Bargain or junk: What to look out for when buying cheap tablets from Amazon, Temu and the like

Not everyone can afford or wants to purchase an iPad Pro. And only for a few people does it really make sense to spend $1,000 or more on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Offers for cheap tablets on Amazon, Temu, Aliexpress and other platforms are tempting: it is often insinuated that such tablets offer similar features to their expensive counterparts for much less.

One example is the Teclast T70, which we recently reviewed: A huge 14-inch tablet that costs less than $400. Buyers would otherwise pay at least twice as much for a tablet with this display size, so this naturally evokes suspicion. The spec sheet sounds great at first: The Teclast T70 comes with mobile network support, a feature for which you often have to pay extra on more expensive tablets. If you order the tablet from Temu, for example, it even comes with a comprehensive accessories bundle, including a Bluetooth keyboard.

Of course, the tablet can't compete with expensive high-end tablets in terms of performance, and you also have to put up with a little more weight. But anyone buying a 14-inch tablet probably won't want to constantly carry it around or hold it in their hand for long periods anyway. At first glance, the tablet appears modern and well-made. Even the antennas are printed on so that the chassis does not have an ugly plastic strip in order to improve reception quality.

However, our review shows that even Chinese brands struggle to offer a decent tablet overall for such a low price. The Wi-Fi, for example, is very slow. Above all, you shouldn't expect much software support, which is important for keeping the tablet secure and ensuring a long service life. Sure, Android offers an additional layer of security with automatic updates for Google Play Services, but some apps no longer run on older Android versions after a few years, often for security reasons.

As a second device or for those on a very tight budget, this is certainly a tempting offer at first glance. And it is also good that such technology is not reserved to those with big wallets. However, one should bear in mind that sustainability and long-term use are not the manufacturer's focus here. Maybe that's why it's worth spending a little more money: For around $550, you can get the OnePlus Pad 2, for example, which comes with 4 years of software support and significantly more performance.

On the other hand, manufacturers will soon be obliged by the EU to offer updates for a certain period of time. It will be interesting to see how suppliers of "very affordable tablets" react to this.