Best budget tablets: Great buys for your money

What are the best budget tablets and cheap iPads to buy in?

The tablet market doesn’t move at quite the pace it once did, with many models lasting for multiple years without seeing an update. While this might not be ideal for those looking for a flagship tablet with specs akin to high-end smartphones, it is great for those looking for a cheaper tablet option.

You simply don’t need to pay a lot of money to bag an excellent tablet, with Amazon, Lenovo and even Apple producing impressive slates for prices that aren’t that hard to stomach.

Best Budget Tablet Videos

1. Amazon Fire HD 8 (2018)

Seriously fantastic value and Alexa integration

Pros:

• Super-low price
• Decent battery life
• Great Prime integration
• Hands-free Alexa

Cons:

• Basic navigation a little slow
• Poor cameras

Why we liked the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2018)

For a tad more cash than Amazon’s Fire 7, you can nab yourself the latest Fire HD 8 – which, as its name suggests, boasts a sharper, brighter 1280 x 800 HD IPS display. The biggest surprise is that for such a low price, the HD8 boasts surprisingly good build quality too. It sports an excellent level of fit and finish between its glass frontage and colourful plastic bodywork. The HD 8 comes in black, yellow, red or blue, just like the Fire 7.

Running Fire OS means that the full gamut of Android apps aren’t available to you, but you do have a host of Amazon exclusive content at your fingertips, not to mention the company’s Alexa voice assistant built in for good measure.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to stream hours of Netflix or Amazon Prime, then the HD 8’s improved dual-band Wi-Fi should ensure a more reliable and higher-quality stream than previous Fire tablets. In addition, you’re also getting more base storage here than with the Fire 7 (16GB in place of 8GB) – and all for under £100.

Hands-free Alexa is here letting you bark commands across the room and a new feature called ‘Show Mode’ turns the tablet into a portable Echo Show. Show Mode is made better with the Show Dock, which can either be purchased bundled with the tablet or separately. This charges the tablet and props it up for Alexa functionality.

Read the full review

• Amazon Fire HD 8 review

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2. 9.7-inch Apple iPad 2018

The best value iPad ever

Pros:

• Great value
• Slim and light, yet powerful
• Apple Pencil compatible
• iOS is the best tablet operating system

Cons:

• Reflective screen
• Average rear camera

Why we liked the 9.7-inch Apple iPad 2018

The notion of a cheap iPad may be a somewhat oxymoronic concept when it’s sitting in a lineup of sub-£250 Android tabs – but, relatively speaking, there’s one Apple slate worth your consideration if your wallet stretches far enough.

2018’s standard 9.7-inch iPad was introduced as a more affordable version of its iPad Pro line, aimed at the education market, and  if you’re looking for a suitably powerful tablet without dropping a ton of cash, at £319 the latest 9.7-inch iPad is one of your best options.

Not only does it run on Apple’s pleasingly powerful A10 Fusion processor, but it also fully supports the Apple Pencil and sports a display with the pixel density (and therefore sharpness) as the company’s pro-line of iPads.

Read the full review

• iPad (9.7 inch) review

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3. Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus

Good for video

Pros:

• Big display, good for video
• Some neat UI additions
• Decent battery life

Cons:

• Old version of Android
• Not the most rugged

Why we liked the Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus

The Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus offers many of the same draws as its smaller sibling, but with a larger 10.1-inch display to up its media capabilities even further.

Along with Dolby Atmos support, the Tab 4 10 Plus features fingerprint sensor authentication and supports Lenovo’s own ‘packs’, which append additional functionality depending on your needs.

The ‘Kids Package’ adds a bumper case, screen protector and stickers, and works in tandem with the KIDOZ app for a safe, fun, educational tablet experience for little ones. The Productivity Pack, meanwhile, centres around a Bluetooth keyboard that doubles as a stand and a protective sleeve. The Home Assistant Pack turns the Tab 4 10 into a make-shift Amazon Echo Show, complete with Alexa voice assistant, speaker and display.

Read the full review

• Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus review

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4. Amazon Fire HD 10

The bigger Fire tablet is still a bargain

Pros:

• Good screen
• Cheap
• Great, if you love Amazon content
• Now has USB-C

Cons:

• Ugly
• You really need Amazon Prime
• Poorly placed buttons

Why we liked the Amazon Fire HD 10

If more pixels matter to you, then the Amazon Fire HD 10 is the only member of Amazon’s current tablet lineup that offers Full HD viewing. It again leverages an IPS panel, although this time it packs in a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (in a 16:10 aspect ratio) and comes backed up with Dolby Audio-certified stereo speakers.

Underpinned by a metal frame, this plastic-bodied tablet is the most robust of the current Fire family. It will happily withstand a little more punishment than its smaller siblings, should you happen to hand it off to a small child (although the new Fire 10 Kids Edition may be a better fit in that situation).

Read the full review

•  Amazon Fire HD 10 review

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5. Amazon Fire 7

A very capable tablet for under £50

Pros:

• Terrific value
• Respectable performance overall
• Alexa

Cons:

• Can still feel slow
• Basic build
• Low-resolution screen

Why we liked the Amazon Fire 7

Amazon’s Fire OS is an interesting fork of Android that places Amazon’s vast media library front and centre. In the case of the Amazon Fire 7, you’re getting a compact, inexpensive tablet with low-level specs – but with a low price tag to match, starting at just £49.99.

Not much has changed from the previous model, but Amazon has upgraded the 7-inch 1024 x 600 IPS display to offer better clarity and contrast, plus there’s a blue light mode for late-night viewing without eye-strain.

The most notable addition has to be Alexa, which is now on-hand to provide answers to your questions and help with home automation when you’re out of range of an Echo or Echo Dot. You can expect around four hours of gaming or around six hours of Netflix off a single charge, which is another step up from last year’s model.

Read the full review

• Amazon Fire 7 review

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6. Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus

Great budget android tablet

Pros:

• Great size
• Decent display
• Perfect for Nexus 7 fans

Cons:

• Old version of Android
• Far from rugged

Why we liked the Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus

If Fire OS doesn’t fit the bill when it comes to your needs, there are a handful of true Android tablets in the affordable space worthy of consideration – starting with Lenovo’s Tab 4 8 Plus. At £199, it’s a markedly pricier bit of kit compared to Amazon’s slates, but in the tablet landscape overall, it’s a relative steal.

Glass-backed phones are all the rage right now, but in the tablet space it’s more uncommon, making the Tab 4 8 Plus stand out from the crowd. The device also features a metal frame for added rigidity and the premium touches continue with USB-C connectivity, a power key with fingerprint sensor, and a headphone jack too.

Those for whom productivity is a priority will be pleased to learn that Microsoft Office suite comes preloaded out the box, whilst the capacious 5000mAh battery guarantees multiple days of usage on a single charge.

Read the full review

• Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus review

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Best Budget Tablets Round Up

1. Best for value and Alexa: Amazon Fire HD 8 (2018)
2. Best value for Apple: 9.7-inch Apple iPad 2018
3. Great for video: Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus
4. Great package: Amazon Fire HD 10
5. Best for low price: Amazon Fire 7
6. Best for budget Android: Lenovo Tab 4 8 Plus

How we select the best affordable Android tablets and iPads

Just as with our smartphone reviews, tablets tested at Trusted Reviews undergo a mix of real-world use and repeatable benchmarking; from screen calibration to battery longevity testing, camera quality comparisons and processor performance. Find out more here.

We use these devices as we would our own and set them against the most likely competition in the industry to get an accurate rating that holds real value for readers making a purchase decision.

Related: Best tablet 2020