Featured Product: Amazon Fire HD 8 | $90 | Amazon
Given the price of many smartphones today, you might be surprised at just how cheap a solid tablet can be. While Apple’s class-leading iPad starts at $329 and ranges all the way up into four figures for advanced configurations, you can get a decent Android tablet for as little as $50.
True, a cheap Android tablet won’t provide the same kind of performance and you may lose something in terms of screen crispness and battery life, depending on model. But if you just want a portable screen for browsing the web, watching videos, reading books, and dabbling in games, you can save a lot of cash by opting for an affordable Android. Here are some good options.
Best All-Around Tablet: Amazon Fire HD 10
There’s no better value for a large tablet than the Amazon Fire HD 10. Starting at just $150, the Fire HD 10 packs solid hardware into a sleek frame. The 10.1" display is nicely crisp at 1080p resolution, and is plenty sharp for videos, games, reading, and more.
The 2Ghz octa-core Mediatek chip with 2GB RAM provides above-average performance here, with enough speed for your everyday needs. The 10-hour battery life estimate matches Apple’s mark, too, while USB-C charging makes it easy to quickly top up your tablet when you need it.
While not packed with bells and whistles, the Amazon Fire HD 10 offers so much for such little cash. The 32GB model is $150 for the version with special offers, which puts content advertisements on your lock screen. They’re not very obtrusive, and you can pay a fee to remove them later if you please. And a 64GB model is just $40 more for double the storage.
Best Apple-Like Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
Just as in the smartphone space, Samsung makes some of the best Android tablets around, and it’s not just high-end stuff. The Galaxy Tab A 8.0's small size is helped by thin borders, even if they’re not quite as skinny as on the larger 10" model. The US version is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 with 2GB RAM, providing modest power for myriad tasks.
With a small display and weighing less than half a pound, the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is well suited as a reading device. It’s a nice size for gaming, too, although 3D games will be limited by the modest chipset here. And in an advantage over Amazon’s tablets, you get access to Google’s Play Store, which has a better selection and which sees more frequent updates to apps.
Best Budget Tablet: Amazon Fire 7
Currently available for a mere $50 if you’re cool with special offers appearing on the lock screen, the Amazon Fire 7 is by far the most affordable current tablet you’re likely to find. This lil’ device comes with the same Fire OS experience as Amazon’s other slates, even if it’s not as fast or crisp-looking.
The quad-core 1.3Ghz processor with 1GB RAM won’t win any speed contests, but it works just fine for browsing the internet, reading ebooks, and streaming media. You should be able to run less-demanding games, too. And the seven hours of battery life is better than we figured for such a small size and tiny price. You might expect this cheap of a tablet to be terrible, but it’s actually more “solid” in my own experience. It’s hard to go too wrong at $40.
Best Sub-$100 Tablet: Amazon Fire HD 8
For $40 more than the Fire 7 as of this writing, the Amazon Fire HD 8 brings an even tighter design with a slightly bigger and sharper screen, this one passing the 720p marker by a bit. Amazon seems to have struck the perfect balance between performance and battery life here, with 12 hours being the time to beat. The 2GHz processor inside provides a somewhat snappy in-app experience, and paired with Mali G52 graphics, it handles moderately demanding titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile with relative ease.
Coupled with features like Game Mode, which makes all your notifications sit in the waiting lobby while you rack up high scores, the Fire HD 8 is clearly the gamer’s pick in Amazon’s family. Although you’re missing out on Google Play (there are ways around this, I’ve heard), Amazon has hundreds of thousands of them in its store, and the surfeit of its selection will surprise you.
Add another $20 to your price tag, and you could jump to the HD 8 Plus instead. It has mostly similar internals, but with wireless charging and fast charging, a speedier processor, and more RAM added to the mix.
Best Tablet for Kids: Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition
Look, any tablet can be quickly handed off to your demanding spawn, but are you really comfortable entrusting some pricey, uncovered all-screen device to them? For younger kids, at least, we don’t recommend it. Instead, get them something that’s ideally suited for their needs and capabilities.
Amazon’s Fire HD Kids Edition is a serious deal, not only providing a solid tablet experience at a reasonable price but also bundling in peace of mind. How so? Well, not only do these 8" and 10" tablets come with a spongy case that’ll absorb everyday drops and falls, but it’s also backed by a two-year worry-free guarantee. If the tablet breaks, just contact Amazon and they’ll swap it out. Easy as pie.
On top of that, you also get a year’s free access to Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited, a gated-off subscription service with games, books, TV shows, and other kid-friendly content.
Best Premium Design: Lenovo Tab M10 Plus FHD (2nd Gen)
While many other non-Samsungs have perished in the tablet game, Lenovo has been consistent in its line of flat slabs, and at $130, the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus continues those traditions. You’re getting a full Android 9 Pie experience and a 10" 1080p display. With a bevy of positive reviews to its name, the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus wins hearts with its sleek metal backplate. We’re used to overwhelming plastic in this price category, so if that’s something you loathe, this is the tablet to buy.
But more than that, you’re getting a workhorse in the octa-core MediaTek Helio chipset, which comes clocked at 2.3GHz and sits alongside 2GB of RAM for this 32GB model. You’ll get a pair of decent rear- and front-facing cameras at 8MP and 5MP respectively, including IR for face unlock. And if your little ones are planning to use it, Lenovo has one of the better kids’ modes on avail, beaten only by Amazon.
Best Premium Design (Runner-Up): Lenovo Smart Tab M8
If you like the look of Lenovo’s Tab M10 Plus tablet above but want something smaller and/or cheaper, then consider the Lenovo Smart Tab M8. Available for $89 at Walmart as of this writing, the Android-powered Smart Tab M8 has much more modest specs but still looks like a fancier tablet than it really is.
One Amazon customer called it the “best inexpensive Android tablet I’ve ever used,” enthusing:
“Wow, Lenovo! You are killing it in the low end product line-up these days. [...] The Tab M8 continues the pattern of offering a great low-end price for very good value. I have been buying, returning, or reselling the spectrum of tablets for a long time in search of one that checks every box I want in a tablet: Inexpensive, reasonably high-quality build, acceptable performance and features.”
This story was originally published by Quentyn Kennemer in October 2020 and updated by Andrew Hayward with new information on 02/01/2021.