What's the best cheap tablet for Android? I tested over 50 devices and here are my results

With smartphone screens now easily breaching 7 inches, thanks to a variety of foldable phones, smaller-sized tablets don't really have the appeal they once did. Still, many people use Android tablets to complement their workflow or for simply consuming media. Given how much smartphone hardware has progressed over the years, you don't have to spend a fortune either to get a good tablet experience.

Sure, cheap Android tablets may not be powerhouses of performance, but they're perfect couch companions, capable of handling most tasks with ease. Look for tablets that offer loads of battery life or a metal construction. The Android tablet market, on the whole, is a bit of a mess once you look outside of Amazon or Samsung, but there are some solid and viable options if you want to spend less than $300. Black Friday is also a great time to pick one up thanks to amazing deals and discounts.

Keep reading tosee the best options that are available now. If you think you can afford to spend a bit more, you can also take a look at our guide to the best Android tablets, period. For now, let's see what you can get when you go cheap.

Andrew Myrick

In between figuring out ways to put retro emulators on everything, Andrew thoroughly enjoys exploring what's possible with Android tablets. He's constantly looking for new and different ways to use tablets, such as replacing his laptop or turning tablets into smart home dashboards.

At a glance

Best overall

It's no surprise that Samsung offers the best cheap Android tablet, as the company provides options for every corner of the Android market. Even with newer tablets like the Galaxy Tab S9 lineup, the Galaxy Tab A9+ is no slouch and includes many features you will want.

Starting with the design, this is a slim aluminum slab with glass on the front, which makes for quite a gorgeous form factor. The 10.9-inch LCD display still looks fantastic and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 695 5G, paired with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM. In terms of storage, there are two configurations available, but the Galaxy Tab A9+ also supports storage expansion of up to 1TB with a microSD card.

Regardless of what kind of device you are looking for, battery life is always a part of decision-making. You won't be disappointed with this one as you'll get excellent battery life out of the 7,040mAh battery that charges up quickly with the included USB-C fast charger. You'll have plenty of time to sit back and take advantage of the quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support for those times you just want to chill out with a movie. Overall, it's the best Samsung tablet you'll find under $300.

Best small screen

We have to admit that we're disappointed to see Lenovo move away from the two-in-one solution with its Smart Tab lineup. Our previous pick, the Smart Tab M8 (Gen 3) offered a Pixel Tablet-like ability to turn into a smart home speaker. However, that model has been discontinued, and the Tab M9 has taken its place.

That's not to say that there's nothing to like about this budget-friendly tablet. Lenovo has (mostly) figured out the formula for those in the market for a cheap Android tablet. To some, the Tab M9 might just be the perfect tablet for you, with its lightweight design and a larger 9-inch screen compared to the 8-inch screen from before.

While the HD display leaves a bit to be desired, it's not like this is going to be your "do everything tablet" anyway. Instead, Lenovo has positioned the Tab M9 as the perfect couch companion, regardless of whether you want to watch a movie or read your favorite book.

On one hand, we're happy to see Google Kids Space onboard, and while you can get the Tab M9 with up to 64GB of storage, it still might not be enough. This can be partially solved thanks to the built-in microSD card slot. However, we still wish Lenovo would have opted for at least 128GB of storage with this tablet.

Best value

If you want to get started with the Amazon ecosystem, the Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) is a great way to do so. You'll get a solid Full HD display with either 32GB or 64GB of expandable storage, and up to 12 hours of battery life.

However, the Fire HD 8 Plus has an extra trick up its sleeve with hands-free Alexa. This turns your tablet into another Echo Dot, and you can even get a stand to use it as a smart display. Amazon also introduced a wireless charging dock for the HD 8 Plus, making it possible to turn this into an Amazon Echo Show-like device, but one that you can grab and take with you. There's even wireless charging available now, along with Amazon finally making the jump from MicroUSB to USB-C.

Unfortunately, the Fire HD 8 Plus isn't as great as other options on the market, as you will need to purchase the dock separately if you want to turn your tablet into a smart display. The 2MP front and rear-facing cameras are also not great to use and won't cut it in 2023. Finally, you will have to deal with Amazon's version of Android and won't have access to the Google Play Store.

