3 Tablets That Surprisingly Cost Less Than £200
Tablets can be a great investment—most people I know who have them use them every day for work, play, reading, and watching TV, or just keeping the kids entertained. You can spend well over £500 on a fancy new Galaxy tablet or an iPad Pro. But even Apple admits you don’t have to—you can get a newest-gen iPad for less than £300. If you’re looking for an entry-level tablet, you can go much lower than that. And you don’t even have to go searching online, because I’ve done it for you.
Each of these cheap tablets is well under $200. And they all do what you want. If you need a substitute for a a Kindle that will also let you catch up on Severance, each one of these three tablets is a solid option. If that’s all you need it for, might I recommend the refurbished iPad? Want something that will integrate into your smart-home setup? There’s a pick for you below as well. Between Samsung, Amazon, and Apple, here are the three best cheap tablets you can get right now for under $200.
Galaxy Tab A9
This Samsung tablet is still very current by tablet standards. Released in 2023, the base Tab A9 is still a very fast (and compact) Android tablet. It’s wild that Samsung still sells such a good Galaxy Tab when its premium option is so pricey. I guess that’s why you can only find this one through third-party retailers anymore. Good thing its actually easier to buy the thing from Amazon or Walmart in the first place.
In addition to just generally being user-friendly and providing a smooth user experience, the tablet has an excellent form factor. The 8.7-inch screen is smaller than those on the other options here, but to me that size is perfection. Not quite mini, but—in addition to it being thin and weighing barely a pound—the more compact nature of the A9 is definitely part of its appeal for me.
The only caveat to this recommendation is if you’re using your tablet mostly for video calls, you might want to opt for something with a better front-facing camera. This one is a wimpy two megapixels. If that sounds like a deal-breaker and you are willing to go a tiny bit over budget, might I suggest the A9 Plus?
Fire HD 10
A Fire HD 10 tablet is a good upgrade if your kid is outgrowing their current made-for-kids tablet and you want to get them something more adult—with excellent parental controls to boot. This is an easy holiday or birthday gift.
Seriously, the 10.1-inch full HD Fire tablet is perfect for anyone who needs a functional tablet for entertaining themselves or the family—in the latter case, something that won’t cost £500 and immediately break. Since it’s an Amazon tablet, that means its voice commands will let you control any Alexa device you have already set up in your home.
Refurbished iPad (2020)
It’s going to be hard to find a new iPad for under £200. If this is the price range your working with (if it isn’t, I’d opt for a new gen 10), you are going to have to go the refurbished route. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that—Amazon is trustworthy in that respect—but it does mean the life cycle of your device will be shorter than if you bought it new. The battery life will start to degrade quicker, that sort of thing.
In general, though, it’s still an iPad. If you have an iPhone, you already know how to use it and its apps. I will say Apple’s retina display outshines (literally) the others on this list, making it an easy pick if that’s something you care about.It comes with a Lightning charging cord (so you don’t have to scrounge up your own), but at this point that’s just outdated. It also suffers from a lower-res front camera than I would prefer. It’s fine for FaceTime, but you’re gonna be a little grainy coming through the other end.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the best cheap tablet?
It just depends on what you care about. First, it’s best to lock in a price range and then look at the available options. We’ve already done that for the £100-to-£200 price range here. If you travel, battery life will be important. If you watch a lot of TV or game on your tablet, a nicer screen is a priority. Also ask yourself which OS you are used to using. The type of phone you have may help determine the right tablet for you.
What’s the difference between Apple and Android?
Okay, I actually don’t know who is asking this anymore, but I thought it was worth clarifying. Two of these products are Android OS devices, and one runs iOS. How familiar you are with either operating system with likely determine which direction you want to go. It’s not worth learning a whole new OS unless you think you’ll be using that tablet a lot.
Do these tablets support my stylus?
A stylus? Definitely. Your stylus? Probably not. The Galaxy Tab only works with the Samsung S Pen. iPads pretty much only work with the Apple Pencil and a handful of third-party options designed specifically for it. Same for Amazon, etc.; there is no standardisation for these things.
What’s the best tablet for a kid?
When it comes to your children, we know that keeping them safe is your first priority. When it comes to good tablets, it’s useful to also consider comfort and how easy a tablet is for them to use independently. In these respects, we’ve found the Amazon Fire tablets to be the best picks for kids—especially the ones made just for them.
You Might Also Like
