If you’re searching for a cheap tablet, you’ve come to the right place. Our pick of the best budget plan tablets consists of Android, iOS and Windows models varying in between ₤ 70 and ₤ 200.
There’s an enormous difference in price between the most inexpensive and most costly tablets on the marketplace, with some, like the Dell Latitude 13 7000 Series, now setting you back over ₤ 1,000. The designs in our round-up cost a portion of that quantity, but are nonetheless remarkable.
Best Cheap Tablets – Buyers Guide
Flagship tablets like the iPad Air 2 and stylus-packing Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 are amazing, however too pricey for numerous customers. Thankfully, budget tablets are constantly improving and retail stores are increasingly discounting more expensive devices, meaning that you not need to pay over ₤ 200 for something excellent.
Nevertheless, even if a tablet is low-cost doesn’t make it an automated deal. If you find something selling for far less than its item description recommends it should, discover why.
WHAT SIZE TABLET IS BEST FOR YOU?
Size is among the most essential factors to think about when it concerns buying a tablet. The bigger the tablet, the greater the charge is the basic rule of thumb. There are three primary size classifications to select from– 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch– though smaller sized and bigger tablets do exist. However, there’s a bit more to it than that.
Buy a 7-inch tablet if …
… you desire something light and extremely portable.
The main benefits of 7-inch tablets are price and practicality. They weigh and cost substantially less than bigger tablets, but still provide in terms of battery life, screen quality and efficiency. This makes them ideal for on-the-go use, whether that’s reading eBooks on the bus to work or taking vacation snaps midway up a mountain. They’re likewise a family-friendly choice, since even small children can get to grips with them.
However, they’re not so fantastic for watching films or dealing with. This is due to the fact that they typically include weak speakers and are too small to type on easily for long periods of time.
Buy a 10-inch tablet if …
… you wish to use it for both work and play.
Great deals of 10-inch Android tablets now feature keyboard docks that basically change them into laptops. However, this comes at a price, with 10-inchers and above normally costing more than two times as much as 7-inchers. In laptop terms, nevertheless, that’s not a lot of money.
Large tablets’ display screens and speakers have the tendency to be far superior to those of small tablets, making them perfect for enjoying movies. They’re likewise great for reading the news and browsing the web, though they’re a little too significant for using on a hectic commuter train.
Purchase an 8-inch tablet if …
… you want the best of both worlds.
8-inch tablets rest on the enjoyable middle-ground. They’re much better for searching the web, reading eBooks and seeing films than 7-inch tablets, yet they’re far much easier to use on the go than 10-inch tablets.
Nevertheless, they’re also a reasonable bit more costly than a few of the best 7-inch Android tablets on the marketplace. Still, this hasn’t stopped them from becoming the most popular tablet size amongst customers.
What’s a low-cost tablet good for?
Every entry on this list would be a great choice for any first-time tablet owner. The Hudl 2 in specific impresses in this field, thanks to the easy-to-digest user guide that comes pre-installed. The Amazon Fire HD 6, meanwhile, is the best choice if you have small children, since it’s small and super-cheap.
Ease-of-use and price aren’t all we’re trying to find, though. While inexpensive tablets are undoubtedly somewhat less outstanding than flagships, they have not eliminated all bells and whistles. The Asus Transformer Pad TF103, for example, doubles up as a slick-looking laptop, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 has the best speakers of any tablet at any price. Apple’s iPad mini, while getting on a bit, is still among the best-looking tablets on the market, and it’s no longer the bank-breaker it used to be.
While efficiency isn’t searingly quick, the models on this list are good enough for watching TV and films, reading and searching the web, which are the key capabilities most customers keep an eye out for. Several designs are even effective enough for high-end gaming, which is a huge bonus.
If you ‘d like a little more advice on what to try to find when purchasing a brand-new tablet, you ought to read our tablet buyer’s guide, which blasts away the lingo and describes anything else you may have to consider, technical or otherwise.