Best for kids

The kids need something for some entertainment, too, right? But setting them loose on the world wide web isn't exactly what many parents have in mind. The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is a 10.1-inch tablet with a big bumper to keep it from breaking with a built-in kickstand to make it easier to use. Amazon's parental controls make it easier to stay in control of what your kids are accessing online without needing to hover over their shoulders.

With a free year of Amazon Kids+, your children will access over 10,000 books, movies, and games. You can then set time limits and watch what they are playing, watching, and doing on the tablet. It also has a two-year, worry-free warranty. Should anything happen to the device, Amazon will send you a new one — no questions asked.

This 2023 refresh of the Fire HD 10 Kids features a claimed 25% faster processor, improved battery life, and an upgraded 5MP front camera. The tablet comes in vibrant, fun colors and Disney prints. You can pair this tablet with matching accessories from Amazon, like a backpack and headphones. The bumper case can also be swapped for a different color, as your kid's taste changes. If you have older kids, you may consider the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro model, which gives you access to an app store, but with age-appropriate restraints in place.

Best rugged

If you're heading outdoors, it's not the best idea to take a high-end tablet that will cost hundreds to fix if the screen gets cracked. Instead, a rugged tablet like the AGM Pad P2 Active could be the right pick with IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810H certification. We were impressed before by the rugged AGM H5 Pro phone, but this Active variant is really an AGM Pad P2 with a heavy-duty case that you can take off if you need a slim tablet to take on a plane, for example.

When it comes to power, this tablet isn't breaking any records, but it still has plenty of performance for day-to-day tasks, and even playing some light games. It's powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you need more storage, there's a microSD card slot right next to the SIM slot. Speaking of that SIM slot, this tablet supports 4G LTE, though it's only suited to T-Mobile coverage.

The 8,000mAh battery should easily make it to the end of the day, but if you need to top up, it supports 18W fast charging. If you top it up, it should also make it through an evening of streaming video if you're out camping. This tablet supports Widevine L1, which means it can stream in HD and higher quality from apps like Netflix.

Best battery life

The Redmi Pad Pro from Xiaomi is a 2024 release, and is easily its best budget tablet yet. Our resident expert Harish lauded the tablet for its impressive display with Dolby Vision playback, and the massive 10,000mAh battery which lasts significantly longer than other budget tablets from Xiaomi. You'll also be able to grab some neat first-party accessories for it very soon like a keyboard case and stylus.

The Redmi Pad Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, which is a power-efficient and decently powerful mid-range chip. The tablet comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. The good news is that even the top-end variant sits under $300. For this price, the build quality is excellent thanks to an aluminum chassis and low weight of 571g. The tablet has four speakers and supports Dolby Atmos.

The stand-out features are the tab's display and battery life. The massive battery capacity can be quickly charged too thanks to 33W fast charging. Xiaomi claims that once fully charged, you could potentially get up to 34 days of standby time. The display gets fairly bright with up to 600 nits in High Brightness Mode, and there's full-range DC-dimming to prevent strobing at lower brightness for those with sensitive eyes. The only thing we didn't quite like are the large bezels around the display, but it's a small sacrifice to make for an otherwise excellent budget tablet.

Best screen

It's no secret that Amazon's ability to provide serviceable tablets is unmatched, especially in the budget market. The Fire Max 11 is the king of the Fire tablets lineup, with a gorgeous 11-inch display and 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage. In fact, you can add up to a 1TB microSD card, which should be more than enough for your needs.

Add in the 12 to 14 hours of battery life and USI 2.0 stylus support, and you really have a no-brainer tablet option. There's even USB-C on board and a new octa-core processor for more power than ever before in a Fire tablet.

Keep in mind that the Fire Max 11 runs an Amazon-centric version of Android, and it doesn't have access to the Google Play Store. That's not to say you can't still download apps. You just have to take advantage of Amazon's own App Store or side-load the Play Store if that's okay with you. And if you want max productivity, you'll have to purchase the Fire Max 11 accessories separately.

Best for productivity

Lenovo is leaning heavily into the industrial design with this minimalistic style on the Tab P11 (Gen 2). The two-tone dual-material of rubber and aluminum gives this tablet a sleek and slim design that looks good while being light enough to not tire you out if you hold or carry it for a while.

Where the Tab P11 (Gen 2) excels is in the flexibility that's made available, even if you have to pay a bit more. You can pair this with Lenovo's Precision Pen 2 and detachable keyboard case to get an excellent on-the-go work tablet. Neither of these is found in the box, so you'll have to pay a bit more, but it's definitely something worth considering.

