RS Recommends: The Best Budget Tablets Under $200
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A good tablet can often put a massive dent in your paycheck, costing close to $1,000 for top-tier models. That high price tag may have many of us reciting a silent prayer for our wallets, but, that doesn’t have to be the case. If you’re not looking for a tablet to completely replace your laptop and just need a quick portable option for when you’re on the go, there are plenty of cheap tablets available at lower price points.
What Are the Best Cheap Tablets?
We’ve spent some time researching the best cheap tablets online, with some options even priced below $100. Here’s everything you need to know before you pick the budget tablet that will work best for you.
Display: Most budget tablets will have at least an HD display and screen size can vary anywhere from seven or eight inches to as high as ten inches. Some cheap tablets can even sport a full HD display, so if screen resolution matters to you and you want a little more clarity, go with a full HD budget tablet.
Storage: Budget tablet storage can vary anywhere from 16GB to 64GB. If you’re looking to spend the least amount of money, stick to the 16 or 32GB options, but if you’re willing to shell out a few extra bucks, feel free to consider buying the 64GB versions of the budget tablets listed down below.
Battery: Generally, a budget tablet that offers at least eight to ten hours of battery life is enough to get you through the day. Some of the options listed below even offer more than 10 hours of battery life if that’s what you need. Streaming and video playback will usually cut down battery life significantly so if that’s your primary purpose for your new tablet, pick one that offers upwards of 10 hours of battery life.
Extra Features: Other stats to look out for when shopping for a good cheap tablet are RAM, camera options, SD slots and audio. Budget tablets will always have between one to three GBs of RAM. As for camera options, you can expect a front and back-facing camera, although depending on the brand and model the megapixels on the camera might differ. Go for higher if you’re looking to video call a lot or if you enjoy photography. SD cards are for expandable storage and if you plan on increasing your tablet’s storage your tablet will need an SD slot — all of the tablets we’ve mentioned feature one.
1. Amazon Fire HD 10
This 10.1-inch tablet has a full HD display for decent visuals on your games, streaming content, work emails and more. It’s packed with 3GB of RAM and an Octa-Core processor for reduced lag times — it won‘t be lighting fast but it will do the job.
Max battery life clocks in at 12 hours and you’ve even got a front and rear-facing camera for video calls and basic photography. Plus, with Alexa built-in, you can access your calendar, to-do list, music and more hands-free.
There are two storage options available — 32 and 64GB — but storage is expandable to 1TB via the microSD slot if you’re planning to use this budget tablet for more than just leisure.
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
Samsung tablets are well-loved by many, but they usually command a hefty price tag. But, there are some budget tablets available, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, which packs many of Samsung’s best features, at a lower price point.
This eight-inch tablet has slim bezels and a clear HD screen for gaming, reading and more. RAM is 2GB and there’s a Quad processor for average performance.
Battery life is great though, topping 13 hours and there are both front and rear-facing cameras that outperform most other picks on this list.
You have two storage options 32 and 64, but the MicroSD slot lets you expand storage to 512GB. If you want better screen resolution, audio and speed, go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1. It’s well worth the upgrade if you’re looking for a powerful option.
3. Lenovo Tab M10 Plus
Lenovo tablets might not be as popular as Samsung or Apple tablets, but they’re just as good. The Lenovo Tab M10 Plus has a gorgeous 10.3-inch FHD display for all your entertainment and work needs.
There’s only one storage option at 32 GB (expandable to 256 GB), but other than that, there are no cons to this tablet. It’s got a hefty Octa-Core processor, dual speakers with Dolby Audio, and two cameras for all your video calls.
Battery life extends to eight hours, which is lower than some of the other options on the list but still enough to get you through the day. Similar to other budget tablets, it’s got 2GB of RAM which means you’ll be able to stream, read or work on presentations, but at a slower pace than when using tablets like the iPad Pro or Air.
4. Amazon Fire 7
Amazon’s Fire 7 tablet is the best starter tablet you can buy. It’s available in four different colors and two storage options, 16 and 32 GB — although it can be expanded to 512 GB if you want.
Battery life is short, only lasting about seven hours and there’s only 1GB of RAM, so you’re getting the most basic performance out of this tablet. Screen resolution is also HD, so you’ll be missing out on the clarity of some of the other cheap tablets on this list.
That said, it’s got Alexa built-in, and has a decent front and rear-facing camera allowing you to connect with family or take work calls on this tablet. Sure, it’s not as powerful as some of the other budget tablets we’ve listed but, if you’re just looking for a gadget to use during your daily commute or as a secondary option to your laptop, the Fire 7 is worth buying.