Apple Stores mean serene settings and expert advice, but you typically won’t find discounts there.
Does Apple ever put its products on sale? Yes and no. Apple typically never discounts its products — even on Black Friday and other big sales events. However, Apple sometimes offers gift cards or free accessories with qualifying purchases. And the company routinely discounts products for students and teachers in its Education Store.
Here are the key ways Apple handles sales or promotions:
Back-to-school promotions: Apple typically runs an annual back-to-school promotion, offering discounts on devices like Macs and iPads (and often bundling in gift cards or free accessories such as AirPods) for students and educators.
Black Friday and holiday sales: Apple’s Black Friday deals generally consist of gift cards rather than direct discounts. For example, purchasing certain products might earn you a gift card that you can use on future Apple purchases.
Apple Certified Refurbished products: Apple sells refurbished products, including MacBooks, iPhones and iPads, in its Certified Refurbished store. These come with discounts (generally around 15%) and the same warranty as new devices.
Education and business discounts: Students, teachers and businesses can often access special pricing on Apple’s website.
For larger discounts, third-party retailers like Best Buy, Amazon and Walmart often offer better deals on Apple products — especially during sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and their own seasonal promotions.
Apple student discounts
As mentioned, Apple typically runs a Back to School sale every summer. The discounts and/or promotions offered in these annual sales vary.
In 2025, Apple is offering eligible students and teachers an accessory worth up to $179 with the purchase of a MacBook, iMac or iPad. (The accessory comes in addition to the standard educational discounts.)
For iPad purchases, Apple will bundle an accessory worth up to $129 for free. Buyers also can pay extra to get a more expensive Apple accessory. For example, you can get either an Apple Pencil Pro or AirPods 4 for free with the 11-inch iPad Pro with M4 chip. Or you can pay extra to upgrade to the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, Magic Keyboard or AirPods Pro 2.
The value of the free accessory jumps to $179 with the purchase of a MacBook or iMac. And, as with the iPad, consumers can apply that promotional amount toward a more expensive Apple accessory if they desire.
iPhone deals: Buy direct from Apple or from third parties
The iPhone 16 Pro models come in black, natural, white and the all-new desert titanium.
Apple’s iPhone lineup currently consists of four tiers, priced from low to high: the iPhone 16e (starting at $599), the 2023 holdover models iPhone 15 and 15 Plus (starting at $699 and $799, respectively), last year’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus ($799 and $899) and the high-end iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max ($999 and $1,199). Adding extra storage space increases those prices, sometimes substantially.
Every model in the iPhone 16 lineup supports Apple Intelligence, a rapidly expanding suite of AI features. Older phones (aside from the iPhone 15 Pro models) can’t handle Apple Intelligence, but still deliver an excellent user experience. You might find some of them (typically refurbished models) at third-party retailers.
Buying directly from Apple
Unfortunately, finding an iPhone deal is not as straightforward as you might hope. You will almost never find a straight-up iPhone sale on Apple’s official website. However, you can find like-new devices with full discounts in Apple’s Certified Refurbished online store. Apple offers decent trade-in values to make buying a new iPhone more affordable.
Apple also showcases certain carrier promotions. AT&T, Boost Mobile, T-Mobile and Verizon typically offer discounts, carrier credits and trade-in options.
Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, while not the cheapest way to buy an iPhone, lets you upgrade to a new model every year. Plus, it includes AppleCare+ coverage, which comes in handy if you need a repair. And you won’t need to pay the full price of a new iPhone all at once: The iPhone Upgrade Program’s installment plans start at $39.50 per month. (Using an Apple Card is another way to buy an iPhone on monthly payments.)
Buying from carriers, big retailers and refurbished marketplaces
Alternatively, you can shop directly on carrier websites. Look for trade-in credits (which can significantly offset the cost of a new iPhone) as well as BOGO (buy one, get one) deals and installment plans that let you spread payments out over months or years. Sometimes you can rack up additional bonuses or gift cards if you switch carriers.
