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Black Friday tablet sales: It's Target vs. Best Buy for the deepest discounts

Black Friday tablet sales start as low as $5 this year, with Best Buy and Target fighting it out to offer the best deals.  Whether you're an Android fan or deeply embedded in the iOS ecosystem, read on for the best Black Friday tablet sales to date.

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J Pat Carter/AP/File
Elizabeth Grace plays with an iPad, as her parents shop for a tablet, at the Pembroke Pines, Fla. Best Buy store during Black Friday last year. Best Buy and Target will have some of the best tablet sales for Black Friday 2014.

Despite a slump in sales, retailers are hoping to make tablets the darling of Black Friday sales. With prices that start at $5, this year's deals look promising; in some instances, deals have already busted our tablet predictions. So whether you're an Android fan or deeply embedded in the iOS ecosystem, we've gathered the best Black Friday tablet deals to date.

Best Black Friday Tablet Deals

ProScan 7" Android 8GB Tablet with McAfee Security Suite for $4.99 at TigerDirect
In addition to crushing our Black Friday tablet predictions, this $5 tablet also beats the cheapest refurb models we've ever seen. Sure, there's a rebate involved, but it's possible we won't see a tablet this cheap till Black Friday 2015.

RCA 7" Android 8GB Tablet for $29 at Walmart
If you don't want to deal with the hassle of mail-in rebates, this off-brand Android tablet comes within $9 of hitting our Black Friday tablet prediction of $20. Plus, it crushes Target's,Staples', Sears', and Kmart's Android doorbusters, which each charge $40 for similar off-brand Android tablets.

10.1" Windows 8.1 32GB Tablet for $150 at Best Buy
There's an air of mystery surrounding this unbranded Windows 8.1 tablet, but one thing's certain: at $150 it's the cheapest 32GB Windows 8.1 tablet we've seen, beating previous deals by $50.

$70 Off Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 8" 16GB Android Tablet at Costco
This 8" version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 4 currently sells for $240 via Samsung. Assuming Costco sells it at list price, this tablet will drop to $170 after Costco's $70 discount, which blows away its previous all-time price low of $220. It also beats Toys "R" Us and Kmart, which will both sell this tablet at $200, albeit Kmart throws in $20 in member points. Still, Costco has a lower price and throws in a bonus protective sleeve for your Tab.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4" 16GB Android Tablet for $200 at Best Buy
At $200, this Galaxy Tab Pro beats our previous price low by $50. If that still doesn't grab your attention, this new tablet is tied with our October mention of a refurb model. Simply put, this is the best price we've ever seen for this quad-core KitKat tablet.

$100 or More Target Gift Card with Apple iPad Purchase at Target
Apple fans listen up. Target is bundling generous Target gift cards with any iPad mini or iPad Air purchase. Last year, the Apple Store bundled a $75 Apple gift card with your iPad purchase. Unless Apple shakes things up this Black Friday (highly unlikely), Target should be your go-to store for iPad purchases as its lowest gift card is valued at $80. That said, below are our favorite Target iPad deals.

Apple iPad mini 16GB Tablet with $80 Gift Card for $249 at Target
If you're not one for Retina displays, this is the best Black Friday iPad mini deal in town. You're paying full price for the tablet, but you're getting $80 back via a Target gift card. However, if you just want to spend the least amount of money possible, Walmart offers the Apple iPad mini 16GB Tablet with a $30 Gift Card for $199. If you take the gift cards into account, both iPad models wind up costing $169. However, Walmart's deal is better for shoppers on a tight budget because you pay less upfront.

Apple iPad mini 2 16GB Tablet with $100 Gift Card for $299 at Target
Like its older cousin above, Target is selling the iPad mini 2 at full retail value. However, the inclusion of a $100 Target gift card helps offset the cost of the tablet and is likely to provide a better value than the Apple Store's offering. Honorable mention goes to Target which will offer the iPad mini 2 16GB for $239 sans gift card.

Apple iPad Air 16GB Tablet with $100 Gift Card for $397 at Walmart
Although we've seen the original iPad Air for as low as $339 this month, this deal bundles a $100 gift card, which is like getting $100 off the cost of this tablet. Walmart just managed to beat out Target, which offers this tablet for $399 with a $100 Target gift card. Honorable mention goes to Staples again, which offers the iPad Air for $319 — a new price low — without any gift cards.

Apple iPad mini 3 16GB Tablet with $100 Gift Card for $399 at Target
We've already made our case against the iPad mini 3, but if you absolutely must have that Touch ID sensor, Target is offering the new tablet at list price and with a $100 gift card. Again, honorable mention goes to Best Buy who is outright slashing $75 off the cost of the tablet for an effective price of $324. It's a bad deal when compared to Target's offering, but a noteworthy one if you're looking to spend as little as possible.

Apple iPad Air 2 16GB Tablet with $140 Gift Card for $499 at Target
Target is currently the king of iPad Air 2 deals, bundling a very generous $140 Target gift card with the purchase of any iPad Air 2. That's effectively $140 off the tablet's retail price and easily trumps last Black Friday's $429 iPad Air low. If you don't want to deal with gift cards or if you just want to pay the least amount possible, Best Buy gets runner up for shaving $100 off the full cost of the iPad Air 2. That also beats last year's pricing as well as Apple's expected Black Friday sale.

Up to $150 Off Microsoft Surface Pro 3 128GB Tablet at Best Buy
Deals on the Surface Pro 3 have been extremely rare. However, Best Buy is slashing $100 to $150 off select 128GB Surface Pro 3 laptops. It's also worth noting that the Microsoft Store may offer similar discounts.

For Apple fans, Target has already won Black Friday with its very generous iPad gift card bundles. If you don't want to be bothered with gift cards, Best Buy is a close runner up in most scenarios offering a respectable dollar-off discount on Apple's tablets. We don't expect Apple's Black Friday sale to come near either of these two sales. Android and Microsoft tablets have seen a few good deals, but few have excited us as much as the aforementioned ones. But stay tuned; in the days to come, we'll be adding more deals as retailers begin price matching each other.

Excited for Black Friday deals? Consider subscribing to the DealNews Select Newsletter to get a daily recap of all our deals; you never know when a Black Friday price will be released! You can also download the DealNews app, check out the latest Black Friday ads, or read more buying advice.

Louis Ramirez is a features writer for DealNews.com, where this article first appeared.

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