The best budget tablets of 2026: Testing Apple, Lenovo, and Amazon Fire tablets

Want a tablet but don't want to break the bank? We tested affordable tablets to find the best options from Amazon, Lenovo, and Apple.

To find the best budget tablets, we kept all the models under $500. Our favorite tablet for most people, the Apple iPad Air, is $529, so unfortunately, we can't include it in this list. However, you don't need to spend nearly that much for a solid tablet, and there's even another great cheap iPad that made the cut.

For budget tablets, we didn't expect them to navigate the same tasks as a premium tablet like an iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy S11. What we did want them to do was be a quality tablet for streaming, gaming, browsing the internet, and reading. Luckily, I found four great models from iOS to Android, all under $500, that won't waste your money.