As with all electronics, big retailers like Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Walmart typically offer iPhone discounts on Black Friday, back-to-school season and major holidays. Some stores offer instant savings for in-store activation of your new iPhone.
You also can save by buying refurbished iPhones from sites like Swappa, Back Market and Amazon Renewed. These and similar sites sell refurbished iPhones with warranties. Just be sure to check the previously owned iPhone’s condition and battery health — and the site’s return policy — before buying.
Sporting an M3 chip, Apple's lightweight laptop is built for Apple Intelligence. Includes 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD storage and backlit keyboard with Touch ID.
This Apple laptop features an M4 Pro chip with a 12-core CPU, a 16-core GPU and the same lightweight design we all know and love. Available in space black or silver.
Pros:
14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
24GB unified memory (configurable from 16GB to 36GB)
Apple's tiny new desktop features an M4 chip with 10‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU "built for Apple Intelligence," plus 16GB of unified memory, a 256GB SSD storage and a Gigabit Ethernet port.
Pros:
Apple M4 chip is powerful
Compact desktop design
Cons:
Headphone jack on front
BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)
Apple sells four versions of its tablet: the “regular” iPad, the iPad Air (in two screen sizes), the iPad Pro (also in two sizes) and the iPad mini. Consult our iPad buying guide to help you decide which model suits you best.
You can see the latest deals on our iPad sales page or shop the individual deals below.
Apple Watch deals: Save on Apple Watch SE 2, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2
Shopping for Apple Watch deals can be a little tricky. Apple currently sells three models: the entry-level Apple Watch SE 2, the “regular” Apple Watch Series 10, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. (Apple also sells custom Nike and Hermès versions.)
The Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 10 both come in two sizes (with the larger size costing more), two connectivity options (GPS only or GPS + Cellular) and a variety of colors/finishes. Apple Watch Ultra comes in only one size, and includes cellular connectivity by default.
Every Apple Watch comes with a strap of some sort, which leads to hundreds of possible combinations when you consider the various types of straps and their color and size options.
Often, a certain Apple Watch size, color or band style will be on sale but other combinations will not see the same discount. Sometimes it makes sense to buy an Apple Watch band that’s not your first choice to save money, then pick up additional Apple Watch bands on the side. (Read our buying guides to the best Apple Watch bands and the best rugged bands for Apple Watch Ultra.)
For reference, Apple’s current retail prices start at $249 for Apple Watch SE 2, $399 for Apple Watch Series 10 and $699 for Apple Watch Ultra 2. However, you typically can find generous discounts from third-party retailers like Amazon.
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) includes all the essentials to help you be motivated and active, keep connected, track your health, and stay safe. With features like Fall Detection and enhanced workout metrics, it is an incredible value.
The Apple Watch Series 10 sports a sleek new design with a slimmer chassis, a bigger display and a faster chip. The build quality is also better than before.
AirPods Pro 2 go on sale fairly regularly, though the frequency and depth of discounts can vary. Here’s a breakdown of their sales patterns:
Regular sales: AirPods Pro 2 often see discounts of around $50 off the noise-canceling earbuds’ MSRP of $249, bringing the price down to about $199. This is a common sale price at retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
Deeper discounts: More significant discounts typically occur during major sales events like Black Friday or special promotions. For example, in early 2025, you could buy AirPods Pro 2 for $169 on Amazon, noted as the lowest price of the year at the time. During Black Friday, prices have dropped as low as $154.
Frequency: Sales can happen every few months, but the best deals are usually tied to specific events or holidays. For instance, Costco employees report frequent price changes for AirPods Pro, indicating regular sales.
Overall, while AirPods Pro 2 do go on sale, the best deals are often limited to specific times of the year or special promotions.
AirPods Pro 2 are a fantastic pair of earbuds for your iPhone, delivering terrific sound quality, excellent ANC, and advanced features like Personalized Spatial Audio.
