Top 5 best budget tablets for students in 2021
A tablet is out of question an excellent supplement to the school electronic outfit. The ideal size makes it handy for spur-of-the-moment creation while efficient for productive tasks, and comes about so many advantages that other devices barely compete. Having a tablet lets the students gain more edge whether for study or internship. For people who are on a budget, we’ve specially compiled a list of tablets that won’t leave you feeling financially stunted while offering smooth performance.
Just because you want a cheap tablet doesn’t mean you have to totally give in to less-known brands. There are plenty of bargain tablets from big brands as low as $89.99 — so good it seems bizarre a flagship phone costs at least four times as much.
This list is ranked from the cheapest to the highest. Regardless of what you’re looking for, one of these tablets is sure to deliver.
The Lineup At A Glance
Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) — The best cheap tablet with Alexa
Blackview Tab 6 — Small in size, versatile in use
Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus — Best cheap tablet with the best display
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0-inch — A solid tablet for all uses
Apple iPad 2021 — The best student tablet overall
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1. Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)
The best cheap tablet with Alexa
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: 2.0 GHz quad-core processor
Camera Resolution: 1.9MP (front)
Display: 8 inches, 1280 x 800 pixels
Storage: 32GB
Battery: 4,850mAh
Ports: USB Type-C, headset
Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 0.8 pounds
Wi-Fi: Dual-band Wi-Fi
Support SIM: no
OS: Amazon Fire OS
REASONS TO BUY
+Perfect for Prime subscribers
+Super cheap
+USB Type-C port
REASONS TO AVOID
-Ad heavy
-So-so display
-Limited app store
The Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 is one of the best tablets you can buy in Amazon’s FireOS portfolio. It has a camera located on the side bezel for landscape-view photos and video calls for Zoom, Google Meet and other apps. Alexa is the Fire HD 8’s shining star, especially when you command the digital assistant to turn on Show Mode, which transforms your tablet into a smart display. The 8-inch mini size makes it a perfect lightweight companion for your commute and travels.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 is filled with the Amazon ecosystem, such as the Audible and Prime Video apps. Prime subscribers would find it desirable while others may think it advertisement-heavy. The default internet crawler is Amazon’s Silk browser, which can feel awkward if you’re used to Chrome or other popular browsers.
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2. Blackview Tab 6
Small in size, versatile in use
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Unisoc T310 processor
Camera: 8MP (rear), 2MP (front)
Display: 8 inches, 1280 x 800 pixels
Storage: 32GB, 128GB expandable
Ports: USB Type-C, headset
Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 0.8 pounds
Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Support SIM: yes (dual SIM slot)
REASONS TO BUY
+Three in one: phone & tablet & kindle
+Super cheap
+8-inch mini size
+Dual SIMs slot
+5580mAh big battery
+32GB storage & up to 128GB expansion
+USB Type-C port
REASONS TO AVOID
-Mediocre for multi-task
For the students, the Blackview Tab 6 is a dream budget device for everything yet without burning your wallet. It has a dual SIMs slot, supporting calls, communications, internet-surfing pleasure anytime, anywhere. And it has a reader-friendly Grayscale mode that is easy on eyes. Turning on the mode, you don’t feel like you’re reading a screen, but a paper. In a brief, it’s an integrated phone & tablet & kindle hybid that would make you feel the money is well spent.
The Blackview Tab 6 is great for immediate creation upon a spur-of-the-moment inspiration as well as it has a Handy Note that is at hand when inspiration strikes or simply for taking class notes, as well as a 5MP rear camera that enables you to record the classes, scan documents, capture memorable moments at school. Battery life is strong that impressively lasts 9 hours in web browsing time and 28 hours in call time.
As a super budget phone, it’s really nice that it runs the latest Doke OS_P 2.0, which is based on the latest Android system, Android 11 so that you can explore all the new Android features over this device. Besides, it has a bunch of useful functions for upgraded performance such as System Manager, Freezer, etc.
