I’m going to tell you a secret: I hate having to update our best cheap tablet guide. Not because I am against the idea of affordable technological slates, but because I feel bad about the state of the cheap tablets market in 2025.
There is really only a handful of low -end tablets to consider at the time of writing, and it is a challenge to recommend something other than the latest entry -level iPad, which, I recognize, expands the definition of “affordable” for most people.
I am slightly relieved that Huawei announced a refreshed version of his impressive MatePad 11.5 tablet, which arrives in the United Kingdom and Europe later this month. This 11.5 -inch slate will have a 120 Hz LCD screen with a resolution of 2.5K, 8 GB of RAM, a 10 100 mAh quality battery and an optional papermatte technology – all decent specifications, if Huawei obtains the price of the price.
Of course, if you live in the United States, this is unnecessary information. The Matepad 11.5 will not receive a truly global release, as is the OnePlus stamp and all the Xiaomi and Honor-Budgetly tabs are limited to British, European and Asian markets.
For our friends on the other side of the pond (I write this from London), the cheap tablet situation comes down to three, perhaps four options. If you are ready to extend your budget a little further, the 11 -inch iPad (2025) is, by far, one of the best tablets you can buy, while Android fans should consider the Lenovo or Lenovo Idea Tab Pro tab. For a really affordable option, I would recommend one of Amazon’s cheap and joyful fire tablets.
That’s almost everything. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 never came to the United States, and while we people can Buy the largest Galaxy Tab A9 Plus, this device launched almost two years ago, which means that it is difficult to recommend in 2025. There is still no sign of the Galaxy Tab A10 Series.
Likewise, the Google Pixel tablet made its debut in May 2023, and we did not hear an overview of a second generation potential model (August made by Google Showcase will be almost certainly reserved for the Pixel 10 series and Pixel Watch 4).
It is not new for American buyers to have access to a smaller pool of products than those of other regions – good luck to get one of the best Xiaomi phones or the best OPPO phones in the United States – but the affordable tablet situation seems particularly disastrous.
There are, of course, various strategic, economic and even political factors at stake here, and I will not assess whether these factors are good or bad. On the contrary, I simply draw attention to a problem that I continue to encounter when updating our best cheap tablet guide each month: there are very few options that deserve to be recommended to a global audience.
Apple’s entry -level iPad is an excellent device, but I would like to see Google and Samsung have another appropriate crack at the lower end of the tablet market.
