These are the top affordable tablets for work and entertainment, according to our investigation and in-person testing.

(Image credit: tomsguide)

Although high-end tablets, such as the iPad Pro, are fantastic, there are many other excellent options available these days.

The greatest inexpensive tablets are just as good as the most expensive ones available, providing you don’t want to pay a fortune.

We frequently help customers save money by selecting more affordable but still functional older models. Since it was the final iPad to be introduced before Apple increased prices, the 2021 iPad is my top pick for a low-cost tablet since it is almost as functional as a contemporary iPad at a far lower price.

In comparison to the newest and finest, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 can be had for a very reasonable price and is still quite functional if you favor Android. In case you prefer an affordable tablet that can also function as a laptop when needed, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet and the outdated Microsoft Surface Go 2 are still excellent options.

I know this because over the past several years, my team and I have examined and evaluated dozens of tablets from leading manufacturers, allowing us to separate the real jewels from the fakes. I believe you’ll find something you like on our hand-picked list of the top inexpensive tablets available right now, which we created using testing and first-hand expertise!

QUICK LIST

• BEST OF THE BEST : Apple iPad (2021)
• ANDROID PICK : Samsung Galaxy Tab A7
• WINDOWS PICK : Microsoft Surface Go 2
• AMAZON PICK : Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus
• CHROME PICK : Lenovo Chromebook Duet

The best cheap tablets you can buy right now

Why you can trust Trusty Picked 
Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you.

(Image credit: techadvisor)

1. Apple iPad (2021)

The best cheap tablet for most

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: 10.2-inch (2160 x 1620 pixels)

CPU: A13 Bionic

RAM: 3GB

Storage: 64GB, 256GB

Size: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29 inches

Weight: 1.07 lbs (Wi-Fi), 1.09 lbs (Wi-Fi + Cellular)

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

The Apple iPad 2021 is a good all-around tablet that can easily run any software from the software Store. Because it was the last model Apple offered at a starting price of $329 before raising the price by over $100 with the $449 2022 model, the 2021 model is advised for individuals on a budget. While it’s true that the more recent iPad models feature a more streamlined appearance with smaller bezels and no headphone port, the faster CPU and improved design may not justify the additional expense.

Design: The Apple iPad 2021 has a design that is recognizable as an iPad, but it is a little thicker and chunkier than the most recent versions. Although its thick bezels may be unsightly, you can save more than $100 by accepting them if they concern you. This is likely the greatest iPad to purchase if you enjoy using your own headphones because it is the final iPad that Apple will sell with a headphone port.

Display: The 2021 iPad’s 10.2-inch (2160 x 1620 pixels) Liquid Retina display is vivid and bright, giving whatever you do on it a professional-looking appearance. However, because of its high light reflection, you shouldn’t expect to have the best experience using it outside in the sun.

Upon testing the iPad 2021 in our lab, we discovered that while the screen’s brightness reaches its highest in the middle at 494 nits, it becomes noticeably less brighter towards the top and bottom, with an average maximum brightness of 473 nits for the entire panel. That compares to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, a pricey Android tablet, which was its predecessor.

Performance: The A13 Bionic chip, which powers the iPhone 11 line of devices, is what Apple placed inside the 2021 iPad. I saw almost no slowdown when playing the newest games, stumbling over apps, or editing images on the new tablet. Even after a few years, you should still anticipate decent work.

Battery life: Apple claims that the iPad 2021 may run for up to 10 hours on a full charge, but as is frequently the case, the corporation makes very cautious claims about battery life. The iPad 2021 lasted a solid 11 hours and 59 minutes in our tablet battery test, which involves the slate continuously browsing the web over Wi-Fi with its display set to 150 nits of brightness.

The iPad 2021 has a tested battery life of 12 hours, which is rather impressive and guarantees that you won’t need to plug it in to get through a whole day of work or school.

(Image credit: trustedreviews)

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab A7

The best cheap Android tablet

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: 10.4-inch, 2000×1200 pixels

CPU: 8MP (front), 5MP (rear)

RAM: 3GB

Storage: 32GB

Size: 9.7 x 6.2 x 0.3 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

One of the greatest inexpensive Android tablets available is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, which offers respectable performance and a stylish, high-end appearance for a reasonable price.

The Tab A7 is competitive with the 2021 iPad even though it costs $100 less thanks to its attractive narrow bezels and practical features like facial recognition. However, it wasn’t designed to compete with the greatest tablets available.

Style: The 9.8 x 6.2 x 0.3-inch Galaxy Tab A7, weighing 1.1 pounds, feels and looks like an iPad. However, it is slightly less expensive and has several features—like expandable storage—that the iPad does not.

