Even though they only celebrate Thanksgiving overseas, Black Friday deals are for everyone. Here we have collected the best tablet deals along with the best smartwatch deals. Starting with tablets, we have selected Android, iOS and also Windows models.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra was replaced by the S9 generation, but tablets don’t age as quickly as phones. This is still highly capable and a rare 14+ inch slate (most Android and iOS slates are smaller). This is the 5G model, so it has its own data connection.
The 14.6″ 2,960 x 1,848px 120Hz Super AMOLED display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 8GB of RAM runs the show, and unlike S-phones, this one has a microSD slot, so you can add additional storage After. It supports DeX on its own display and on external displays via the USB-C 3.2 port. The tablet is powered by an 11,200 mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is smaller, but with a 12.4-inch 120 Hz (2,800 x 1,752 px) Super AMOLED display, it’s still larger than most devices. This also has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 8 GB of RAM, microSD slot and DeX. The battery is slightly smaller (10,090 mAh) and also supports 45W charging. Both tablets come bundled with an S Pen and have a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty.
The Google Pixel tablet comes (as often) bundled with the charging speaker dock. It does what it says on the tin, using pogo pins instead of wireless charging. The dock enables “Hub Mode”, which essentially turns the tablet into a smart display/photo frame/smart home controller/etc. The built-in speaker also lets you listen to music. And since the tablet is held in place by magnets (and there are no wires attached), you can simply grab it when you need it and reattach it when you’re done.
Windows tablets may be the best choice, depending on the type of software you need to run. And with Windows 11 they can run Android apps too.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is powered by a 12th generation Intel Evo Core i7-1255U processor (2P+8E cores) with Iris Xe graphics. It is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 256GB SSD. The 13-inch PixelSense display has a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920 px (267ppi) in a 3:2 aspect ratio and runs at 120 Hz. This slate features two USB-C 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 ports, so you can connect external displays and store quickly. Optionally you can get a Keyboard Type Cover.
The Dell XPS 9315 is a more affordable model. This is powered by a 12th generation Core i5-1230U processor (2P+8E cores) and is configured with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and a 256GB SSD. The 13″ display has the same resolution of 2,880 x 1,920 px (3:2), however it only runs at 60 Hz. It’s less powerful than the Surface, but it’s cheaper, especially since it comes with the included keyboard cover, which is an extra purchase for the Microsoft Slate.
Dell XPS 9315
Core i5 (12th Gen), 8/256 GB, 13″, 1,920 x 1,200 px
£360 off
Moving on to the iOS side, the Apple iPad Air (2022) is powered by the Apple M1 chipset and features StageManager for proper multitasking on an external display (which works via the USB-C port). It has a 10.9-inch IPS LCD (2,360 x 1,640 px), which runs at 60 Hz and supports Pencil 2nd generation.
If you don’t plan on doing that much multitasking, consider the base iPad (2022). It has the same display (except it only supports the first-generation Pencil) but uses the Apple A14 chipset instead. This one is a little thicker and heavier, but it’s still only 7mm and 477g.
Like Windows slates, these can be paired with keyboard covers to improve productivity. The Magic Keyboard can hold your tablet at an angle, just like a laptop. It has backlit keys and a USB-C port. The Keyboard Folio for the regular iPad uses a kickstand instead (and skips niceties like the extra USB port and backlight).
Returning to Android – well, Amazon’s Android – we see practically the entire Fire family. The Amazon Fire Max 11 is by far the best with a high-quality 11-inch IPS LCD display (2,000 x 1,200 px, 15:9) and stereo speakers, making it great for streaming and light gaming. Or not so light, the chipset in this one is more powerful than previous models and you get 4GB of RAM. Keep in mind that this is offered without ads and there is a microSD slot, so you can have hundreds of gigabytes of storage for little money.
Slipping under the £100 mark is the 2023 Fire HD 10 tablet. It has a 10.1-inch LCD display with 1,920 x 1,200 px resolution and a decent chipset, although not as powerful as the Max (and only has 3 gigabytes of RAM). However, I can’t complain too much considering the price. Please note that this contains adverts, which will cost you £10 to remove.
You can even go as low as £50 and get a brand new tablet. Well, the model dates back to late 2022, but it’s not second hand, that’s what we mean. The Amazon Fire HD 8 has 2GB of RAM as standard, but you can pay extra for the Plus model and get 3GB. The Plus also adds 10W wireless charging, so it can be used with similar docks to the Pixel Tablet (albeit at a fifth of the price).
Also check out the Kids versions of these tablets. First, they delete the ads. Secondly, they come with a sturdy, colorful case that will help them survive many games in young hands (there’s a 2-year “worry-free guarantee”, so Amazon will replace the tablet for free if it breaks). Third, they come with a year of Kids+, which is a kind of streaming service and offers free access to kid-friendly books, videos, songs, and even games.
That’s enough for tablets, let’s take a look at smartwatches. The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 is a Wear OS watch with Samsung’s One UI on top. It uses the efficient 5nm Exynos W930 and has advanced health monitoring features such as ECG and blood pressure monitoring. The watch is rated for 50 meters of water resistance and has a sapphire crystal display on the front. We connected both the 40mm and the 44mm in both Bluetooth and LTE versions.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is still technically the current model in its series (the Classic isn’t really its sequel). It has a 1.4” display (one tenth smaller than the 44mm Watch6), but it also has the largest battery of the Galaxy Watch at 590mAh. Plus, it has 10W fast wireless charging, so it’s quick to top up. This uses another 5nm Samsung chip, the Exynos W920. It has sapphire glass and titanium construction (water resistance up to 50m) along with ECG and blood pressure monitoring functions.
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 is still waiting for the Wear OS 4 update. TicWatches are known for their dual display setup: there is a 1.43-inch OLED but in addition there is a low-power LCD with backlight. It can only provide basic information, but it sucks energy. And the Pro 5 has a bigger battery than even the Samsung Pro with a capacity of 628 mAh and fast charging that reaches 65% in 30 minutes. Smart Essential mode (which uses the low-power display) promises up to 80 hours of battery life.
Apple released a follow-up to its Ultra watch, but it was a fairly minor update. The Apple Watch Ultra is a thrilling thing with 100m water resistance (you can dive to 40m) and a built-in depth gauge. It has an always-on altimeter, a body temperature sensor, ECG, fall detection with a loud alarm, and more.
If you’re more comfortable in the city, the Apple Watch Series 8 is available at a lower price. It has a 1.9″ OLED display, almost as big as the Ultra, so it can hold a lot of information. It also has ECG, and with 50 meters of water resistance, you can still go to the pool.
The Apple Watch Series 9 was a similarly minor update, so current Series 8 owners can safely skip it. But if you don’t already have a watch, the 2023 model costs just £40 more than its predecessor from a year ago. It comes with the new Apple S9 chipset (like the Ultra 2), which has built-in smart features that let Siri handle certain tasks on its own without a data connection. You can also get an LTE version of the watch if you want.
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