How to choose a good cheap tablet

There are many cheap tablets on the market but with good performance: find out what are the features to be evaluated for the purchase.

The offer of tablets is constantly evolving, and nowadays there is no need to invest large sums of money to take home a reliable product with adequate features. Tablets cheap but good to be used in work and study - but also for leisure - are increasingly popular on the shelves of stores - physical or online.

Of course, not all those on the market are equal: that's why it is important to know what are the elements to consider when buying, which can direct us towards the best cheap tablets in circulation.

What is it and what is the purpose of a tablet

Before identifying what are the cheap but good tablets that we should consider, it is good to know what we're talking about. When we talk about a tablet, we are referring to a compact device, which is generally defined as the middle ground between a PC and a smartphone. It knows how to stand out for its ease of use, for the large number of features provided and of course for its portability.

How to choose cheap but good tablets

To buy cheap but good tablets we must consider the same features that usually come into play in the evaluation of any other tablet, but it is necessary to keep in mind the limits imposed by a tight budget. The main elements to consider are different, and thoroughly analyze a bit 'all aspects of the device. More in detail, we have:

Weight and size

The size of a tablet is not strictly related to its price, and it is not uncommon to find on sale even cheap 10-inch tablets. However, it happens more often that the smallest models (with 7 or 8 inch display) are also the least expensive. On the weight side, most models now feature a design that is as compact as possible, which aims to reduce bulk during use;

Software

Depending on the manufacturer, the tablet may come pre-installed with some proprietary apps, which you can't always get rid of. These apps take up a lot of space, and may be a limitation for budget tablets with limited storage. Consequently, it's important to consider not only the operating system in use, but also how the device behaves on the software side.

Hardware

While there is no shortage of good budget tablets on the market, they are unlikely to offer competitive performance. The processors are dated and the RAM does not exceed 2 GB. Internal memory, on the other hand, can be extended via a Micro SD card, up to the maximum size supported by the specific device;

Connectivity

Contrary to more expensive tablets, budget models have limited connectivity options. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB charging are always available, but there's usually no dedicated SIM card slot;

Screen and camera

In the modern market, even the cheapest tablets enjoy a screen resolution that's more than adequate for enjoying most multimedia content - such as TV series or movies. This is helped by the small screen size, which guarantees a sharp image even at medium resolutions. The camera, on the other hand, will almost always be a marginal and underperforming element, not suitable for photography enthusiasts.

The best cheap tablets to buy

The best cheap but good tablets come from different manufacturers, and can be ours by investing even less than 350 euros. In concrete, at least 5 models are capable of satisfying those who are looking for an inexpensive device that is useful for performing a wide variety of functions. We go then from the Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, passing by Apple iPad 10.2 (2020), Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) and Amazon Fire 7 (2019).