Pros:
Fab sound quality
Excellent ANC
Hearing Health features let them double as clinical-grade hearing aids and active hearing protection
HomePod and HomePod mini deal: Best bets for saving on Apple’s rarely discounted smart speakers
Apple’s smart speakers almost never go on sale. When we do happen to find a deal on a HomePod or a HomePod mini, it usually comes from one of three places: B&H Photo/Video, Best Buy or Verizon. Amazon doesn’t sell HomePods, presumably because Apple’s speakers compete with the online retailer’s line of Echo devices.
This is one of the rare occasions where shopping directly with Apple might not cost you more money than going with a third-party retailer. Apple sells the HomePod for $299 and the HomePod mini for $99, with free delivery and easy returns if needed.
Apple accessories deals
Apple makes a variety of accessories for Macs, iPads and its other products.
Apple monitors deals
The company’s monitors — the high-end Pro Display XDR and the more affordable Studio Display — offer superb screens and other advanced features but cost more than competitors’ offerings. We rarely see discounts, especially on the Pro Display XDR.
You can sometimes snag Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse at below-retail prices.
AirTag deals
AirTags often see discounts, especially on Amazon. A four-pack of Apple’s Bluetooth track tags retails for $99, but the price frequently drops to around $75. The best deals, such as $65 for a four-pack, are less common but have been observed recently, especially as rumors of an updated AirTag circulate. The deepest discounts often appear during major shopping events like Black Friday and Amazon’s special sales.
What’s better than one AirTag? Four of them! At a discount.
Attach an AirTag to anything that gets misplaced frequently, like a keyring, or something important you’d be very sad if it goes missing, like your luggage. Then locate it with the Find My app on iPhone.
Apple’s Beats by Dre headphones, earbuds and speakers offer many of the advantages of AirPods but also play nice with Android devices. As with AirPods, third-party retailers often offer steep discounts.
If you waited for an AirPods Pro 3 deal that beats Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your moment has arrived. Apple’s excellent noise-canceling earbuds are way down to just $199. That’s a 20% discount off the newly upgraded earbuds — and $20 less than Black Friday.
AirPods Pro 3 bring new features, including a heart rate monitor, revved-up audio quality and redesigned ear tips for better active noise cancellation. Plus, like the previous model, they can even function as clinical-grade hearing aids.
Make no mistake: These are the best wireless earbuds you can buy for your iPhone, Mac and other Apple gear. Nothing can match how seamlessly AirPods integrate with Apple devices.
Get the recently released M5 iPad Pro at a nice discount off the usual cost. Photo: Apple
The M5 iPad Pro is the most powerful Apple tablet ever, with a chip many Mac models don’t have yet. It just launched in October but a deal means shoppers can already buy it at a discount. Amazon knocked $100 off the cost of both the 11-inch and 13-inch versions — that puts it back to its lowest price since the release.
It’s gift-buying season, and you know who the new iPad Pro would make a great gift for? You. It’s a very capable computer for creatives and digital nomads, thanks to the M5 processor. And don’t overlook the gorgeous OLED display and Mac-like operation thanks to iPadOS 26.
Buy an Apple Gift Card to get extended trials to several Apple services. AI Image: Google Gemini
Apple is bundling three months of free Apple Arcade access with every Apple Gift Card purchase. Best Buy is running an even better offer, bundling access to Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and Apple TV with an Apple Gift Card.
The best part? The offer applies to both new and returning subscribers.
Don't miss this chance to save on the second-gen HomePod. Photo: Apple
Apple’s HomePod smart speaker rarely sees a discount, but a special holiday deal from B&H cuts the price by $20 for a limited time.
The timing is awesome, because a HomePod makes a great gift for the Apple lover in your life. And with this deal, you can scoop up a full-size, second-generation Home Pod for just $279 in either midnight or white.
M4 Mac mini is tiny and so is the price (especially with this deal). Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple’s tiny yet powerful M4 Mac mini is an amazing deal at any time, and a sale on the desktop computer makes it an even better value. You can get the latest model with 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD for only $479. That’s a full 20% off the list price.
Mac mini makes a great gift for someone needing their first computer. Especially at this low, low price.
