Best budget tablets: Great value Android picks and our go-to iPad

The tablet market is overflowing with options from different brands that all pack various specs and price points. If you’re struggling to consider which tablet is the best pick for you, we’re here to help.

Choosing a new tablet can be needlessly complicated, as not only are there arguably just too many to choose from, but it can be hard to figure out what specs you actually need for each use case.

While you don’t want to be stuck with a device that packs a middling battery life and not enough performance power, you also don’t want to splash out on the latest iPad if you only want a tablet for casual browsing and note-taking.

Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with our thorough round-up of all the best budget tablets, which includes myriad options in terms of price, power, battery and design so you don’t accidentally invest in a sub-par device.

Every tablet on this list has been used by one of the members of our expert team for at least a week. During that time, not only do we ensure to test the tablet using industry-standard benchmarks but we also take note of any features or issues we come across during day-to-day use that influenced our experience, so you know you’re getting real-world advice.

If you’re looking for a more specialised tablet, make sure you also check out our best lists on the best tablet for kids, the best Android tablet, the best iPad and the best tablet, to give you an even broader view of what’s on the market.

Without any further delay, here are our picks for the most impressive yet affordable tablets this year. You will find a variety of price points, use cases, specs and features below, and we ensure to update this list every time we review another fantastic device, so check back soon for even more entries.

Best cheap tablets at a glance

How we test

Find out more about how we test tablets

Every tablet in this list has been properly tested and used for an extended period of time by one of our product experts. We categorically do not recommend a product unless it has been put through our lab tests and used by the reviewer as their main tablet for at least five days.

Lab testing includes colorimeter checks to gauge screen accuracy and max brightness levels, synthetic benchmarks to evaluate graphics and general performance, and battery drains to assess average discharge rates for basic office tasks, streaming video and gaming.

Our reviewer will then move on to consider the tablet’s performance for everyday use. This will see them use it as their primary tablet and enact common tasks such as movie streaming, gaming, web browsing and video calling. If the device is targeted at a specific market such as digital artists, they’ll also consider areas such as digital stylus support and whether it can effectively run relevant applications.

When a device is sent in for review with optional extras, such as a stylus and keyboard cover, we’ll assess its performance both as a standalone product as well as with any accompanying peripherals.

Honor Pad 8

The best cheap tablet

Trusted Score

Pros

• Large screen
• Good cameras for a tablet
• Large battery
• Good performance

Cons

• No 3.5mm headphone jack
• No IP rating
• LCD rather than OLED display

If you want a great value tablet and don’t mind if it runs Android then the Honor Pad 8 is the best we’ve tested this year. Despite costing surprisingly little, the tablet features a few key features you won’t find on other tablets this price. The biggest boon is the inclusion of a 12-inch screen.

Big screens are rare on a tablet this price and give the Honor Pad 8 a unique place in the market. Testing it, while it doesn’t offer the deep blacks and HDR performance of flagship tablets, like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, you’ll struggle to do better at this price. Combined with reliably loud speakers the tablet offered an immersive movie watching experience during our tests.

As an added perk, despite running on a middling Snapdragon 680 chipset CPU, we didn’t experience any noticeable slowdown when using the device, which is a very common issue we experience on tablets this price.

Add to this its lengthy battery life, with the Tab 8 offering over 10 hours screen time during our tests and it becomes an easy recommendation for any tablet buyer on a budget.

Reviewer: Peter Phelps
Full review: Honor Pad 8 review

Apple iPad 9

The best value iPad

Trusted Score

Pros

• Wide selection of optimised apps
• Very good front camera
• Sharp screen

Cons

• Design feels a little tired
• Doesn’t work with newer Apple accesories

The iPad 9 is the cheapest Apple tablet we’d recommend to buyers on a budget. Though it didn’t impress us as much as its lighter, more powerful iPad Air 2022 when we got it in for review, the iPad 9 remains the best value option if you’re 100% committed to getting an Apple device.

While the screen doesn’t have a variable refresh rate and the bezel surrounding it is undeniably chunky, you’ll struggle to find a better option at this price, especially if you’re an Apple fan. The 10.2-inch Retina Display is the sharpest you’ll find on this list and, thanks to reliable black levels and high maximum brightness, it is ideal for watching Netflix on the go.