1. TESCO HUDL 2
Key features:
- 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 pixel IPS screen
- Outstanding child safety features
- Dolby stereo speakers
Tesco’s second attempt at a wallet-friendly tablet is an outright accomplishment. The Hudl 2 is targeted mainly at households and first-time tablet owners, and it’s hard to beat at this price. It includes a detailed Get Started guide and has loads of exceptional child safety features established along with the Parent Zone.
Its 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display is pleasantly sharp, but not the brightest or most dynamic we’ve come across. However, the Hudl’s still good for watching films on, due in part to the rear-facing stereo speakers with Dolby-optimised audio, which are superior to what you’ll discover on more costly tablets.
Dressed in soft touch plastic and weighing simply 410g, it’s comfortable to hold. You can boost the internal storage on the low-cost too, thanks to the existence of a microSD card slot. Performance, powered by a 1.83 GHz Intel quad-core processor, is great enough for playing games, and the battery opts for around 8 hours in between charges.
₤ 99.
2. LENOVO TABLET 2
Key features:
- 10.1-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen
- Aluminium and plastic develop
- Dolby stereo speakers
- microSD card slot
The price of the Lenovo Tablet 2 has sneaked down over the last few months, making it one of the most appealing tablets on the market today. Armed with a flexible kickstand and a round edge, it’s considerably various to all its rivals too.
Its 10.1-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 display is excellent, as are the front-firing speakers. Efficiency is slick enough to keep gamers happy, while you’ll easily get a few days of use from a single charge.
₤ 195.
3. AMAZON KINDLE FIRE HDX 7
Key features:
- 7-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen
- Unique speakers
- Perfect efficiency
- Mayday assistance
More than just a mouthful, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 is developed primarily for movie. It has the best speakers we’ve stumbled upon on any tablet, along with a glorious 7-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen that’s as fit to viewing movies on as it is for reading in the sunlight. These come attached to an appealing, durable body covered in soft touch plastic.
Like the Fire HD, it runs a greatly transformed version of Android that can be a pain to use. App support isn’t really excellent, and practically whatever about it is developed to obtain you to buy more things from Amazon, however it does have an ace up its sleeve. That’s Mayday, the business’s own tech support service that’s always offered when you need a helping hand.
Efficiency is another real high point. The quad-core 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM integrate to great impact, meaning the HDX deals with even the most intricate 3D games like a dream. Depending on use, you can also choose as much as two days in between charges. While it’s presently listed for ₤ 220, Amazon frequently slashes the HDX 7 down to around ₤ 150.
₤ 220.
4. AMAZON FIRE HD 6
Key features:
- 6-inch, 1,280 x 800 pixel IPS screen
- Fire OS
- Eight-hour battery life
If you believed tablet screens started at 7 inches, you’re wrong. The Amazon Fire HD 6 has a 6-inch screen, which is really smaller than that of some smartphones. This makes it perfect for children, and a great choice for someone with a low-end phone that’s a bit too small to do justice to HD videos.
The panel itself has a 1,280 x 800 resolution, which is good at this size. It’s bright, fairly sharp and provides a much better visual experience for videos and games than many phones. A quad-core, 1.2 GHz MediaTek MT8135 processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM, keeps things ticking over well, and you’ll be able to play most games on it without any significant issues. The battery quickly lasts for over eight hours off a single charge, which is miles much better than the majority of other sub- ₤ 100 tablets.
The only prospective sticking point is that it runs Fire OS, an Amazon-made interface based on Android that takes a little getting used to. You’ll have to put up with being continuously bombarded with Amazon services like Amazon MP3 and Amazon Instant Video.
₤ 79.99.
5. IPAD MINI
Key features:
- 7.9-inch, 1,024 x 768 IPS display screen
- Terrific develop and develop
- 10-hour battery life
It’s long in the tooth and not sold by Apple, but you can still get the original iPad mini from third party suppliers consisting of Amazon and other. It’s a great option for those rarest of things– Apple fans without a great deal of money to invest. The brushed metal back is attractive and tough, and it’s easy to keep in one hand since it’s light and just 7.2 mm thick.
