The best cheap tablets 2023: top budget devices from Apple, Amazon, and more

The very best cheap tablets are those that don't require you to make huge compromises. Top models from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Amazon keep their prices low while offering large screens, respectable performance, and even sometimes supporting accessories, like keyboards and styluses.

Of course, these devices don't boast the top-end power or silky smooth 120Hz refresh rates of the best tablets, but they’re also a lot more affordable. So, if you’re not a power user, then you don’t necessarily need to invest in one of the best iPads or best Android tablets – you can choose a cheaper model instead.

These tablets are typically fine for streaming, social media, light work, and creativity tasks – sometimes gaming, too – though they all have compromises. So, it’s worth checking that the slate you’re considering is suited to your needs.

To help with that, we’ve listed the best cheap tablets (in our opinion) below. For each entry, we’ve included an overview, a specs list, and pros and cons, so you can quickly get a sense for what they offer. Of course, if you want to dive deeper into the specifics of a particular model, you can also click through to our full reviews, as we’ve tested each of these slates extensively.

Quick List

The best cheap tablet in 2023 

Below, you'll find full write-ups for each of the best cheap tablets in our list. We've tested each model extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

The best cheap tablet overall

The new champion of the best cheap tablets, the Apple iPad 10.2 (2021), offers everything its older model did and more. That includes a gorgeous 10.2-inch screen with True Tone technology, so its colors and brightness automatically adjust to suit the light. That feature proves especially useful for outdoor use, where you might be faced with bright sunlight.

There's also the new and handy Center Stage feature when taking video calls, which means the camera keeps you in frame at all times. We found this made a big difference. iOS 15 (or 17, if you update to the latest version of Apple's OS) keeps things running well with easier-to-use multitasking features and the ability to place widgets anywhere on the screen.

Elsewhere, the battery life is the same at 10 hours. There's no Face ID, but for a cheap tablet, it's hard to fault how well the iPad 10.2 (2021) works. 

Read our full iPad 10.2 (2021) review

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The best cheap Amazon tablet

The best of the Amazon Fire tablet range, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus might not be the cheapest, but it offers a lot for the price tag. This includes a 10.1-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which we found made watching films or videos while on the move look pretty good (and with decent stereo speakers, it sounds good, too).

Battery life is about 12 hours, so you won't have to worry about finding a power source too often, either. Elsewhere, you've got a choice of either 32GB or 64GB of storage, depending on your budget, plus you can go for wireless charging for added convenience. Its lightweight build means it's ideal for extended use. We found the chipset and cameras were both a bit basic, but overall, the the Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus packs a lot in for the price.

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus review

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The best cheap Samsung tablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is the South Korean firm's answer to Apple's best cheap tablet, which you've seen above. If you're looking for an Android-powered iPad rival on a budget, this is the slate you should consider. With Google's Android operating system providing plenty of flexibility, coupled with a large HD display, the 10.5-inch Tab A8 is great for movies and web browsing.

It also benefits from long battery life in our experience, so you can indulge in a movie marathon; just be aware that it can take some time to charge. It’s not the most powerful tablet around, and overall we’d give Apple’s cheapest iPad the edge. But for media and basic app use around the house, this is a strong choice.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 review

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The best cheap small tablet

The 8-inch Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is essentially the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020), but just made a little bit better, so it's no wonder it's one of the best cheap tablets. It has more RAM at 3GB, supports wireless charging (so you can use it with an optional dock that brings it close to an Echo Show), and comes with a speedier charger than the standard Fire HD 8.

Beyond that, it’s much the same as its cheaper sibling. But that in itself makes it faster than the previous generation of the Amazon Fire HD 8, as well as giving you much more storage to play with.

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus still isn’t the fastest of slates in our tests, but it holds its own for what it costs, and if you want a small-sized tablet and smart display all in one, it’s a top choice – though for just the tablet part, you might want to consider the standard Fire HD 8 (2020) instead.

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus review

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The best compromise

With a decent sized screen and a resolution of 1920 x 1200, the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) is ideal for watching films while relaxing. That's its biggest strength, really, as we found it was occasionally slow when running basically any kind of software, and its rear camera is still only 5MP (albeit an improvement on the earlier model). Still, for messing around with friends, it'll do.

There's no wireless charging, but nor would you really expect that from such an inexpensive tablet. Given how cheap this slate actually is, though, it still delivers lots for your money, including good battery life, so you can have a movie marathon wherever you are, without needing to charge it up halfway through. This isn’t one for power users, but nor would we expect it to be, hence why we're calling it the best compromise option.

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) review

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FAQs

How we test

In this best cheap tablets guide, we've only included tablets that we've fully reviewed. That means that we've used every entry extensively and delivered a final verdict on them. That process includes testing every key feature and using them as our main tablet, just like a typical buyer would.

This allows us to easily rank and compare different tablets, factoring in their specs, performance, price, value, age, screen quality, battery life, and any other factor worth considering.

With that information, we know exactly which ones to include and which to exclude, and whenever a new cheap tablet is released, we'll compare it to the other entries in this list before deciding if or where it should be placed.

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