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Best cheap Android tablets in 2024
Versatile, affordable Android tablets great for entertainment, work, and communication
It's safe to say the Android tablet experience has never been better, with manufacturers like Samsung leading the way with high-end slates. Plus, there's an ever-increasing developer focus on optimizing apps for tablets' hardware and form factors. In fact, until recent years, finding a truly satisfying non-smartphone Android device — without breaking the bank — proved downright difficult. Thankfully, we're now seeing an arms race of midrange tablets great at introducing new users to the Android tablet space.
6 reasons to buy an Amazon Fire HD tablet
These affordable tablets may not be the best on the market, but there are a few perks beyond saving a few bucks
Amazon doesn't wander into the hardware side of tech very often. The Ring lineup of doorbells and security cameras are obviously quite popular, and Alexa devices have become the go-to virtual assistant for the best smart home performance. However, as far as personal devices go, the e-commerce giant typically leaves smartphones and computers to the experts.
Amazon's latest Fire HD 10 tablets are now finally optimized for Zoom
You'll have to pay up for wireless charging or an ad-free experience
Amazon's tablets aren't meant to set the world on Fire, but they're probably some of the most popular on the planet thanks to low price tags and integration with the company's retail empire. It's been about a year and a half since the 10-inch version got an upgrade, but today Amazon is taking pre-orders for the new Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus. In terms of physical design, the refreshed Fire HD 10 now places its front-facing camera in a landscape position instead of portrait. It also moves the speakers to the bottom edge, giving the entire package a more conventional design for tablets of this size. Amazon says this is better for video conferencing. It keeps the same 10-inch, 1080p display as the previous model and a similar 2.0GHz octa-core processor, but boosts RAM up to 3GB. That's still on the low side for any Android device these days. Amazon says the body is thinner and lighter, with a stronger aluminosilicate screen that's 10% brighter.Thankfully Amazon kept the USB-C charging added to the last model, which isn't a given with tablets at this price point. Storage is either 32GB or 64GB, plus whatever you can fit in the MicroSD card slot. The 10 HD starts at $149.99 for the 32GB model, coming in black, denim, lavender, and olive color options. Yes, that price is "ad-supported," and it'll cost you $15 to get rid of them.
The HD 10 Plus keeps a more or less identical physical design, but boosts RAM up to a welcome 4GB and adds Qi-compatible wireless charging. Wireless charging is a rare feature on tablets, but Amazon started including it on some premium models last year, because it makes it easy to turn them into Alexa smart displays with the sold-separately dock. Previously the 10-inch tablets needed an adapter case for wireless charging; now it's built-in, like the Fire HD 8 Plus. The Plus model also gets a "premium" soft-touch finish. The Fire HD Plus has the same storage capacity, but that RAM boost is worth it for a $30 price bump.
In addition to the $50 wireless charging dock (made by budget brand favorite Anker), Amazon is also selling both tablets in a "productivity bundle," which comes with a Fintie wireless keyboard and a year of Microsoft 365, starting at $220 for the base model Fire 10 HD. Both tablets are up for pre-order on Amazon now, shipping on May 26th.
The best Amazon UK Prime Day deals (Updated)
Great discounts on Amazon devices, as well as plenty of phones, headphones, and smart home tech
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Amazon UK's two-day deal bonanza is upon us once again, hoping to take all your money before Black Friday can have its way with you. These events can be hit or miss, but there are a few good deals floating around, especially if you're looking to buy an Amazon-made device. I've delved into the depths of Prime Day to pull out a few of the better discounts for our readers on this side of the pond (the right side, in every sense).
At the beginning of the month, Amazon introduced its revamped Fire HD 10 tablet, bringing some improvements such as USB-C connectivity and a faster processor over the previous iteration. The new device is now available on the retailer's site, both in adult and kids editions, selling for $150 and $200, respectively.In addition to the upgraded SoC and port, the new Fire HD 10 tablets are powered by Android Pie, which Amazon brands as Fire OS 7. This may seem outdated given Android 10 is out, but it's a significant improvement compared to other Amazon tablets that are still running Android 7.0 Nougat. The updated version is also said to be 30% faster than the previous one while selling for the same price.In terms of components, the Fire HD 10 offers a 10.1-inch 1080p display, 32 or 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, and two 2MP front and rear-facing cameras. Thankfully, there's still a 3.5mm jack, which can be particularly convenient if you want to watch your favorite show during your flight. The all-new edition comes in revised colors, namely black, plum, blue, and white. If you'd rather go ad-free and get yours "without special offers," you'll have to pay an extra $15 and stick with black, which is rather odd as this is only a software limitation. More surprisingly, the edition with no ads won't ship before November 7, which makes it seem like Amazon really wants people to buy the commercially-supported product. Lastly, if you need more storage, there's a 64GB version available for an extra $40, which may not make a lot of sense since there's a built-in MicroSD slot.
You might usually leave all your cut-price tech shopping until the Black Friday weekend later in the year, but there are some decent deals to be had right now. Amazon.co.uk is hosting a huge spring sale at the moment that runs until April 15, with sizable reductions on its own hardware such as Echos, Kindles, Fire tablets/TV, and Ring cameras, plus plenty of discounts for third-party products as well.