Apple Watch Series 11 comes in a range of colors and combos, but not everything's on sale ... yet. Image: Cult of Mac
A hot deal on Apple Watch Series 11 drops Apple’s newest smartwatch to just $299 for the smaller 42mm size. That’s a $100 discount off Apple’s MSRP, and 10 bucks cheaper than the Black Friday low.
Discover incredible AirPods deals. Upgrade your audio experience today! Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have dropped to near their Black Friday low at just $99.99. Amazon’s stock of entry-level AirPods 4 (without ANC) seems depleted, because those earbuds shot up to cost more than their more sophisticated siblings!
With the “regular” AirPods 4 AWOL from holiday sales, you should jump on this deal on AirPods 4 with ANC if you want to gift a pair of Apple’s affordable earbuds.
Some Cyber Monday Apple deals are even better than the Black Friday sales. Image: Cult of Mac
Our guide to the best Cyber Monday 2025 deals on Apple products and accessories showcases some prices that are even lower than Black Friday’s blowout sales. We’ll update this post throughout the day, but the clock is ticking. These Cyber Monday deals should end at midnight!
Our favorite earbuds — AirPods Pro 3 — remain at an all-time low price. The iPad mini just hit a new low of $349. And somehow, an amazing deal on the latest M4 MacBook Air got even more amazing as Cyber Monday approaches.
Find our absolute favorite Apple Cyber Monday picks, and our other favorite deals sorted by product category, below.
Get the latest, greatest budget iPad at a discount. Image: Google Gemini
A Black Friday deal makes this the best time to buy the iPad 11, the latest version of Apple’s entry-level tablet. You can take advantage of a sweet discount that takes $75 off the tablet’s usual price of $349. The 21%-off sale drops the entry-level tablet with an A16 processor to just $274, in (almost) any color you like.
The budget iPad, which launched this year, offers solid performance for tasks like surfing the web, streaming videos and handling email. Plus, it comes with a welcome boost over the iPad 10’s base level of storage.
It’s a great iPad for everyday users. Don’t hit snooze on this deal, though — this limited-time iPad deal could end at any time.
Getting $120 off top-shelf cans from Apple is a good deal. Image: Floating Pixels/Cult of Mac
In a rare AirPods Max deal, both Amazon and Best Buy offer a $120 discount on multiple colors of Apple’s premium over-ear, noise-canceling headphones with USB-C charging.
Keep track off all your stuff with an AirTag or four... at 34% off! Image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Apple AirTag deal alert! A four-pack of these essential Bluetooth trackers are a whopping 34% below the usual price on both Amazon and Best Buy right now. This means you can currently pick up a four-pack for $64.99. That’s about $16.25 apiece — not the usual $29.
Apple Watch 10 is quite the looker (seen here with Sport Loop). Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
The very nice Apple Watch Series 11 is the Cupertino tech giant’s latest standard, released in September 2025 — but it’s not always the one on sale. Right now, however, you can bag great deals on the similarly outstanding Apple Watch Series 10 from Amazon and Walmart. I bought and reviewed it for Cult of Mac in September 2024, and as a proud owner of a 46mm model that is currently $150 off on Amazon, I say it’s a great buy.
Don’t pay full price for a new Apple Watch SE (2nd gen). Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple Watch SE is already the most affordable wearable Apple makes, and a deal knocks up to 32% off the second-generation of this budget smartwatch. Some case-and-band combos of the 40mm model just dropped to $159.99! For an Apple Watch! And the larger 44mm version is 29% off at $189.99.
An Apple Watch can help motivate you to exercise and track your progress, or just make it easier to read incoming texts. If you don’t have a smartwatch, now is a great time to buy.
Apple unveiled the Ultra 3, which retails for $799, last September during its Awe Dropping event. It’s a high-end wearable aimed at extreme athletes (and people who just like its rugged looks and long battery life).
You can get some scary-good deals on MacBooks, iPads, chargers and more. AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Halloween may not be as big a shopping event as Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, but you can still scare up some spooktastic deals on Apple gear and accessories for various Apple devices. We hunted down 10 must-see bargains on MacBooks, iPads, AirTags, chargers, power stations, headphones and speakers.
