If you want a cheap tablet, there are tons of options at your disposal, including tablets made by Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and more. The right tablet for you will depend on your needs, so with this detailed summary of the various options, you can make an informed decision.
Apple iPad 10.2
This slightly older version of the iPad packs a lot for its price. Though its not the newest option available, it has a 10.2 inch display (hence the name). It has good screen quality and is a good compromise of features and price. The camera is somewhat mediocre compared to the newest iPads, but those are much more expensive than this $329 model.
Amazon Fire HD 8
This is one of the cheapest tablet on the market that isn’t completely abysmal to use. This newer version of the HD8 has more ram than the previous 1.5 GB version, now coming with 2 GB. While it’s no speed demon, it is much improved, and is good for doing basic tasks like reading kindle books or browsing the news (but even this can get a little laggy). If you want to play games or stream movies on your tablet, this might not be the best option for you, but it is under a hundred bucks.
Amazon Fire HD 10
This comes with a larger screen and longer battery life than the HD 8. The speakers are just okay and not everyone loves Amazon’s operating system, which is its own specific version of Android. At $149, it slates itself between Amazon’s bargain basement 7 and HD 8 and the more expensive options from Samsung and Apple.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5
Using Google’s Android operating system, this is an iPad contender worth considering. With long battery life and enough processing power to stream movies, it’s an excellent multimedia choice if you aren’t looking to have AppleTV. It can be a little slow, but not nearly as slow as the Amazon tablets, and it comes with an actual headphone jack, which is an increasing rarity when tablets now rely on Bluetooth for headphones. At only $280, it’s quite a bit cheaper than the iPads.
Amazon Fire 7
This is the absolute cheapest tablet, and we recommend against it. With only 1GB of ram, it’s incredibly slow. It’s probably only best to use as a Kindle reading device, as it becomes choppy and laggy when trying to use the web or do other tasks. But if you want an e-reader for cheap, this is not a bad bet.
In Conclusion
If you need a tablet, the technology has gotten a lot better since the debut of the first iPad. Amazon offers a number of options that are incredibly affordable, and even Apple has the affordable 10.2 option. If you want to go for the gold, you can still splurge on the iPad Air or Pro, but you don’t have to shell out $800. And if the iPads are still too expensive but you don’t want a FireOS tablet, Samsung and other Android manufacturers offer a number of good options.