Here’s the complete lowdown on the best budget and cheap tablet 2023 to enjoy reading, streaming, gaming, and daily computing at pocket-friendly prices.
Is it worth your while hunting for budget or cheap tablets – won’t the quality and performance be compromised? Happily, value-for-money tablets are not few and far apart anymore; most major brands like Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and Amazon have some in their kitties. Technology has become more accessible; builds have become compact, letting makers offer more for less.
A budget tablet can be the best solution for everyday computing for students, household-based use, children, and professionals who want a second screen. Just be prepared to let go of some bells and whistles, and you can acquire tabs that work as hard (or harder) as you do.
Top 5 Best Cheap Tablets 2023
Advancing technologies have made dirt-cheap tablets possible. Tabs costing under $100 can also offer adequate performance for daily life, fitting the routines of students, professionals, or entertainment seekers.
Amazon Fire Tabs
Amazon has a decent range of cheap tabs – the Fire devices – and they are highly versatile. The Amazon Fire 7 has 16 GB of memory and 10-hour battery backup and works perfectly for daily activities at home or work, like to-do lists, streaming, and Alexa. The storage is upgradable to 1TB (microSD), so you can keep as much content as you need – including kid-friendly stuff from Amazon Kids (free) and Kids+ (available on subscription).
The Amazon Fire HD 8, costing approximately $100, is also a worthy choice for family-first usage. It has a strengthened display (alumino-silicate glass), parental controls, and up to 1 TB of storage for hordes of educational and entertainment content. The Alexa hands-free mode is handy for speed and privacy.
Lenovo M Series
Lenovo is skilled at producing value-for-money tabs that deliver satisfactory performance at budget-friendly rates. A decent option for less than $100 is the Lenovo Tab M8.
This 8″ HD model has 2 GB RAM, 32 GB of storage space, and a good battery backup of up to 16 hours. The display limits blue light emissions, which is excellent for you and your kids. Yes, parental controls exist, as does a privacy dashboard and indicators for the camera and microphone, so the whole experience is secure and family-friendly. Its webcam is also decent for the price.
Lenovo also has cheap tablets with entertainment-friendly features like Dolby Atmos, a quad-speaker system, and an FHD display. The Tab M10 ($139.99) is a lightweight, sleek model that works well for students, providing visual comfort and readability. The company integrates handy features like the Lenovo Instant Memo app.
Samsung Galaxy Lite
Samsung isn’t exactly famous for making pocket-friendly tablets, but a few picks are worth your attention in the Galaxy range. For instance, the Tab A7 Lite has a vivid 8.7″ display, decent battery backup, and up to 1TB of storage. It also uses a sturdy build – kids can handle it without causing damage – and delivers seamless connectivity with other Samsung devices in the house.
Top 5 Best Budget Tablets 2023
Sticking to a budget is crucial for students who must pay off education loans and have expendable cash for books, tuition, dorms, and the myriad expenses of campus life.
New-age professionals and parents of young children also frequently seek budget tablets that offer tremendous customer value at affordable prices. You can now get wholesome tabs with good performance, security, connectivity options, and vibrant displays in the $200 to $300 range.
Apple iPads
You can’t beat an iPad in contemporary features like Bionic chips, excellent battery life, and glorious Retina displays. Fortunately, a few iPads also fit the shoes of budget tablets. For example, the 10.2″ Apple iPad (ninth-gen) has 64GB of space, a 12MP front camera, Touch ID, and compatibility with Apple Pencil – all at around $250. The cam even has a Center Stage feature to enhance video calls and selfies.
Samsung Galaxy tabs
You should check out some of the older Samsung Galaxy tabs from the S series to get budget-friendly deals. The 10.4″ S6 Lite has brilliant value-add features like Dolby Atmos sound and facial recognition for enhanced security. For just $250, you can experience the speeds and efficiencies of a powerful processor, 64GB of storage, and a robust metallic build. Even the color – a distinctive chiffon rose – is exciting.
A few tabs from the A lineup are also oriented on customer value, bundling battery backup and entertainment provisions with easy storage and security. The 10.5″ A8 tab is a case in point, boasting a sharp LCD screen and a quick-charging battery. Check out the spectacular media bonuses: Samsung Kids, TV Plus, and two free months of YouTube Premium.
Amazon Fire tablets
These compact, versatile devices work great for deal seekers. With the Amazon Fire Max 11, you get 14 hours of unplugged usage and three free months of Microsoft 365 Persona. It also has lots of kids’ content (Amazon Kids) – with parental controls – and the convenience of Alexa. You can add to the ergonomics with accessories like a stylus and a detachable keyboard.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is also a hard-working gadget, encompassing productivity boosters like OneNote, Dropbox, and split-screen functionality. Amazon tabs provide unique accessibility provisions like VoiceView and Kindle Read Aloud and a 1-year limited warranty. An extended warranty of up to three years can sweeten the value proposition (highly recommended if you have small kids in the house!)
FAQs
How much storage should you seek in a budget tablet?
The bare minimum is around 16 GB. But we recommend 32 GB and more with an option to upgrade the storage if you need to stock work documents, movies, games, books, etc. Many budget tabs let you upgrade the storage space with a microSD card. You can also explore cloud options like DropBox.
Can cheap tablets work for streaming and gaming?
They certainly can, as long as you don’t expect the moon. Some inexpensive tabs, like the Lenovo M10, have Dolby Atmos sound and fantastic audio output. High-res displays like FHD and LCD ensure sharp imagery. Your gaming and streaming performance will also depend on the available storage and RAM, so look for upwards of 4 GB. A smooth and consistent network connection (Wi-Fi 6, for example) is also essential.
Which platform works best for cheap tablets?
You have numerous choices – iPads, Android devices, and Windows 10. Apple owners may gravitate towards iPads for security and performance bonuses. Amazon Prime lovers can opt for a Fire tab to experience a connected, smoother ecosystem.
Many Android tabs are available on a budget, but the applications may disappoint you. (You can consider Surface tablets for Windows 10 – plenty going for them.)