The tablet is also solidly built and comes with a variety of case options, including some with keyboards, which means it’s a good option for older kids who need a device for school work as well as entertainment.

The A13 Bionic chip powering the iPad 9 means that, unless you’re doing high-end video editing or vector graphics, you won’t suffer any performance issues based on our exhaustive testing. The only downside is that, even though it is cheap by Apple standards, the iPad 9 is still the most expensive option on this list, which is why we can’t recommend it for young children.

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full Review: Apple iPad 9 review

Realme Pad

The best cheap Android tablet

Trusted Score

Pros

• Fantastic build quality
• Detailed screen
• Powerful speakers

Cons

• Not the most powerful device
• Screen isn’t that bright

We usually have a hard time recommending Android tablets over iPads because their software isn’t optimised for big screens, so apps can be a little clunky, especially if you want to do office or creative work. But if you just want a cheap tablet to watch Netflix on or read the morning headlines, then the Realme Pad is a great option.

During testing, we were impressed at how good the tablet was considering its price. Unlike a lot of the cheaper tablets we test the Realme Pad has an aluminium body, rather than plastic. We found this made it feel a lot sturdier and better built than any other tablet we’ve reviewed at this price.

The 10.4-inch screen was also much better than we expected, offering a sharp resolution, reasonably accurate colour reproduction and enough contrast to give movies and games enough immersion to be enjoyable. The only real downside is that its brightness levels don’t come close to matching what you’ll get on the iPad 9.

Battery life also proved solid, with it offering around 10 hours of screen time with regular use during our checks. That’s identical to what we got on the iPad 9, and pretty par for the course for a tablet this size.

Reviewer: Ian Morris
Full review: Realme Pad Review

Nokia T21

The best cheap tablet for entertainment

Trusted Score

Pros

• High-res 2K display
• Affordable
• Decent battery life
• Optional cellular connectivity

Cons

• Sluggish performance
• Entry-level camera setup
• No high refresh rate

If you’re in the market for a good-looking tablet with a high-res display for watching movies, the Nokia T21 is a solid option at a rather tempting price.

The T21 does a good job of hiding its budget price tag with a premium build that includes a solid-feeling metal rear with a two-tone design. It’s also surprisingly lightweight given the 10.3-inch display on offer at 471g, making it easy to use one-handed.

That 10.3-inch IPS LCD display is one of the main reasons to opt for the Nokia T21 as it boasts a 2K resolution (1200 x 2000) that’s great for watching movies from apps like Netflix and videos from YouTube. There is also wireless second-screen functionality on offer, but it’s laggier than more premium alternatives.

It also lasts pretty long on a charge thanks to a large 8,200mAh battery, usually providing around eight hours of use split across a few days.

Part of the reason why it lasts so long is that the tablet is notably underpowered, featuring the almost-unknown Unisoc T162, a chipset similar to the Snapdragon 660 released in 2018. That means you won’t be playing games or doing anything too processor-heavy as the tablet simply lags and can’t handle it.

That’s why it’s ideal for entertainment and more specifically, watching video content. It can handle sofa surfing on Netflix and maybe even some light work (i.e. replying to emails) but aside from that you might be disappointed with the experience elsewhere.

Reviewer: Sean Cameron
Full review: Nokia T21 review

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

The best cheap tablet for kids

Trusted Score

Pros

• Super-chunky case offers a lot of protection
• Excellent parental controls
• Worry-free guarantee
• Bright screen

Cons

• A little expensive
• Limited app library

If you’re looking for a cheap, easy-to-replace tablet for younger kids then the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is the best option we’ve tested.

The device isn’t a technical marvel, even by affordable standards, but it nonetheless impressed our reviewer for a variety of reasons. For instance, the kids-focused bumper case proved nigh indestructible. Unleashing a rampaging toddler on it the device easily survived everything from rage throws to animated “touch” inputs from our over-excited test subject.

Even if the kid does break it, Amazon also has a no-questions-asked replacement policy that lets you get a new unit in the event the first breaks for the first two years after purchase.

