Top 5 Tablets Under $500 in 2024

Because they feature decent screens, long battery lives, and enough power to run the newest games and apps, the best tablets under $500 don’t feel as inexpensive as they actually are.

Even though a brand-new tablet can cost more than $1,000 if you choose the newest models, there are now more options than ever before if you’re looking for a fantastic tablet for less than $500. For less than that, you can purchase a brand-new iPad, but there are also a number of top-notch Android and Amazon Fire tablets available that will last you for many years.

We evaluate all of the leading tablets in our lab and in order to assist you in selecting which tablet is best for you.we test all of the top devices in our lab and in the real world. In general, Amazon tablets are great for kids and anyone on a tight budget. iPads are best for students and creative pros, especially with the power of the M1 chip, and Samsung makes some excellent Android tablets that are just as good as any Apple slate.

The iPad is a household name in tablets for good reason—for a starting price of about $350, you can be sure to have a fantastic screen and powerful audio when you get the base model. But because of its tiny size and portability, the $499 iPad mini is a viable option if you don’t intend to type a lot.

Samsung produces some of the greatest Android tablets available if that’s your operating system of choice. With a fantastic screen, long-lasting battery, and quick performance, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a fantastic premium Android tablet that can be yours for less than $500.

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Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Top 5 Tablets Under $500 in 2024

1.Apple iPad 2021

Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Although it’s Apple’s most economical tablet, the base model is by no means inexpensive. With the A13 Bionic chip, iPadOS 15’s new machine learning features, including LiveText, are made possible, giving the 2021 iPad the performance boost it needs to keep moving forward. The iPad’s screen is still vibrant and sharp, which is ideal for this price range. Additionally, Apple continues to support its first-generation Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio as its own accessories, which many people may find more user-friendly than third-party Bluetooth solutions.

The only thing we dislike about the iPad is that the iPad Air and iPad mini make it appear much older than it actually is. Other than that, sound and battery life are still excellent. More assistance with Apple’s finer accessories would be great, but it still has a headphone jack (no other iPad does), which is a win for the wired headphones crowd.

The $329 Apple iPad 2021 is essentially the same as its predecessor, delivering a great blend of speed and elegance in a svelte, reasonably priced form. This year’s model stands out from previous iterations with its excellent new front-facing camera and speedier A13 Bionic CPU, making it one of the best tablets available at a reasonable price. Overall, it remains one of the best tablets available.

But I think Apple could do a little more to enhance the design of the iPad base model. It still has substantial black bezels all around the screen, particularly at the top and bottom, and it still only be charged with a Lightning connector even though the majority of iPads can now be charged via USB-C. Fortunately, there is still a headphone jack on it.

The appearance of the new iPad is identical to that of the previous iPad, which was also fairly similar in appearance. Apple’s entry-level iPad feels like an almost endearing throwback to the early days of tablets, with no sign of upgrading its design.

Nevertheless, I can’t help but hope Apple would revamp the standard iPad to mimic siblings such as the iPad mini 6 or the iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) with its rounded corners, flat sides, and low bezels. Naturally, such tablets cost hundreds of dollars more than the iPad 2021, but considering what you receive for that amount of money—the iPad is still a small, light tablet that measures 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29 inches and weighs just over a pound—it’s difficult to find many complaints. It still has the same space gray and silver, well-known colors, and the same machined aluminum chassis.

2.Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

While the Galaxy Tab S8 excels in many areas, its greatest attribute is that it is an expensive Android tablet. While it can be useful for completing tasks quickly, in my opinion, its greatest value is as a quick multipurpose tool to provide some enjoyment to both work and pleasure. It’s wonderful for gaming or reading comics on the sofa, and if you go to the expense of purchasing the Galaxy ecosystem and setting up your workplace to support Samsung’s DeX mode, it’s great to use at work as a secondary display or note-taking device.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is likely what you want if you have to have the largest, baddest Android tablet available, but it will cost you more than $1,000. You don’t really need to pay that much for a great premium Android tablet, because the Galaxy Tab S8 delivers — and in the process, sets a new standard for what we should expect from the category.

In 2022, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 redefined the benchmark for high-end Android tablets. This is the replacement for the 2020 Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, which we rated as the greatest tablet available, rivaling the iPad Pro in terms of quality and performance.

However, it was more than two years ago, and in the interim, Apple’s incredible 2021 iPad Pros completely changed our expectations for tablets meant for professionals. Samsung has also upped its tablet game, releasing the Tab S8 alongside two larger, OLED-equipped models: the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, a giant 14.6-inch Android tablet with a screen big enough to eclipse the iPad Pro, and the marginally enhanced Tab S8 Plus.

Thus, what is the status of the Galaxy Tab S8 now? Its 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021’s stunning mini-LED display is superior to the 11-inch LCD screen’s brightness and responsiveness. Although it is no longer appropriate to refer to the Tab S8 as a true iPad Pro competitor, it is still a sophisticated, capable, and energy-efficient slate that doesn’t overpower Android 12 with Samsung technology.

3.Amazon Fire 10 HD

Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Considerable improvements are made to an already excellent tablet with the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), including a little brighter screen, 1GB more RAM, and a smaller, lighter design. It’s probably not a must-have for everyone who purchased the 2019 model, but it is an excellent example of Amazon’s capacity to produce a value-driven slate that many people find satisfactory.

Arguably the best Amazon tablet ever, the $179 Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus, is worth the extra $30 if you think you’ll be annoyed by occasional performance lags. Notwithstanding this, the Fire HD 10 (2021) will continue to be a fantastic gadget for anyone want to view videos, read e-books, and browse the internet informally. This maintains the Fire HD 10’s standing as one of the greatest Android tablets available, particularly for those on a tight budget. However, its main shortcomings are nothing new. Most significantly, the Google Play app store is still absent from Amazon’s Fire OS, which means you can’t fully utilize YouTube or Gmail, for example, and you’ll miss out on a ton of fantastic programs that aren’t available on Amazon’s app store.

