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

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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.