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3. Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus
Best cheap tablet with the best display
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: MediaTek Helio P22T
Camera: 8MP (rear), 5MP (front)
Display: 10.3 inches, 1920 x 1200 FHD pixels
Storage: 64GB, 128GB expandable
Ports: headset, USB Type-C
Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
Weight: 0.7 pounds
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Support SIM: yes
REASONS TO BUY
+Doubles as a smart display
+Colorful screen
+Slim bezels
+Comes with a charging dock
REASONS TO AVOID
-Outdated Android OS
The Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus is the most fun and engaging tablet at this price tag. It doubles as a smart display, which means you can turn on Google Assistant Ambient Mode and you can pop it up on a surface to display your favorite photos, upcoming calendar events, weather information and news updates. You can control smart-home devices from your tablet.
The 10.3-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel display is really impressive as it presents everything with vivid, rich details. The slim bezels, offering an 87% screen-to-body ratio, are also visually satisfying. The tablet’s rounded-edge, metal body has a slender profile. Compared with the aforementioned two, the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus is clearly larger, which makes it hard to fit snugly inside the inner pocket, but it’s easily tossed in your backpack.
And it ships with a Lenovo Charging Dock, so you can prop it up on the Charging Dock for a hands-free experience, and your tablet is getting charged up along the way.
For more technical users, you may find the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 Plus falls short in the OS as it runs on Android 9, which is outdated, but this tablet will likely appeal to budget-conscious users seeking a colorful, engaging, assistant-powered device.
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4. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0-inch
A solid tablet for all uses
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Qualcomm SDM 429
Camera: 8MP (rear) 2MP (front)
Display: 8-inch, 1280 x 800 (WXGA)
Storage: 32GB, 512GB expandable
Ports: microUSB 2.0, headset
Dimensions: 210 x 124.4 x 8mm/8.27" x 4.90" x 0.31"
Weight: 345g
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz
Support SIM: no
OS: Android 8.1
REASONS TO BUY
+Solid and reliable
+Relatively cheap
+Decent tech specs
REASONS TO AVOID
-Underwhelming cameras.
-A bit pricey for what you get.
At $188.41, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0 is nicely built, but a little pricey for what you get considering it runs the old-fashioned Android 8.1 OS. But it’s otherwise good overall. Its compact size and long battery life make it a good option for media consumption or basic productivity tasks on the go, especially if you want access to Google Play.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 isn’t a fast performer, but once settled into a task or activity, it tends to run without a hitch. Checking email, surfing the Web, streaming video and playing simple mobile games are all smooth sailing. Large games and apps take a while to load — anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds — and if downloading apps or updates, performance slows down and lag can occur — though this is typical of most budget tablets.
As with other Android tablets there is access to the Google Play Store and the apps there, some of which may prove additionally useful on top of any existing web apps provided by the school. The 8-inch lovely size makes it ideal for students on the go.
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5. Apple iPad 2021
The best student tablet overall
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: A13 Bionic
Camera: 8MP (rear), 12MP (front)
Display: 10.2 inches, 2160 x 1620 pixels
Storage: 64GB, 256GB
Ports: Lightning, Headphone
Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches
Weight: 1.07 pounds
Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Support SIM: yes
OS: iPadOS 15
REASONS TO BUY
+Bright screen
+Improved front-facing camera
+Speedy performance
+Good battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
-Dated design with big bezels
-Nowhere to store Apple Pencil
Apple iPad 2021 is the best choice for bargain-seeking Apple fans who have their hearts set on an iPad. The new iPad takes the timeless design of its predecessors, then puts the latest Apple A13 Bionic processor inside. It’s the compact iPad many have been waiting for.
It has a headphone jack and Lightning port, which help it fit into classrooms and your existing accessories. But on top of that, you get some great new updates in the 2021 iPad. Its 12MP webcam is a great update over the 1.2MP camera in the previous model, and Apple’s also added a new trick called Center Stage that helps you stay in the focus on group calls.
And the upgraded A13 Bionic chip makes sure that the 2021 iPad is going to stay fast for a while. You’ll also be able to easily take notes with the first-gen Apple Pencil, with Scribble-based annotation. The iPad 2021 also has a great screen and battery life, solid audio and all the basics we’ve come to expect from Apple.
