Get Apple products without the Apple price tag, thanks to these back-to-school sales

A new school year means that many new and returning students will be buying some pricey tech to get geared up for classes — including plenty of Apple products. We all know those don’t come cheap, so we’ve scoured a few different sites to find discounts and sales to help ease the burden on wallets. Be sure to check out our recommendations for must-haves like iPads, AirPods, MacBooks, iPhones and other Apple accessories if you’re not sure what you need.

We sifted through a bunch of retailers to find you the best deals. Target is hosting a massive sale with savings on every Apple device imaginable. Amazon and eBay are great for refurbished models if you want to save even more money and don’t care about not having a new model (and for many students, a new model isn’t super-necessary). Apple itself is also having its yearly educational sale through September 26 for students (or those with a .edu email address), with up to $150 off laptops and $100 of iPads.

Read on for some of the best deals on Apple gear below.

Amazon has a ton of deals on iPads, like $80 off the 202110.2-inch version with WiFi and 256GB.

Students can take education discounts from $50 off iPad Airs (hello, all-day battery life) and Pros (which are super-fast) — and pick up a $100 gift card, too. Plus, AppleCare is 20% off right now too. All of this comes courtesy of a .edu email address, so sign up for one ASAP if you don’t have one already.

Best Buy has a ton of great deals going on on iPads right now: Namely, fourth-generation models with Wi-Fi and 64GB for $150 off and $200 off the 256GB versions.

eBay is a great outlet for second-hand iPads that are certified to be in good working order, so if you just need a tablet to get things done with, we suggest checking the retailer’s selection out stat. (Used is also great for younger kids!) You can get good-condition seventh-generation iPads with 32GB and Wifi starting at $219.95, with more recent models like the Apple iPad Pro from 2018 with 4G speed and very good edition for $718.24.

Walmart’s marked down a lot of Apple gear, including several iPad models both new and refurbished. For example, you can find a new 2021 iPad Mini (sixth generation) for $409, $50 off its usual price.

You can currently snag a pair of AirPods Pro for $75 off over at Amazon with free two-shipping if you’re a Prime member. Amazon’s also currently offering $100 off the AirPods Max over-ear headphones (the full discounted price applies in-cart).

Apple AirPods Pro are at Target right now for $70 (a cool almost-30%) off — or grab the second-gen AirPods for $30 off.

Apple AirPods Pros, complete with MagSafe charging case, are $40 off right now.

Head to the mobile retailer for a pair of Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe Case for $199.99 instead of $249.99 — that’s 20% off.

Grab a pair of AirPods Pros at Walmart for $179.99, down from an original $214.

AT&T

Apple Watches are buy one, gift one at AT&T right now, including the Series 7 and Nike SE.

Several models of the Apple Watch are on sale at Best Buy, including the SE with a 40mm strap and gold case for $60 off, the Nike SE for $60 off or the 44mm with a sport band for $60 off as well.

You can find both new and refurbished Apple Watches (from a few generations) on sale at Walmart. Refurbished models are promised to work and look like new, which is great if you don’t care about or don’t want to spend the money on having the very latest one. For example, a restored Apple Watch series 4 with a 44-millimeter band is currently $109.49, or the 5th-gen version in silver aluminium is $179 — you can also skip ahead to pick up a restored Series 7 for $333.97.

Woot! is a great place to pick up used wearables, including scratch-and-dent Series 4 watches starting at $109.99, a Series 3 starting at $84.99 and Series 5 starting at $149.99.

The new Series 7 can be found for 30% off on Amazon right now sporting a 41-millimeter band, while the GPS version with a 45-millimeter band is 16% off. If you’re not too bothered about having the absolute latest model, Amazon’s currently offering Apple Watch Series 5s in 44-millimeter widths for $209 off retail, bringing them down to $219.99 — they’re refurbished but totally functional and described as in excellent condition.

AT&T

Pick out a 64GB iPhone 12 for $10.14 per month on an installment plan instead of $20.20 (plus an activation fee and taxes) plus up to $365 in bill credits. There’s lots of details in the T&Cs so read them carefully — but if you’re looking for a new plan anyway, it’s a great way to get an iPhone you can pay off a little bit each month.

If you’re moving away for class and switching phone carriers anyway, head to Best Buy — the company is offering up to $150 back in savings with a qualified activation with a carrier like T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. You’ll also get perks like free Apple Music and News+ for up to six months and free Apple+ TV for three months (new or returning subscribers only).

Trust us: Your phone might find itself in some strange situations in college, so having a used phone is not a bad idea. eBay’s refurbished iPhone selection is extensive, with options like a B+- or very good-condition iPhone 11 64GB for $319.95 instead of its original list of $699. You can also get an Apple iPhone X 64GB Factory Unlocked phone for almost 81% off its list price, or just $214.95.

A ton of iPhones are on sale right now when you attach them to a carrier. Boost Mobile’s prepaid smartphone offers, for example, include a 2nd-gen 64GB Apple iPhone SE for $199.

Woot offers a range of refurbished iPhones almost continually on sale, with the latest deals including an Apple iPhone 8 for $139.99, 11s starting at $329.99, XRs starting at $224.99 and Xs (not XS) for $214.99.

AT&T

A ton of accessories are extremely on sale, including a clear iPhone 12 Mini case from Speck that’s $5, a Tylt 20W Fast Charging Wall Charger for $9.99 instead of $19.99, $33.99 Belkin MagSafe Car Vent Mounts (down from $39.99) and an antimicrobial glass screen protector for iPhone 13 Pro Max that’s half price now at $30. Try the code B2S20 at checkout to see if you can save even more.

Sharp-looking caramel leather cases for the iPhone 13 Mini are $29.99 on Verizon’s website right now versus a normal $59.98.

Outfit your device to your needs and preferences with Apple accessories on sale at Walmart, including with keyboard folios and covers for iPads. Deals include a smart keyboard folio for a 12.9-inch iPad on sale for $79.95 from $119.93 and a smart keyboard folio for the iPad Pro 11-inch (third generation) and iPad Air (fifth generation) for $160.06 instead of $240.09. You can also pick up a cover for the iPad Mini fourth and fifth generations for $19.95 instead of $39.

Over on the iPad side, you can pick up a Magic Keyboard that turns your iPad Pro setup into something resembling a mini desktop computer — it’s now $299.99 instead of $349 — or a second-generation Apple Pencil for $99, or $30 off.

You can usually find some essential accessories on sale at Woot!, with a ton of older-model ones that come in handy when they get harder to find pretty much everywhere else. Right now, those include $13.99 magnetic cases for the iPhone 13 Pro Max and a $9.99 10W Qi wireless charging pad (it’s relatively slow, but it’s also relatively cheap).