Major retail chains launched early Apple Black Friday deals nearly two weeks before the official holiday shopping kickoff, dropping prices on hardware that debuted just months earlier across national storefronts. The official Black Friday shopping date lands on November 27 in 2026. Mitchel Broussard reported for MacRumors that storefronts refused to wait for late November, posting record discounts on flagship smartwatches, portable laptops, and mobile accessories [1]. Justin Kahn at 9to5Mac tracked matching price drops on Amazon and Best Buy covering new consumer and professional gear [2]. Early sales give holiday shoppers a practical way to lock in record-low prices before retail delivery cutoffs and shipping crunches arrive [1].
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Wearables
The Black Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Natural Apple Watch Ultra 4 dropped to $699.99 on Amazon [1, 2]. That price cuts $99 from the regular $799.00 tag. Broussard confirmed that $699.99 matches the all-time low on the smartwatch, which launched in September 2026 with Burgundy Trail, Burgundy Alpine, Natural Desert Alpine, and Natural Translucent Gray Ocean band styles [1, 2]. Milanese Loop editions fell to $799, down from regular $899 pricing [2].
Older wearable generations offered even steeper discounts at competing outlets. Best Buy reduced the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to $549.00, taking a full $250 markdown off the original $799.00 retail price for an all-time low. T-Mobile introduced a holiday promotion offering the Apple Watch SE 3 at no cost, covering up to $300. The carrier also took $250 off a second watch [1]. The early sales built on Apple Friday product rollout schedules that staggered hardware shipments throughout the autumn season to stabilize holiday retail stock.
A single AirTag 2 dropped to $23.00 on Amazon from its normal $29.00 price [1]. Four-packs of the AirTag 2 fell to $70 from the regular $99 price, but select 9to5Mac partner listings dipped as low as $17.50. The Duo-ready Apple Pencil USB-C fell to $69 from $79 [2].
Discounts on M5 MacBook Air Laptops
Amazon cut prices on nearly every configuration of the M5 MacBook Air, providing price cuts that ranged from $199 to $250 on 13-inch and 15-inch portable machines [1, 2]. Broussard noted that Amazon matched the “best post-hike prices we’ve ever seen on the computer” as retailers prepared for holiday shoppers. The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB storage fell to $1,099 on Amazon and 9to5Mac listings, down from the regular $1,299 price tag [1, 2]. Upgrading to 1TB storage on that machine costs $1,349, which saves $250 off the normal $1,599 price. Power users can choose the 24GB memory model with 1TB storage for $1,599, down from $1,799 [2].
Shoppers who wanted bigger screens found matching percentage cuts. The 15-inch M5 MacBook Air with 16GB memory and 512GB storage dropped to $1,299, down from $1,499 retail. Adding a 1TB drive to the 15-inch laptop costs $1,549, saving $250 from the normal $1,799 price to establish a new all-time low for that model [1, 2]. The 24GB model with 1TB storage dropped to $1,799 from regular $1,999 pricing [2].
Best Buy offered the 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro for $1,999 with 16GB memory and 1TB storage, bundling a free $100 store gift card. Upgraded 24GB memory models reached $2,199 on Amazon, with 32GB builds priced at $2,399 with gift cards. High-end 48GB builds reached $3,699. Authorized Apple dealer B&H added a $150 gift card on pre-orders of the touchscreen M5 Pro MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display, starting at $2,899 for 14-inch laptops and $3,399 for 16-inch laptops [2].
Carrier Promotions for iPhone 18 Lines
Major wireless carriers introduced trade promotions for new smartphone shoppers. AT&T offered up to $1,200 off the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with an eligible phone trade-in in any condition on AT&T Next Up Anytime plans. The promotion provided the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro at no cost over 36 monthly bill credits. For the iPhone Duo, AT&T required an AT&T Premium 2.0 plan and a $230 trade-in device to unlock the full $1,200 promotional discount. Customers on Extra 2.0 secured up to $930 off, and switchers received up to $800 in payoff balances [1].