Nice small bezels, a premium-feeling metal frame that bends slightly if you really try, a microSD card slot, a headphone jack, and a USB-C port for charging are all features that the new iPad lacks.

Display: The Tab A7’s 10.4-inch (2000×1200 pixels) display is more than adequate for watching movies or surfing the web. It’s not as bright and has a lesser resolution than the iPad, but you’d have to put them side by side to really notice.

Performance: The Tab A7’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (SM6115) processor and 3GB of RAM are fast enough for daily use, but be prepared for some lag when switching between apps or using resource-intensive software.

While working, playing light games, and online browsing should all be enjoyable, don’t expect anything graphically demanding to operate smoothly.

Battery life: In our battery depletion test, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 lasted slightly longer—just over 13 hours—than the Apple iPad did in the same test.

You should feel confident that you can take the A7 to work or school for the day without worrying about bringing the charger, even though it’s not the longest-lasting tablet on this list.

(Image credit: ign)

3. Microsoft Surface Go 2

The best cheap Windows tablet

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: 10.5 inches, 1920 x 1280 pixels

CPU: Pentium Gold, 8th Gen Intel Core m3

RAM: 4GB, 8GB

Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB

Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches

Weight: 1.22 pounds (1.75 pounds with type cover)

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

We still think that the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the best affordable Windows tablet since it provides all the features of Windows in a stylish, portable package. Despite its age, we still suggest it because it has a longer battery life than either its predecessor or replacement.

albeit the Surface Go 3 is newer and comes with a faster processor and Windows 11 rather than Windows 10, our testing shows that its performance and display quality are almost the same as the Go 2, albeit its battery life is actually shorter.

Design: With its silver magnesium shell and reflective Microsoft logo on the back, the Surface Go 2 bears a striking resemblance to its larger brothers in Microsoft’s Surface series.

The Surface Go 2 is slightly heavier and smaller than an iPad, weighing 1.22 pounds (1.75 pounds with the optional Type Cover added) and measuring 9.7 by 6.9 by 0.3 inches. The fact that the Surface Go Type Covers come in Black, Platinum, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue (as seen below) is nice. However, we wish Microsoft had provided the Surface Go’s chassis in similarly eye-catching hues.

Display: For the budget, the Surface Go 2’s 10.5-inch (1920 x 1280 pixels) display offers a good balance of color and brightness. It reaches its maximum brightness of 408 nits on average, according to our tests, which is decent for a tablet but not nearly as bright as an iPad Air, which costs more.

Performance: The Surface Go 2 has a mediocre Pentium Gold processor or a little more powerful Intel Core m3 chip, so don’t expect fast performance. Although none is especially strong or innovative, it’s sufficient for everyday activities like web browsing and document or spreadsheet manipulation.

Battery life: In our battery depletion test, the Surface Go 2 lasted for more than 11 hours (11:39), marking a significant milestone for the Surface tablet series. It’s sufficient to match or surpass the battery life of tablets costing almost twice as much, such as the iPad Air and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8.

(Image credit: techradar)

4. Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus

The best cheap Amazon tablet

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel

CPU: 2.0GHz octa-core CPU

RAM: 3GB

Storage: 32GB, 64GB

Size: 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches

Weight: 1.1 pounds

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus is a slightly enhanced version of the company’s Fire HD 10 tablet, which was the largest and most powerful tablet available until the release of the Fire Max 11.

Although we do enjoy the more robust, larger Fire Max 11 to a certain extent, the Fire HD 10 Plus remains our top pick for people on a budget as it’s reasonably priced ($179 to begin with) considering what you receive. If you want to double the storage to 64GB or eliminate lockscreen adverts, you can pay a modest price. However, considering that this tablet includes a microSD card slot and can support up to 1TB of additional storage via microSD card, it might not be worth it.

Design: The Fire HD 10 Plus is a lightweight slate that is simple to carry around, measuring 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches and weighs little over a pound. The upgrade to Plus includes a soft-touch finish that may feel a little more comfortable in your hands than the standard anodized aluminum tablet chassis.

There is a single USB-C connector for charging, and as this tablet is Qi certified and can be charged with compatible wireless charging pads, upgrading to the Plus model also gives you the option of wireless charging.

Display: For this price, the Fire HD 10 Plus’s 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display is a welcome surprise. You should expect anything you’re doing to look fantastic because it costs almost half as much as an iPad screen and gets almost as bright and vibrant.

Performance: With a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM, the Fire HD 10 Plus has more than enough power to tackle everything you can throw FireOS at it. Although it loads webpages quickly and navigates menus quickly, graphically demanding games won’t run smoothly on this tablet.

Battery life: One of the longest-lasting tablets on our list, the Fire HD 10 Plus lasted 14 hours and 2 minutes during our battery rundown test. Even while the difference in runtime between 11 and 14 hours might not seem like much, owning a tablet that runs out of energy all the time can be really unpleasant.

