If you have a bigger budget to work with, you may consider shelling out a bit more to invest in more powerful hardware—you’ll feel the difference in performance with more intensive app use and gaming. But as you’ll see from our picks of top budget tablets, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a solid, enjoyable tablet experience. The Fire HD 8 comes with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage that you can expand by up to 1TB with a microSD card, giving you plenty of room for TV shows, movies, and games. With a 2.0GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM on the updated 2020 model, its internals are respectable for the price, if not more focused on entertainment than productivity or performance. It also now uses a modern USB-C port for charging (with a battery that gets about 12 hours of use), and there’s a pricier “Plus” version that includes 3GB of RAM, supports wireless charging, and comes with a faster wired charging adapter. Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 (189ppi) | Processor: Octa-core 2.0GHz | Camera: 2MP front and rear Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 (171ppi) | Processor: Octa-core 1.3GHz | Camera: 2MP front and rear The Fire 7 Kids Edition offers the same 7-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel display found in the standard Fire 7. Similarly, it has a quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage that can be expanded with a microSD card, and a seven hour battery life. Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 (171ppi) | Processor: Quad-core 1.3GHz | Camera: 2MP front and rear It has a 6-inch display with 167ppi, giving you smooth lines in images and text—that’s definitely something you want for a device you’ll read on a lot. The screen is glare-free, and the latest version adds an adjustable front light so you can comfortably read in any lighting conditions. In terms of content, if you have a Prime membership, you’ll get access to loads of free reading material. An e-reader is largely different from other tablets. The screen is black and white (like a book), and it doesn’t allow you to freely browse the internet or access media streaming apps. It truly makes reading the focus. But, because of the pared-down features, the battery tends to last for weeks or even months rather than hours or days. You get some great features for reading, too, with the ability to look up words in the text, add notes without ruining a page, and even rent digital library books. Screen Size: 6 inches | Resolution: 167ppi) | Storage: 8GB | Lighting: 4 front LEDs The Tab M8 performs smoothly even without high-end hardware. Lenovo didn’t customize the interface or bog down the system with a ton of pre-installed third-party apps, either. Most importantly, you get full access to the Google Play Store and its massive collection of apps and games. The Android OS works well for the Tab M8 and its role as a basic, no-frills media consumption device. The 8-inch 1280 x 800-pixel screen keeps the tablet portable while looking nice for movies and shows. It feels surprisingly well-built for the price. But trying to multitask, run intensive apps, or play graphics-heavy games is taxing for its lower-end processor and 2GB RAM. The speakers also leave a lot to be desired, but you’ll probably use other devices for audio anyway. Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: 2.0GHz Quad-core | Camera: Front, 2MP fixed-focus; Rear, 5MP auto-focus It runs on native Android 9.0 Pie as the operating system and is bloatware-free, with access to Google Assistant and the full Google Play Store. So download away—when your apps and other media start to fill up the 32GB of internal storage, there’s a microSD card slot to expand it up to 128GB. The tradeoff, though, is that performance can get sluggish. It has a 1.6GHz octa-core chip, but it has only 2GB of RAM. It works well enough for basic tasks, but struggles if you try to push it much more than that. You also get an 8MP main camera in addition to the 2MP front camera, which is better than most other tablets at the price range, but you can find better options for digital photography. If you’re mostly looking to watch movies, read e-books, and check emails, though, the MatrixPad lets you do it with a big screen and a small budget. Screen Size: 10 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: Octa-core 1.6GHz | Camera: Front, 2MP; Rear, 8MP Jordan Oloman is a Lifewire writer and reviewer with degrees in Media and Journalism as well as History and Archaeology. He has contributed to several tech and gaming publications, including testing out a variety of tablets for Lifewire.
How We Tested
To test the best tablets under a certain price range, our expert reviewers and testers use a variety of methods. Firstly, we look at design, weight, and portability, to see how easy a tablet is to tote around. We also evaluate the screen size and resolution with a view to streaming video, looking at images, and browsing web pages. Audio and connectivity play an important part in determining multimedia quality. For objective performance measures, we use common tests like PCMark, Geekbench, and 3DMark, and also try to download some demanding games to see if it can handle To test battery life, we stream video at maximum brightness to measure runtime, along with general usage over the course of a day. Finally, we look at the value proposition and competition, to see how the tablet stacks up against rivals in a similar price range. All of the tablets we test are purchased by us; none of the review units are provided by a manufacturer.
What to Look for in the Best Tablets under $100
Screen Size - The average tablet is around 10 inches measured diagonally, but they can be as small as 5 inches and run up to 18.4 inches. Screen size is a personal preference, but for productivity purposes, it’s often the bigger the better. If you’re merely streaming a show or reading a book, a smaller screen should suffice. If you plan on doing any work or school on your tablet, go for at least a 10-inch screen. Performance - You’ll want to pay attention to the tablet’s RAM and CPU if you’re planning on using it for heavy gaming or demanding apps, but these specs typically come at a higher price tag. If you want to multitask, you’ll want to go with a faster processor over a better camera or larger screen. Storage - Some tablets allow for additional storage via microSD card, allowing you to store up to 512GB worth of files, photos, and apps. If you’re planning on storing a ton of media on your tablet, this is something worth looking into. Screen Size - The average tablet is around 10 inches measured diagonally, but they can be as small as 5 inches and run up to 18.4 inches. Screen size is a personal preference, but for productivity purposes, it’s often the bigger the better. If you’re merely streaming a show or reading a book, a smaller screen should suffice. If you plan on doing any work or school on your tablet, go for at least a 10-inch screen. Performance - You’ll want to pay attention to the tablet’s RAM and CPU if you’re planning on using it for heavy gaming or demanding apps, but these specs typically come at a higher price tag. If you want to multitask, you’ll want to go with a faster processor over a better camera or larger screen. Storage - Some tablets allow for additional storage via microSD card, allowing you to store up to 512GB worth of files, photos, and apps. If you’re planning on storing a ton of media on your tablet, this is something worth looking into.
