Walmart has a solid $200+ markdown on a 15.6-inch laptop from HP. You get a respectable collection of entry-level gaming components, including an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti GPU.

Deal is available now online and in stores.

See at Walmart Read the CNET review

Razer Blade Pro 17.3-inch gaming laptop for $3,900 ($1,100 off)

OK, so it's not a "bargain" necessarily, but if you were looking for a slim big-screen laptop for gaming or content creation you can save yourself some serious coin with this Blade Pro deal. At this price, you're getting a lot of processing and graphics performance, along with extras including a color-accurate 4K-resolution touchscreen and a mechanical keyboard. (Note that Newegg is also offering this deal.)

Deal available now.

See at Best Buy Read the CNET review

HP Omen desktop gaming PC with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 for $1,500 ($500 off)

Best Buy takes $500 off of HP's gaming PC rig. It's a pretty nice configuration — Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 2TB hard drive plus a 256GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, which costs hundreds on its own, to top things off.

Best Buy's deal is now available online and in stores.

See at Best Buy Read the CNET review

Acer Predator Triton 700 gaming laptop for $1,999 ($700 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Acer jammed a powerful (and overclockable) Nvidia 1080 GPU paired with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ for excellent gaming performance in a thin laptop — even if it does run hot.

This deal is no longer available.

See at Amazon Read the CNET review

Desktop PCs

Apple 21.5-inch iMac with 1TB hard drive for $900 ($200 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Best Buy's discount brings the iMac's price down to earth. For $900, you get a gorgeous 21.5-inch, 4K-resolution display, a decent Intel Core i5 CPU and a capacious 1TB hard drive. Note that the 27-inch model will also be on sale for $1,600.

Best Buy's deal is live now online.

See at Best Buy Read the CNET review

HP Pavilion desktop PC with Intel Core i5 for $370 ($260 off)

Staples was already selling HP's Pavilion desktop PC at a discounted $510, but will take off an additional $140 starting on Thanksgiving. This setup includes a decent set of components including an Intel Core i5 CPU, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB SATA hard drive.

This deal is currently out of stock online.

See at Staples Read the CNET review

Chromebooks

HP Chromebook with 14-inch display and Intel Celeron CPU for $210 ($40 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Chromebooks are often so inexpensive that retailers have a difficult time marking them down more — even during Black Friday. We haven't reviewed this particular 14-inch Chromebook by HP but the specs look decent at this price.

Deal available now through Nov. 24.

See at Staples

HP 11.6-inch Chromebook for $130 ($90 off)

This is some dirt-cheap Black Friday business. This HP machine is a basic one: You get an 11.6-inch display, a dual-core Intel Celeron CPU, 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. For $130.

Deal available Nov. 22-24.

See at Office Depot Read the CNET review

Monitors

Dell 24-inch UltraSharp LED monitor for $120 ($180 off)

Dell

Staples' discount — 60 percent off the retail price — makes this perfectly serviceable 24-inch LED monitor a great deal.

This deal is currently out of stock online.

See at Staples

27-inch HP curved LED monitor for $160 ($120 off)

Staples offers up a worthy deal for this curved 27-inch LED monitor. Solid specs include a 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution, LED backlight and 1800R curvature.

Deal available now.

See at Staples

Dell 27-inch monitor for $110 ($90 off)

Yes, this Dell monitor is several years old. But a 27-inch HD display for $110 is the stuff Black Friday is made of. Worth a look, for sure. (Note that Walmart is selling the same model for $120.)

Deal available Nov. 22-24.

See at Office Depot