Back in 2015, Amazon released its cheapest tablet yet - the 'Fire tablet' for just $50 (with lock-screen ads). There's still a sizable developer community around the device too, with plenty of hacks and ROMs available for owners.Now the company is following up with a new model, named the Fire 7. The Fire HD 8 is also getting a minor refresh, in case you need something a little bigger. The 7-inch tablet still starts at $50 with lock-screen ads, and $64.99 without. The Fire HD 8 starts at $79.99 with lock-screen ads, and $94.99 without.So you might be wondering what is different with the new models. Honestly, there doesn't appear to be any major hardware or software differences. The colors are different - both tablets are available in Black, Canary Yellow, Marine Blue, and Punch Red. The smaller Fire 7 also has dual-band Wi-Fi for the first time, so you can connect to 5GHz networks.Here are the full specifications for the Fire 7/Fire 7 Kids Edition:
At this year's Google I/O, we heard that HBO Now would eventually be available across all Android devices. Well, today appears to be that day. HBO appears set to drop Now into the Play Store. The company has listed Android as "coming later today" on its list of supported devices.
Amazon's Fire HD line of tablets aren't geared for hardcore Android enthusiasts. They don't come with the Play Store. They don't offer Google apps. And they don't come with the Google Now Launcher or any of that relatively new material design. But they are pretty good at letting you consume media.The Fire HD 7 is a low to mid-range offering with a rather mediocre 1280 by 800 display. But today you can get it for off, which isn't all that much dough to cough up for the hardware. The cheapest option is the 8GB model with ads (ahem, special offers), which has dropped from $140 to $80. The ad-free model costs an extra $15.
Amazon's Fire HD tablets are surprisingly good purchases if you just want something to consume media. They're inexpensive, snappy, and have great battery life. Now they're learning a new trick courtesy of an OTA update. The coming upgrade for Fire HD tablets will include Amazon's Firefly feature, allowing them to recognize music, movies, and more. Why? So you'll buy more stuff, duh.
A few weeks ago, Ryan and I tag teamed the Kindle Fire HD 6 and 7 in a review that left us both pretty dang impressed with what Amazon has cooked up in its newest budget-friendly tablets. Since then, I've been playing with the Fire HD Kids (6" - $149; 7" - $159), Amazon's attempt at entering the kids' tablet market. I'm using the six-inch model for this review, but the tablet is also available in a seven-inch model. Like the "regular" HD 6 and 7, the tablets are virtually identical, save for the size. The software is the same on both devices.
Amazon announced a handful of new Fire tablets tonight, one of which is designed specifically for kids. The company looks to be going after Fuhu's nabi and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 Kids with the Fire HD Kids Edition, and it's going straight for the jugular.
Yesterday, we told you that Amazon's newest Kindles are shipping with locked bootloaders. We mentioned that this probably wouldn't prevent the devices from being rooted, as a method was already in the works. That method has now been confirmed, and root for the Kindle Fire HD is go!
In case you forgot, we thought we'd give you a heads-up that Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD is officially available today - if you want the 7-inch, 16GB version. It's packing a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor, a 1280x800 display with advanced anti-glare tech, and a set of stereo speakers that really do blow away any other slate on the market. For a more complete look at the HD 7, check out our hands-on (with a comparison to the Nexus 7), and our original announcement post.
I had a chance to spend some time with Amazon's new Kindle Fires today at the company's event in Los Angeles, so I'm going to share a few thoughts about Amazon's newest Android-based slates. Disclaimer: Yes, I only spent about an hour with this tablet today, but I'm going to give you a sense of where I think the Kindle Fire HD is headed, who it's targeted to, and whether or not you should be interested in buying it.
Earlier today, Amazon announced a slew of new Kindle products: a refreshed 8GB Fire, brand new 16/32GB Fire HD 7" and 16/32GB Fire HD 8.9", including 32/64GB LTE-enabled variants, and a Kindle Paperwhite which doesn't run Android. The pre-order links weren't working right away, but they've just gone live, and I have them all for you right here.
Amazon's new 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is impressive enough in its own right, thanks to high-end features and a competitive price of $299. But at the Kindle press event today, CEO Jeff Bezos announced something truly groundbreaking: a Kindle Fire with a 4G LTE connection and an unprecedented data plan. For $499 (the price of the iPad 3, among many others) you get the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, a 4G LTE data connection (almost certainly AT&T) and access to a $49.99-a-year data plan. That's twelve months of 4G LTE, with the unfortunate limit of 250MB a month.
Amazon is currently unveiling a slew of new products at its press conference today. One of the headlining set of slates is the Kindle Fire HD. They will come in two sizes, 7" and 8.9". The HD tablets will be tied deeply to Amazon's content ecosystem. The 8.9" model will have an astounding 1920x1200 display, and it's bound to be one of the nicest looking displays we've seen in a primarily-content-driven device. Unfortunately, we haven't heard yet what the resolution will be for the 7" device. Update: It's going to be 1280x800 for the 7" display.