Unfortunately, when securing your tablet using biometrics, you'll have to settle for an inconsistent Face Unlock, as there is no fingerprint reader. The Tab P11 Plus also lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you will need to use a USB-C audio adapter or pick up an excellent set of wireless earbuds.

Best for portability

At first glance you might think that the Boox Palma isn't really a "cheap Android tablet," but I'd argue against that. Despite its smartphone design, this is an even better option for those who are concerned about a big and bulky tablet taking up space in their bags. Instead, what you get is essentially another smartphone, minus the cellular connectivity.

We're big fans of the Onyx lineup of E Ink tablets, especially considering that many of them now ship with Android. The Boox Palma is no exception, meaning that you don't have to choose where to buy (or rent) your next book from. Whether your current e-library is housed within the confines of Amazon's Kindle ecosystem or Google Play Books, just download the appropriate app and get to reading!

Rather surprisingly, the Boox Palma is one of the few devices in the Onyx lineup that misses out on supporting stylus input. This is something that can come in really handy, as evidenced by the popularity of Samsung's included S Pen with its Galaxy S Ultra phones and Galaxy Tab series.

Something else to keep in mind is that while it looks and acts like an E Ink smartphone, you won't be able to replace your current phone with the Palma. That's because Onyx did not include a SIM card tray, but frankly, it's not a surprising omission.

Lastly, there might be times that you run into issues when downloading certain apps, depending on how long you keep the Boox Palma around. Out of the box, we have Android 11 with Onyx's skin on top, and while it gets the job done, it's now four iterations behind as Android 15 rolls out.

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Honorable mentions

There are so many choices for cheap Android tablets under $300 that it's enough to make anyone's head spin. Although the options listed above are our "top picks," the reality is that you might still be looking for something a bit different. Thankfully, there are plenty of tablets to choose from, so here are a few other options that are worth consideration.

How to choose

What's the best cheap Android tablet overall?

Finding the best Android tablet in the "budget" market is a bit odd. This is partly because our smartphones come close to the size of a smaller tablet, and a budget-minded tablet can't hold a cup of tea to the flagship smartphones.

With a slight discrepancy between the two, it's tough for users to spring for another device when they can already do everything the tablet can and, in most cases, in a better capacity. Plus, the market is eclipsed in part by Apple's iPad, which is ahead of the curve in terms of tablet technology.

While a few things could be improved, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is our favorite "cheap" Android tablet. You get a great design, a beautiful display, and fantastic battery life in a slim and lightweight package. Samsung has even included quad-Dolby Atmos speakers that will fill the room and give you the "punch" that you need.

What to look for in a cheap Android tablet

When it comes to buying a new device, whether it's one of the best Android phones, the best Chromebooks, or anything in between, there are a few factors to keep in mind. The first of which is identifying a reason for buying the tablet.

Do you want a cheap Android tablet that has a great screen for media consumption? Maybe you want something that your kids can enjoy with plenty of parental control. Or maybe you need a tablet that pulls double-duty and is great for answering emails but can also transform into a portable Xbox Game Pass machine.

Price-to-performance is always a key factor in any decision, meaning that just because a tablet is more expensive, doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best out there. That more expensive tablet could have an incredible display with all of the bells and whistles from a feature-set perspective. But if the internals don't match with the externals, then you might end up being disappointed.

With this roundup, we took a look at every Android tablet priced under $300 and made our decisions based on what we would look for. There are a lot of tablets that come in under the price threshold, but not all of them are really worthy of consideration.

How we test

In addition to what we outlined above, testing these devices means putting them through a variety of scenarios to determine metrics and rankings. This includes performing battery tests with specific variables that can be easily replicated when a new device comes across our desk.

This also includes attempting the same performance tests that are performed on the best Android tablets. After our initial testing is complete, then it's on to "real world usage," which includes diving into the software to see what's possible. And if a tablet is advertised as having a unique or specialized feature, we're sure to put our focus there in order to see whether the claims made are true.

As is the case with every device, we wouldn't be able to provide a comprehensive review without actually using it. Which means that we put our current devices to the side, replacing them with whatever new and shiny tablet lands on our doorstep. From there, we collect all of the test results and our personal experience in order to make a final determination before issuing a review score.

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