The original’s screen is frustrating, nevertheless. It’s a 7.9-inch, 1,024 x 768 IPS offering that’s bad for continuing reading. Movies admittedly look okay, thanks to outstanding contrast ratio and colour reproduction, however the mini 2’s Retina display is visibly sharper.
You’ll have to take a slight performance struck too, however this will only affect you if you want to use strong apps like 3D games and video modifying programs. The majority of apps run as smooth as you like. With blended use, you’ll have the ability to squeeze around 10 hours from a single charge.
₤ 197.
6. ASUS TRANSFORMER PAD TF103
Key features:
- 10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS screen
- Removable keyboard dock
- MicroSD card slot
₤ 190 is extremely low-cost for a hybrid, however that’s all the Asus Transformer Pad TF103 costs. It’s not best, however is a sensible option if your demands on both the tablet and laptop ends are casual. If you want something that performs remarkably in both modes, you’re best off looking in other places, though you’ll need to invest significantly more money.
Thought about as a low-cost laptop, the Transformer Pad’s 10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display is rather great. Nevertheless, as a tablet, the screen is a little soft for our taste, though the stereo speakers benefit the price. Apart from the glass screen, plastic is the product of choice for both the tablet and keyboard aspects. In laptop mode, it looks slick and weighs about as much as the 11-inch MacBook Air.
The hinge system linking the two pieces works well, though there’s disappointingly no extra battery in the dock. However, it’ll still choose around nine hours in between charges. The secrets offer an excellent quantity of travel and the trackpad supports multi-touch gestures. A quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 CPU keeps thing ticking over, but you’ll need to do without high-end games.
₤ 130.
7. EE HARRIER TAB
Key features:
- 8-inch, Full HD screen
- 4G LTE
- microSD slot
EE’s Harrier line of tablets and phones has actually substantially improved the low end of the marketplace, with the EE Harrier Tab exceptional to the majority of its closest competitors. It brings a decent 8-inch, Full HD screen, 4G, solid efficiency and a near-pure Android experience to the table.
Battery life and speaker quality aren’t great, but it’s hard to argue with the price.
₤ 200.
8. DELL VENUE 8 PRO
Key features:
- 8-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS screen
- Upgradeable to Windows 10
- MicroSD card slot
There aren’t a lot of cheap and pleasant Windows tablets out there, however if you’re looking for the complete Windows 10 experience, the Dell Venue 8 Pro is among the best cheap choices right now. It features Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition, and could work as a good little workstation.
The 1,280 x 800 IPS display offers punchy colours and excellent watching angles, though it’s not the sharpest. It’s still helpful for viewing TV programs and movies, however you won’t get the Full HD treatment. The speakers are great and loud too. Powered by a quad-core Intel Atom Bay Trail chip and 2GB of RAM, it delivers a zippy performance and battery life is up around the 8 and a half hour mark.
The capability to run a complete version of Windows 10 is the greatest appeal of owning something like the Venue Pro 8. You can set up full desktop programs, meaning you’re not restricted to downloading apps from the Windows Store. Nevertheless, to get one of the most of it, we ‘d advise investing in the optional keyboard (₤ 39-40).
₤ 95.
9. LG G PAD 8.3
Key features:
- 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 pixel IPS display
- Primarily aluminium back
- MicroSD card slot
Not quite as huge a name as the Hudl or iPad mini, the LG G Pad 8.3 is a simple device that provides great value for money. It’s pretty in a simple method, clad in a mix of plastic and aluminium, though the black variation looks a lot better than the silver and white design. It’s likewise got a microSD card slot, so you can improve storage on the low-cost.
The 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen is excellent for enjoying films on. Colour precision and black levels are especially remarkable, and it appears even larger than it in fact is due to the fact that there isn’t really a strip of property committed to the usual trio of soft secrets.
Thanks to the combination of a 1.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU and 2GB RAM, the G Pad is slick enough to manage high-end 3D games. The battery is great enough for around 8 hours between charges, which is plenty. The only drawback is the bloatware that it ships with, but the majority of this is simple to uninstall.
₤ 199.
