How Much Does A Tablet Cost At Best Buy
A tablet's processor, screen size and resolution, storage capacity and capabilities, battery life, app selection, and accessories are all important features that'll help determine which is the best tablet for you.
how much does a tablet cost at best buy
Admittedly, you won't likely get the same experience you would enjoy if you were to invest in one of the best iPads or best Android tablets. However, if you're looking for the best tablet so see you through general streaming, browsing, and mobile gaming, a top budget model should serve you well.
Fortunately, there are lots of cheap tablets out there, many of which we're already put through their paces. To help you know what to buy, we've ranked all the best ones below along with a quick overview, pros and cons, and a link to their full review. This list is also updated regularly with many new Android tablets being released. So, if you can't find the one for you now, keep checking in for more.
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 that now has 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.
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.
The 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.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 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 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 Tab A 10.5 is great for movies and web browsing.
There are always compromises on cheaper products, so in choosing one of the best cheap tablets it's important to identify where the corners have been cut, and whether those things matter to you. Equally, if anything in particular is very important to you, be it the battery, screen or anything else, make sure that the tablet you're considering performs well there.
We only include tablets that we've fully reviewed in this best cheap tablets guide. 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.
The ninth-gen iPad doesn't house the latest hardware, nor does it offer the fastest performance, but it's still extremely capable of doing essential daily tasks like running apps, playing games, or streaming video. If you're looking to pick up your first Apple tablet, the 2021 iPad is an excellent option, particularly for students and the budget-minded.
But don't let the outdated design deter you. The ninth-gen iPad is still an incredible tablet for most needs. At the end of the day, it offers the best combination of price and performance than any other iPad available right now.
While there are differences worth noting, the biggest to consider is storage options. The 2022 iPad Air base model is a measly 64GB, with a $150 upgrade option to 256GB, which bumps the price up to $750. If you need more than 64GB of storage, but not as much as 256GB, your best bet is to snag the 11-inch iPad Pro, which starts at 128GB and costs $800. You'd get an upgrade to the M2 chip, plus Apple's ProMotion display that runs at 120Hz instead of 60Hz for super smooth animations.
Overall, the iPad Mini is the best choice for those who prioritize portability above all else in a tablet. I'd even say that most people would find the iPad Mini more comfortable to use than larger iPads. If you want a screen that's bigger than your phone for running apps and streaming videos, all while maintaining a portable footprint, the iPad Mini is absolutely worth considering.
The larger 12.9-inch model has a display that uses mini-LED technology and includes XDR (Apple's version of HDR), meaning it has much greater brightness and contrast compared to Apple's other tablets for HDR projects and content.
The best Samsung tablets are top-tier Android tablets that are well-designed, perform well, and last a long time on a single charge. They also tend to come with Samsung apps and technologies that improve on the stock Android tablet experience, which is a rarity in the world of Android devices.
The Galaxy Tab S8 is good at a lot of things, but it's best at being a general-purpose Android tablet. You can use it to get work done in a pinch, but in my experience it's best enjoyed as a speedy all-purpose device for making work and play a bit more enjoyable. On the couch, it's great for gaming or reading comics, and at work it's nice to have as a note-keeping device or secondary display, especially if you go to the trouble of investing in the Galaxy ecosystem and making your workspace DeX-friendly.
Sometimes you just want a decent tablet at a cheap price. Maybe you want a lightweight second screen to keep by the couch for idle IMDB-surfing, or perhaps you want a cheap tablet you can give to a child without worrying too much about the cost of replacing it. For all these needs and more, Samsung's Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a great choice.
After spending a few weeks testing and using the A7 Lite I can confidently tell you it's far from the best Samsung tablet on the market. But it is quite a handy little device that's well worth your consideration if you need a capable Android tablet for not a lot of money.
The latest standard tablet from Apple's labs, the iPad 10.2in (9th-gen, 2021), is very much an iterative update but it's undeniably a welcome one and maintains its position as the best-value iPad out there. Physically, it's identical to the 8th-gen model from 2020, with the same design, dimensions and 10.2in 2,160 x 1,620 IPS touch display. But there is a small handful of updates that makes it upgrading, if not from last year's iPad, then definitely from the 2019 or 2018 models.
The Apple iPad Air might not be an iPad Pro in name but it's almost as fast as one. Powered by Apple's revolutionary M1 processor, its performance is considerably quicker than the previous-gen model and matches the speeds of the latest iPad Pro 12.9in (2021). That's an incredible feat for a tablet that costs several hundred pounds less, and it makes it the most powerful iPad in pound-for-pound terms.
It doesn't have the same screen appeal as the iPad Pro, but it comes remarkably close considering how much cheaper it is. Battery life is almost on par with the iPad Pro, too, and display brightness and colour accuracy are as good as we've come to expect from an Apple device. For those who want the best balance of price and performance, the iPad Air 5 is clearly the iPad to choose right now.
Despite its popularity, the iPad mini hasn't enjoyed updates with as much regularity as Apple's other tablets in recent times. With the 2021 model, however, Apple has given its smallest iPad a big overhaul, lavishing it with a completely new design, new internals and a whole load of new features.
Meanwhile, the iPad Air, released a year ago, still remains the best "Pro on a budget" iPad with its fast M1 chip and Pencil 2 support. It doesn't fix that front camera either, though, so if looking good on Zoom and FaceTime matters most to you, consider that 10th-gen iPad instead. And if there's an iPad model that seems like it could get an update sooner than any other, it's this one.
The iPad Air costs less ($599) than the iPad Pro, but has less starting storage (64GB). It adds an M1 processor similar to that of the iPad Pro from 2021, a 5G option, and a Center Stage front-facing camera. It doesn't have the better-placed front camera of the 10th-gen iPad, but supports Pencil 2 and has a better processor and display. The only points where it lags compared to the 11-inch Pro are a slightly slower processor, that new Pencil 2 hover support, and faster connectivity. You still might consider the Pro worth it, depending. But keep in mind that the 2021 iPad Pro, if it's on sale for less, is the better buy: It has a faster-refresh display, better rear cameras, Face ID/lidar and a faster Thunderbolt USB-C port.
Don't worry, though! For under $200, you can get some of the best tablets around, such as the Amazon Fire HD 8 and the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus. These are two heavy hitters if you're looking for some of the best cheap tablets on the market. Don't forget to check out our best kids tablets page, too, if you have little ones.
The Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus is the best cheap tablet you can get. It's the most fun and engaging tablet I've ever had the experience of reviewing. It doubles as a smart display, which means you can turn on Google Assistant Ambient Mode. This means you can pop it up on a surface to display your favorite photos, upcoming calendar events, weather information and news updates. You can even control smart-home devices from the tablet.
Another reason why the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus is the best cheap tablet around is because it ships with a Lenovo Charging Dock, so you can prop it up on the Charging Dock for a hands-free experience, and your tablet is getting charged up along the way. 041b061a72