This, plus the tablet’s robust parental controls and safe app store seriously impressed our reviewer and makes the Fire HD 10 Kids the best option for parents looking for a device to keep younger children entertained.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full review: Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Review

FAQs

Are cheap tablets any good?

The quality of cheap tablets varies a lot more than what you’ll find in the flagship end of the market. But, based on our experience testing them, there are a number of great value options on the market at the moment. The main thing is to make sure you’re making the right compromises. Regardless of price you need a tablet with decent battery life. You also don’t want to sacrifice on key things, like screen resolution, if you plan to watch lots of Netflix on it.

What’s the least you can spend for a good tablet?

The answer to this question hinges on what you want to do with the tablet. We tend to define a cheap tablet as anything below £350/$400. But if you only want one to keep the kids entertained you can get one that’ll do the job for as little as £100/$100, based on our experience reviewing products like Amazon’s Fire HD Kids tablets.

Are cheap Android tablets worth it?

The answer to this question depends on the tablet you’re talking about. Since Google released the first generation Nexus 7, we’ve seen a steady stream of great value affordable Android tablets pass through our labs. But for every good cheap Android tablet, we also get at least three that aren’t worth your money. Common issues being poor build quality, terrible performance and no guaranteed updates to future versions of Android.

Trusted Reviews test data

You can see a full breakdown of the test data we collected reviewing all the tablets in this guide using the table below.

‹

Geekbench 5 single core

Geekbench 5 multi core

Max brightness

1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)

30 minute gaming (intensive)

30 minute gaming (light)

1 hour music streaming (offline)

Time from 0-100% charge

Time from 0-50% charge

3D Mark – Wild Life

3D Mark – Sling Shot Extreme

3D Mark – Sling Shot

Honor Pad 8

378

1546

–

8 %

–

–

–

–

–

447

1326

2095

Apple iPad 9

–

3330

–

6 %

7 %

5 %

1 %

155 min

–

–

–

–

Realme Pad

329

1202

–

20 %

14 %

–

–

172 min

62 Min

688

1327

–

Nokia T21

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

303

897

444 nits

6 %

–

–

–

240 min

100 Min

–

–

–

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Comparison specs

You can compare the specs of all the cheap tablets included in this list using the table below.

‹

UK RRP

USA RRP

EU RRP

CA RRP

AUD RRP

Manufacturer

Screen Size

Storage Capacity

Rear Camera

Front Camera

Video Recording

IP rating

Battery

Fast Charging

Size (Dimensions)

Weight

ASIN

Operating System

Model Number

Resolution

Refresh Rate

Ports

Chipset

RAM

Colours

Honor Pad 8

£269.99

–

–

–

–

–

12 inches

128GB

5MP

5MP

Yes

Not Disclosed

7250 mAh

Yes

240.2 x 6.9 x 159 MM

520 G

–

Android 12; Magic UI 6.1

–

2000 x 1200

60 Hz

USB-C

Snapdragon 680

4GB

Blue Hour

Apple iPad 9

£319

$329

€389

CA$429

AU$499

Apple

10.2 inches

256GB, 64GB

8MP

12MP

Yes

No

–

Yes

174 x 7.5 x 250 MM

487 G

–

iPadOS

–

2160 x 1620

60 Hz

Lightning

A13 Bionic

3GB

Grey and Silver

Realme Pad

£225

Unavailable

€230

Unavailable

Unavailable

Realme

10.4 inches

32GB

8-megapixels

8-megapixels

Yes

Not Disclosed

7100 mAh

–

155.9 x 6.9 x 246.1 MM

440 G

B09JWFB273

Android 11

–

1200 x 2000

60 Hz

USB-C

MediaTek Helio G80

3GB

Grey, Gold

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

£199.99

$199.99

Unavailable

Unavailable

Unavailable

Amazon

10.1 mm

32GB

5MP

2MP

Yes

No

6500 mAh

–

269 x 27 x 209 MM

716 G

B08F5MYM9T

Fire OS

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

1920 x 1200

60 Hz

USB-C

MediaTek MT8183

3GB

Blue, Pink, Aquamarine

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