Considerable improvements are made to an already excellent tablet with the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), including a little brighter screen, 1GB more RAM, and a smaller, lighter design. Although it’s probably not a must-have for 2019 model buyers, it does demonstrate Amazon’s capacity to produce a value-driven slate that will suffice for a large number of people.

This maintains the Fire HD 10’s position as one of the greatest Android tablets available and among the best tablets you can purchase, particularly if you’re on a tight budget because it’s among the best low-cost tablets available. However, its main shortcomings are nothing new. Because Google Play is not available on Amazon’s Fire OS, it continues to struggle with apps. This implies that you are unable to fully utilize YouTube.

4.Amazon Fire 7

Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

It’s possible that Amazon coasted with the $50 Fire 7 tablet. Thankfully, the latest version of the company’s least expensive slate has a fast quad-core 1.3 GHz CPU, allowing you to browse the web and access apps more quickly than you would anticipate from a tablet this inexpensive. Additionally, the Fire 7 introduced speech triggers for Alexa, a feature that was lacking in prior Fire tablets that required tapping to activate the digital assistant (which was absurd since it should be called upon with your voice).

However, don’t anticipate any extras that accompany more costly tablets on this list. For those accustomed to iPads, the sub-HD screen of the Fire 7 tablet lacks sharpness, and unless you pay extra, the lock screen is covered in advertisements. However,it’s a great pick for kids looking for a media consumption device.

While the 2019 Amazon Fire 7 tablet ($50) is a step forward from previous generations, it is still quite basic. First off, the tablet’s 16GB of storage—up from 8GB—allows you to store more content on it. Furthermore, Alexa may now be accessed with a shout rather than just a tap, as it was intended to be.

The tablet’s current drawbacks remain unchanged, as they are irksomely common for a device at this price range. We wish you could have a brighter or crisper display, longer battery life, and greater performance, but you get what you pay for, and this is where $50 ends up.

This review will thus demonstrate if the $64 Walmart Onn and the Amazon Fire 7 can compete. Even though the Fire 7 solidifies its position as one of the best Android tablets available if price is the primary consideration, we still believe it is a good tablet for the money. However, your experience may differ depending on how much you rely on Amazon’s ecosystem as opposed to Google’s. Although it’s not a particularly good slate, the $50 asking price of this little tablet gets you a lot of value.

5.Microsoft Surface Go 2

Last update on 2024-07-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon.

Occasionally, a second attempt is necessary to get anything to work. The Surface Go 2 aims to eliminate every one of the shortcomings of its predecessor. First off, a larger screen—possibly the most crucial component of a tablet—is made possible by thinner bezels. The Surface Go 2’s display measures 10.5 inches, as opposed to the prior model’s 10 inches.

The primary improvement is the Surface Go 2’s greater battery life of 11 hours and 39 minutes compared to the original Surface Go, which is more than 5 hours. Additionally, Microsoft granted my wish for a laptop with an excellent webcam. In the age of internet video conversations, the 5-megapixel 1080p camera in its top bezel is fantastic, and its second front camera sensor adds Windows Hello biometric login.

Does the Microsoft Surface Go 2 work better the second time around? With a larger screen and reduced bezel, this tablet appears to aim to solve the problems with its predecessor. Along with a webcam that is genuinely sharp—unlike practically every internal camera I’ve ever tested on a laptop—you also get great battery life that is comparable to that of the iPad Air.

By removing its bezels to accommodate a larger screen within the same chassis, the Surface Go 2 appears to blend in with the modern landscape visually (Apple did something similar with the iPad 7th Gen). This Surface Go 2 review will highlight the device’s amazing low cost for on-the-go work, along with its upgraded hardware over the original and impressive webcam. It is also one of the best tablets (and affordable laptops) on the market right now.

Although the Core m3 CPU on it provides an improvement in performance over the previous Surface Go, it is not as competitive as other 2-in-1 devices. Nevertheless, the Surface Go 2 is deserving of a spot in our lists of the best laptops and best 2-in-1 laptops because it’s a great option for those on a tight budget seeking for a tablet meant for work.

How to choose the best tablet under $500 for you

Start by opening your pocket and assessing how much you depend on your smartphone. This will help you think about the operating system that lives inside of you. Owners of iPhones might leap straight to the iPad or iPad mini, and they would be justified in doing so because iOS and iPadOS share app ecosystems and iMessage integration make for a perfect match.

Android users have more options, but since Android apps aren’t doing as well on tablets as one might think, now is a good moment to weigh your options. Indeed, the Galaxy Tab S8 boasts an amazing screen and Android apps, but Windows 10 isn’t a more powerful operating system? If you’re saying “yes,” the Surface Go 2 is the greatest.

How we test tablets

Initially, we utilize as many benchmarks as the tablet permits to assess their speed in a manner that allows for direct comparison with rivals. We say “will allow” because side-loading Android apps can cause issues for certain tablets, such as Amazon’s Fire slates. Then, we measure the brightness and color depth of these tablets’ screens using colorimeters and light meters. Next, we subject them to our exclusive internal battery test, which multiplies the amount of time it takes to fully discharge a tablet’s battery while using 150 nits of brightness for online browsing.

After that, we engage in many of the same activities as you, like email composition, gaming, YouTube watching, and web browsing. We make an effort to compose some or all of our tablet reviews on the tablets we’re testing, if there’s a keyboard for it that is. Nobody wants to write a magnum opus on a glass screen, trust me.