T-Mobile offered matching trade incentives that pay out over the course of 36 monthly bill credits. Subscribers trading in any older phone received up to $1,200 off the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone Duo on Experience Beyond 2.0, Experience Beyond, or Go5G Next. Customers on Experience More plans unlocked up to $830 off, and standard lines received $730 in bill credits. Best Buy supported identical carrier activation deals through AT&T and Verizon, giving buyers reward points alongside carrier bill credits [1].
Phone cases and screen covers also saw pre-holiday discounts. Amazon discounted official Apple Silicone cases for the iPhone 18 Pro to $29.33 and Clear cases to $36.00, down from the standard $49.00 price without requiring digital coupons. Official TechWoven covers dropped from $59.00 to $46.00 on Amazon [1, 2]. For the iPhone Duo, accessory maker ZAGG took 20% off bundles, while Amazon sold compatible cases from $32.99 [1].
Apple Black Friday Deals on Mac Desktops
Compact desktop computers entered the shopping season with reliable markdowns as retailers expanded early Apple Black Friday deals to creative workstations on Amazon and Best Buy online stores. The redesigned M6 Mac mini started at $780 on 9to5Mac listings, reflecting discounts of $119 to $150 across the lineup [1, 2]. That entry configuration features 16GB of memory and a 256GB drive. Shoppers needing extra storage bought the 16GB/512GB model for $950, down from $1,099, but the 24GB/512GB version dropped to $1,150 from the regular $1,299 retail price. The M5 Pro Mac mini with 24GB memory and 512GB storage dropped to $1,550 from $1,699 [2].
High-end studio desktops shared in the pre-holiday price cuts. The 2026 M5 Max Mac Studio with 36GB memory and 512GB solid-state storage fell to $2,299, saving $200 off the standard $2,499 retail price to reach a fresh record low [1, 2]. Apple’s new 2026 Magic Keyboard dropped to $80 from $99, providing a rare pre-holiday discount on desk hardware. The white Magic Mouse hit $60, down from $79 retail, but the black Magic Mouse fell to $80 from $99. Shoppers also found the white Magic Trackpad at $116 from $129 and the black Magic Trackpad at $130 from $149 [2].
The Apple 40W Dynamic Power Adapter dropped to $35 from its normal $39 price on Amazon listings. Heavy-duty Beats 240W braided USB-C cables were discounted from regular $30 prices, falling to $13 in navy and $14 in red. Stone cables cost $16, but black cords sold for $18 [2].
Holiday Price Drops on Audio Gear
Personal audio hardware received prominent discounts as shoppers tracked early Apple Black Friday deals across digital storefronts for noise-cancelling earbuds and over-ear wireless headphones. The AirPods Pro 3 dropped to $199 on Amazon [1, 2]. That $199 price takes $50 off the standard $249 cost. The AirPods Max 2 fell to $449 from the standard $549 sticker price, giving buyers a $100 discount on premium over-ear headphones [1, 2]. The new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K dropped to $289, down from $299 launch retail [2].
Tablet shoppers also found markdowns on recent iPad releases. The OLED iPad mini sold for $699 for 128GB storage, $799 for 256GB, and $999 for 512GB, with Best Buy bundling a free $50 store gift card on each purchase. The 11-inch M4 iPad Air fell to $650 from $749 for 128GB and $750 from $849 for 256GB. The larger 13-inch M4 iPad Air dropped to $850 from $949 for 128GB, but 256GB configurations fell to $950 from the regular $1,049 price [2].
These holiday promotions follow early AirPods Pro 3 deals that lowered price barriers on Apple hardware earlier this fall during seasonal retailer events. Stores launched sales early to avoid holiday shipping crunches. Official Black Friday arrives on November 27, but current markdowns already match historic floor prices on several core models [1]. Shoppers can lock in stock before delivery deadlines tighten.
- ONLINE NEWS Broussard, M. (2026, November 14). Apple Black Friday starts early: Save on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and more. MacRumors. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Kahn, J. (2026, November 14). Early Black Friday Apple deals: AirPods, AirTag 2, MacBook Air, Apple Pencil, Mac mini, more. 9to5Mac. [Article Link]
