Ranking: Best tablets for under 300 dollars/euros

The Xiaomi Pad 6 offers a 144 Hz fast 2.8K IPS display and a fast SoC Snapdragon 870 5Ggood speakers and a long battery life of almost 14 hours. It has a high-quality finish and offers HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Like the Huawei MatePad 11, it also supports stylus input, which is available separately.

Our 1st place of the best tablets up to 300 euros offers a lot, but there is no LTE version and the memory cannot be expanded.

Unfortunately, there is no IP certification, for example against splash water. We also miss a jack connection and a microSD card reader for memory expansion. LTE is also only available on the Pad 5 Prowhich can also be charged faster.

The Pad 6 from Xiaomi is currently available from Amazon for 279 euros.

The cheapest Samsung tablet with support for the S Pen is the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024). In contrast to the even cheaper Tab A9+ (4th place), however, the refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz. It also only has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC memory.

The built-in mid-range SoC Samsung Exynos 1280 is also somewhat outdated and performs significantly worse than the Snapdragon 870 5G in the Xiaomi Pad 6 (1st place). The battery life of 12.5 to almost 16 hours is very good and the speakers and robust metal casing are also pleasing.

If you are looking for an affordable tablet with S Pen function, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is just right for you. However, most other aspects are better handled by other budget tablets.

The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) with 128 GB ROM is currently availableon Amazon for 262 euros.

The Honor Pad 9and a 12.1-inch QHD IPS display with 120 Hz, a brightness of up to 600 cd/m² and supports pen input. A Bluetooth Smart Keyboard is also available for 60 euros. The Snapdragon 6 G1 offers mid-range performance, while the battery life is a good 11 hours.

The Honor Pad 9 has a robust metal casing, but lacks IP certification, a 5G option, WiFi 6 or a fingerprint sensor.

The Honor Pad 9 is regularly available for 279 euros or currently as a Black Friday deal for 239 euros.

With the new Galaxy Tab A9+ from Samsung leaves hardly anything to be desired: Finally, there is a 90Hz refresh rate on the 11-inch FHD IPS display, optional 5G and, for the first time, Samsung DeX. Updates are also guaranteed for 4 years, while the rather nimble Snapdragon 695 the Unisoc T618 of the predecessor Galaxy Tab A8 replaces it.

The basic version now comes with 64 GB of memory and 4 GB of RAM. It can be expanded with up to 1 TB via microSD card, which cannot be formatted as internal memory. A robust aluminum housing is also used. Four speakers provide a decent sound, while the battery lasts for almost 15 1/2 hours.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ offers almost everything important at a low price: a bright 90Hz display, DeX, optional 5G and solid performance. There are shortcomings in the details.

The drawbacks include slow charging at 15W, while the power adapter is not included. There is also no fingerprint sensor. The basic version is currently available for just 157 euros or 159 euros in the official Samsung store. 199 euros is the price for the WiFi version with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB memory.

In contrast to the larger Tab A9+, the 8.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 still only offers 60 Hz and optional 4G, while the resolution of the bright display is also lower at 1,340 x 800 pixels. It uses the fairly fast Mediatek SoC Helios G99supported by 4 GB RAM and 64 GB memory in the basic configuration. The battery life of up to 19 hours and the 4-year update coverage were also impressive.

If you prefer a more compact tablet, you can now get started with the 8.7-inch Galaxy Tab A9 from Samsung at an affordable price. However, a power supply unit must be purchased separately and there is no fingerprint reader.

The Tab A9 offers all the basic functions for just 114 euros. the version with 8 GB RAM, 128 GB memory and WiFi currently costs 177 euros.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE is the successor to the Redmi Pad, which continues to rely on a robust aluminum housing and has a very long battery life of around 17 hours. The screen diagonal has grown from 10.6 inches to 11 inches, but the pixel density has decreased from 220 ppi to 206 ppi. The jack socket is new.

The Snapdragon 680 4G is up to 30 % slower than the Helios G99, especially in single-core applications Helios G99 in the Redmi Pad.