Whether you’re pulling the tablet out from between couch cushions every other weekend or carrying it on a lengthy flight, keep in mind that an extended battery life equals more peace of mind.

(Image credit: zdnet)

5. Lenovo Chromebook Duet

The best cheap Chrome tablet

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: 10.1 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels

CPU: 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P60T

RAM: 4GB

Storage: 64GB, 128GB eMMC

Size: 9.64 x 6.66 x 0.71 inches (docked)

Weight: 2 pound (docked)

TODAY’S BEST DEALS

For $249, or less if you can get it on sale, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an excellent Chrome tablet with respectable performance and a respectable battery life. No slate comes close to matching the versatility of this Chrome tablet without a keyboard attached, even though tablets like the iPad or Galaxy Tab A7 may have a bigger screen or a wider selection of touch-friendly games to play.

The important feature that propels Lenovo’s Duet onto this list is the free detachable keyboard that comes with every model. This means that for less than $300, you can essentially purchase a good Chrome tablet that doubles as a work tool when needed. This Chrome tablet isn’t meant for heavy video editing or playing the newest PC games, but it’s still a useful tool for completing emails and altering documents when you need it.

Design: The Duet feels like a sturdy tablet when the keyboard is removed. It is slightly over a pound in weight and measures around 0.3 inches thick. Because ChromeOS is almost as touch-friendly as Android or iPadOS, this makes it convenient to use on the couch or in an automobile. Furthermore, although though it’s not very strong, the rear kickstand is handy for usage at your kitchen table or on an airplane.

When the detachable keyboard is connected, the Duet expands to be slightly over 2 pounds and 0.7 inches thick, giving you access to a functional (albeit claustrophobic) keyboard and trackpad. You can use it to accomplish some work in this configuration, but you should be cautious about where you place the keyboard because it extends downward at an angle and is too flimsy to feel very comfortable unless you’re using it on a hard surface.

Display: For a low-cost tablet, the Duet’s 10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel panel is fairly decent. Its excellent color accuracy and sharp visual quality, which rival those of the iPad and Surface Go 2, were highly praised in our hands-on assessment.

We measured its maximum brightness in our test, and it came in at 372 nits, which is still quite bright but falls slightly short of the iPad and Surface Go 2 in terms of actual luster.

Performance: Lenovo equipped the Chromebook Duet with a Mediatek Helio P60T 2.0GHz octa-core CPU and 4GB of RAM, which is sufficient power to let you to browse the web with ease even a few years after debut.

The majority of your use for this tablet will be using ChromeOS apps, but you should also enjoy using games and apps that are downloaded from the Google Play Store. Since ChromeOS can run Android apps natively, this tablet can access nearly all of the content available on a rival Android slate.

Battery life: In our battery depletion test, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet lasted an impressive 12 hours and 47 minutes before dying. Although a Fire tablet takes the title for longest-lasting tablet on this list, this one still has more than enough battery life to last you through a full workday or school day.

How to choose the best cheap tablet for you

How to choose the best cheap tablet for you

Start by opening your pocket and assessing how much you depend on your smartphone. This will help you think about the operating system that lives inside of you. Owners of iPhones might leap straight to the iPad, and they would be justified in doing so because iOS and iPadOS share app ecosystems and iMessage integration makes for a perfect match.

Users of Android have more options, but since Android apps aren’t doing as well on tablets as one might think, now is a good moment to weigh your options. With all of its Android apps, the Galaxy Tab A7 is certainly helpful, but do you think Windows is a more user-friendly platform? If so, you might be a good fit for the Surface Go 2 running Windows 10.

Having said that, if your family is large enough and you all live in the Amazon Prime environment, choose the Fire 8 if you’re on a tight budget or only need a cheap tablet for the kids to use, and the Fire HD 10 if you’d like something with a bit more power and a better screen.

How we tested these tablets

How we test to find the best cheap tablets

To see how quick they are in ways that can be directly compared to competitors, we first run as many benchmarks as that tablet will allow us to. We say “will allow” because side-loading Android apps can cause issues for certain tablets, such as Amazon’s Fire slates. Then, we measure the brightness and color depth of these tablets’ screens using colorimeters and light meters. Next, we subject them to our exclusive internal battery test, which multiplies the amount of time it takes to fully discharge a tablet’s battery while using 150 nits of brightness for online browsing.

After that, we engage in many of the same activities as you, like email composition, gaming, YouTube watching, and web browsing. If there is a keyboard available, we attempt to write part (if not all) of our tablet evaluations on the devices we test. I promise you that nobody wants to write a grand opus on a glass screen.