If you are looking to buy an iMac, there’s no need to pay full price. Photo: Apple
A new M4 iMac deal knocks 9% off the price of Apple’s 24-inch computer, dropping it to just $1,182.10. The all-in-one desktop machine is right for both families and businesses.
Besides its stellar performance, the machine stands out for its beautiful 4.5K Retina display and sleek design.
This Apple Pencil Pro deal means you, too, could be making amazing art on your iPad. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple Pencil Pro is the best iPad stylus on the market, and a new deal knocks 23% off the regular cost. For a limited time, you can get an Apple Pencil Pro from Amazon for $99. That’s 23% off.
If you have your eye on a new M5 iPad Pro, this is the stylus you want to go with it. Put them together, and you’ll be creating beautiful art in no time.
There’s also a deal on the Apple Pencil (USB-C), the iPad stylus that’s useful for non-artists.
You haven’t missed your chance at great deals on Mac, iPad and more! Photo: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Shockingly, many of the amazing discounts on Apple gear that we saw during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days remain available for anyone who blinked and missed them. Some disappeared, but some actually got better!
We double-checked the deals early Thursday. Below, you can see all the best Prime Big Deal Days sales still going on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to the Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too.
Be aware that Amazon’s pricing often changes, and we have no idea how long any of these amazing Apple deals will last.
You can nab the lightweight-yet-powerful Beats Pro on sale. Photo: Apple
This hot Beats Pill deal lands you one of Apple’s great-sounding portable Bluetooth speakers for just $49.99. That’s a whopping 67% discount off the $149.95 list price — just be aware that not all colors are available at that astonishingly low price.
It’s part of Amazon’s Big Deal Days, and it might not last long. And don’t worry if those big product showcase boxes on our page don’t show the sub-$50 price — things are changing so fast that sometimes tech can’t keep up!
MacBook Pro deals abound on Amazon Prime Day. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
As with Amazon Prime Day in July, Amazon Prime Big Deal Days (Tuesday and Wednesday) bring excellent deals on Apple’s popular laptops, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In fact, you can nab the very same M4 Pro MacBook Pro I have for $250 less than I paid — my exact model with 24GB RAM at $1,799. And you can get the base M4 MacBook Pro for an incredibly low starting price of $1,399. Plus some Prime Day MacBook Pro deals net you hundreds off higher-end models.
As for MacBook Air, the entry-level model now sells for a low $799. And you can add some bells and whistles for a bit more. Scroll down to see Prime Day MacBook Air deals.
With Beats Studio Buds+, we love the transparent color choice Photo: Apple
Need great wireless earbuds but not into spending hundred of dollars? Amazon is currently selling Beats Studio Buds+ for the uncommonly low price of $169.95 $99.95 — a whopping 41% off.
Or if that deal expires — it’s only good for a limited time — you can get a pair of the more basic Beats Studio Buds for $99.95 (a third off). See more below.
Apple’s workhorse professional laptop is a great get for anyone when it goes on sale. And with the M5 models reportedly delayed until 2026, now’s the time to upgrade. If you want a model with a bigger screen and/or beefed-up specs, you can browse a bunch of great MacBook Pro deals in the sale links below, many with nice new price cuts.
Apple's latest base-model MacBook Pro features an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. It also boasts a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD storage and silver or space black colors.
Pros:
Great performance and "built for Apple Intelligence"
Beats Solo 4 come in four colors, including slate blue. Photo: Beats
One of the better pairs of on-ear headphones you can get is now half off at Amazon — Beats Solo 4. The current $99.95 price doesn’t beat what I paid during Prime Day in July, but my miracle deal was only $2 cheaper! And I have zero regrets.
Seriously, these little cans for less than $100 makes for a great deal anytime.
![Apple Watch Ultra 2 [Black Titanium, GPS + Cellular, 49mm]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41PRlIHiYsL._SL500_.jpg)