With the Redmi Pad SE, Xiaomi offers an affordable mid-range tablet with great quad-speakers that has to do without satellite positioning and a fingerprint reader.

The 90 Hz FHD+ IPS display has become 50 cd/m² brighter at 450 cd/m² and still offers around 93 % sRGB. With 8 GB RAM and 256 GB eMMC memory, you can get it for 179 euros. With 4 GB / 128 GB it is currently 129 euros at Saturn and Mediamarkt

Surprisingly, you can get a metal casing for less than 200 euros with the Lenovo Tab M11. It also comes with decent Quadro speakers and a 90 Hz FHD+ display including support for a stylus. With the built-in SoC Helio G88 the system always lags a little behind, plus 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The battery life is quite long at 15 hours. Software updates are also guaranteed until 2028.

At 400 cd/m², the display is not as bright as the competition, the camera quality is mediocre and the SoC is somewhat weak. However, the strength of the Lenovo Tab M11 lies above all in its price-performance ratio.

the Lenovo Tab M11 currently costs 169 euros on Amazon.

Amazon's largest Fire tablet to date also gets a larger battery and a much faster mid-range SoC from MediaTek. The 11-inch IPS display of the Fire Max 11 has a resolution of 2,000 x 1,200 pixels in 5:3 format and refreshes at 60 Hz.

It also comes with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB flash memory. The back cover of the 7.5 mm thin tablet is made of aluminum and therefore feels more robust than the previous model Amazon Fire HD 10 Pluswhile the display edges have even become narrower.

Fire OS 8.3 is set to receive updates until at least 2027, but the disadvantage is the lack of the Google Play Store, which can be installed retrospectively. But be careful: this voids the 1-year manufacturer's warranty. Thanks to DRM Widevine L1, video streaming services can also be enjoyed in HD quality. The optionally available docking keyboard and the option of using a stylus are also beneficial.

Amazon's new Fire Max 11 is significantly faster, lasts a very long 16.5 hours, is thinner, more stable and has a larger and brighter display than its predecessor.

GPS is not included, charging with the included 9 W power adapter takes a long time and the range of apps is limited ex works. The Fire Max 11 can be purchased directly from Amazon for 159 euros in the current Black Friday deal - with advertising and without a keyboard or stylus.

The affordable 12.1-inch tablet Xiaomi Redmi Pad Pro 5G comes with a QHD+ 120Hz IPS display, 6 to 8 GB RAM and 128 to 256 GB ROM. Inside the stylish metal casing is the rather nimble mid-range SoC Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.

The cameras and speakers are less convincing, while a charger is not included in the scope of delivery. The battery life of 15.5 to 17.5 hours, on the other hand, is impressive.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad Pro offers 5G and dual SIM on request. A stylus is also available as an option. There is no protection against dust and water, nor are there long updates.

The Redmi Pad Pro from Xiaomi is available with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB memory for 260 euros on Amazon or for a cheaper 217 euros with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM.

The Apple iPad Pro offers better sound than the Lenovo Tab Plus thanks to 8 speakers with a total output of 26 watts. Another feature that sets the affordable Lenovo tablet apart from the competition is the built-in kickstand, which almost doubles the thickness of the device at the bottom and increases the weight to 660 grams.

The 11.5-inch tablet offers 128 GB of storage, 8 GB of RAM and a fairly solid mid-range SoC Helio G99. The memory can be expanded by a further 1 TB using a micro SD card. OS upgrades are provided until 2026 and security updates for four years. The IPS panel offers a 2K resolution and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

The Lenovo Tab Plus is not only interesting because of the built-in kickstand and the great-sounding 8-speaker system, but also offers an incredibly long battery life of 24 hours. However, it does not offer mobile communications.

 

You can get the Lenovo Tab Plus in this configuration for 219 euros in the Black Friday deal at Amazon. The optional Lenovo Tab Pen Plus costs 59 euros.