CheckMag | 4 best budget Android tablets

Unlike other Android manufacturers that took a break from releasing new tablets for a few years, Samsung is one of the few brands that has consistently released new models for over a decade. The Galaxy Tab A9+ (available on Amazon for $218) is its top offering for those on a slim budget. It has an 11-inch 90 Hz 1200 x 1920 display that makes it great for watching videos, surfing the web, or reading books and documents. Powering it is a Snapdragon 695 processor that is paired with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. There is also an 8 GB RAM version with 128 GB of storage. Nevertheless, both variants support storage expansion.

Don’t expect exceptional cameras at this price point as they are average at best. The Galaxy Tab A9+ also has quad speakers, an audio jack, a 7,040 mAh battery with support for 15 W charging, and an optional 5G variant if you want to use it on the go. It ships with Android 13 but there’s already an update to Android 14 available. It will also be updated to Android 15 and will receive security updates until 2027.

The Lenovo Tab M11 (available on Amazon.de for €197) shares several features with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+. It has the same screen size, resolution, and refresh rate. It also packs quad speakers, a 3.5mm jack, a microSD card slot, and an identical battery capacity that charges at 15 W. However, it is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 and supports stylus input (stylus included in the box).

The Lenovo Tab M11 also has a different camera configuration, up to 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of expandable storage, but doesn’t have a 5G variant. Lenovo ships it with Android 13 with an Android 14 update planned for this year, and a promise to release security updates until 2028.

The Redmi Pad SE is another good pocket-friendly Android tablet. Like the Galaxy Tab A9+ and the Lenovo Tab M11, it has an 11-inch FHD+ 90 Hz LCD panel, quad speakers, and an audio jack for wired earphones. It has a Snapdragon 680 processor and a larger 8,000 mAh battery that charges at 18 W via a USB-C port (a slow 10 W adapter is included in the box).

Redmi offers it in multiple configurations starting at 4 GB RAM with the top configuration with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage which you can grab on Amazon for $190 with a free 33 W dual port car charger. The Redmi Pad SE runs Android 13 out of the box with a promise to upgrade it to Android 14 and security updates until September 2026.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) a.k.a. 13th generation Fire HD 10 isn't as powerful as the other tablets on this list, but its features and affordable price tag make it a worthy addition. Sporting a 10-inch 1080p screen, the Fire HD 10 is great for leisure reading and watching videos. It’s also great for studying thanks to having support for a USI 2.0 Stylus like the Google Pixel Tablet, and a Bluetooth keyboard case. With the optional stylus, you can watch videos on one half of the screen and take down notes on the other half of the screen while the keyboard case, which is also sold separately, can be used to type out essays.

The Fire HD 10 (currently $140 on Amazon) is powered by an octa-core chipset paired with just 3 GB of RAM. However, it comes in 32 GB and 64 GB storage options and you can add up to 1 TB of extra storage via a MicroSD card slot. It has an audio jack and stereo speakers Its battery life lasts up to 13 hours on a single charge, and while it supports 15 W charging via USB-C, Amazon ships it with a 9 W adapter. It’s important to note that the Fire HD 10 doesn’t have Google services and apps such as Play Store, but it has Amazon’s app store preinstalled.