Amazon’s Prime Dayevent has entered its second day, and we’re still seeing a bunch ofgreat Prime Day deals on tabletsfrom Amazon, Samsung, Lenovo, and more.
We hear many of the same shopping questions each time a big event like this rolls around, and with good reason. Prime Day brings a lot of great deals, but it also brings a lot of not-so-great deals where manufacturers attempt to offload old or subpar products with what looks like a new low price. This is particularly important when shopping for a new Android tablet; there are countless models on the market, and you might be tempted by rock-bottom pricing to buy an unrecognized brand or something that doesn’t quite fit your needs.
Shopping carefully and understanding what makes a good Android tablet is key to getting the right device, and Prime Day is a great time to get a more expensive tablet that’s been discounted into the range of other cheap options. We’re confident that you’ll find a great deal on a tablet that we know isn’t going to let you down with these buying tips.
Should you buy a cheap Android tablet on Prime Day?
The answer to this question isn’t a simple yes or no; there is some nuance required in order to get the full picture. This is mainly due to there being such a wide range of Android tablets on the market. Searching for a new tablet at a site like Amazon will generally pull up thousands of options ranging in size, performance, and display quality, and it’s no longer enough to judge a product by its price.
Thebest affordable Android tabletsthat are actually worth your time are displayed alongside other cheap tablets that often aren’t even worth their bargain pricing, which can be confusing for just about any shopper. This problem is compounded during Prime Day when prices are constantly moving back and forth between sale and regular pricing. Our team spends countless hours keeping tabs on the best deals around, and even then a few good ones can slip through the cracks.
For the average shopper who has limited time to browse, picking up the tablet with the biggest discount might seem like a good enough idea. However, this can often result in a quick trip back to the store for a warranty claim or full replacement when the cheap tablet you purchased doesn’t live up to expectations. Shopping for recognized and reliable brands, finding the right specs for your needs, and confirming that the deal price actually a good deal should ensure that you’re happy with your purchase.
Here are some standout Prime Day budget tablet deals to get you started. All picks listed below cost about or less than $100.
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
Lenovo Tab M8 (4th Gen)
Amazon Fire HD 8 (2022)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022)
Lenovo Tab M9
Amazon Fire 7 (2022)
Stick with reliable brands
Doing a quick search in Google for Android tablets brings a mix of branded and off-brand devices with a wide cost range. There are tablets that start as low as about $25, but it quickly becomes clear that these cheap tablets have major issues that hurt the overall product rating.
That’s not to say there aren’t some exceptions; you might find a highly rated Android tablet that’s always available at a rock-bottom price, and in that case you might get away with a clean purchase outside any sales events. In most cases, however, you’ll want to search out a great deal on an established brand. These tablets are more likely to have professional reviews available for reading or viewing, and they generally come with much better support and warranty coverage.
Our collection of thebest Android tabletsis a great place to keep tabs on the best tablet brands available now. Major tablet manufacturers like Samsung, Lenovo, OnePlus, Google, and Amazon (with its Fire tablets) are all generally solid options when shopping. While they generally come at a higher price than off-brand models, these tablets are also prime candidates for deal pricing when sales events roll around.
Many of the same recognized brands appear in our collection of thebest cheap Android tablets, joined by other options from TCL and Xiaomi. Within these brands there are many options, and you’ll still want to be sure that you’re getting the right specs and the right price.
Here are some tablets from major brands that cost a bit more but are still on sale for a great price during day two of Prime Day.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022
Apple iPad (2021)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
Lenovo Tab P11 Plus
Find the perfect specs for your needs
Buying the first tablet you see on sale during Prime Day might be tempting, but it’s always important to shop around and ensure that you’re getting the right specifications for your needs. Key indices include screen size and resolution, performance hardware, ports, durability, and product age. You don’t want to buy an older model when newer models are only a few dollars more, and you want to be sure the specs fit your usage scenario.
For example, if you’re buying for younger users you’ll likely want a smaller tablet that’s easier to hold, as well as something that can withstand being dropped once or twice without taking damage. Our picks for thebest tablets for kidscan accommodate those needs, with Amazon’s Fire tablets at the forefront.
If you’re instead buying for an adult, you’ll want to balance screen size and portability while keeping performance in mind. Just want to read the news and check email? You don’t need anything particularly powerful. Want to watch TV and movies on your tablet? Be sure you get a larger display with a high resolution. And if you’re focused on tablet gaming, something with enough power to run your favorite games smoothly should be a priority.
Prime Day has traditionally been a great time to shop for an Amazon Fire tablet. Amazon loves discounting its own products, and we’ve seen some unbelievable pricing in Prime Days gone by. The Fire lineup has a bunch of different models with varying screen sizes and performance hardware, and there are even options designed specifically for kids. Looking at our picks for thebest Amazon Fire tabletsavailable now, there are at least six quality options from which you can choose. They range in price from about $60 to about $180, but Prime Day has drastically reduced these tags.
Amazon Fire Max 11
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids
The same goes for thebest Samsung tabletsout there right now. These should be considered the best of the best, and their pricing matches the high-end construction, high-res displays, and speedy performance hardware. There are plenty of budget models also available, but finding a great deal on an expensive tablet might be too tempting to pass up.
Confirm you’re getting a good deal
Whether you’re buying a cheap tablet or an expensive tablet on Prime Day, it’s always important to check pricing history (when available) to ensure that the price you’re seeing is actually a good deal. A lot of times we’ll see regular prices go up in the weeks or days before Prime Day, which in turn makes any deal pricing look that much juicier. This is a common problem, but at least when shopping at Amazon there are tools that can fight back against the inflationary tactics.
CamelCamelCamelis a website that we all use to check Amazon’s pricing history. It’s a useful tool even outside of sales events like Prime Day, as it can show Amazon’s pricing history alongside third-party new and used pricing. It won’t, however, compare prices against other websites, making it important to shop around and keep an eye on our roundup of thebest Prime Day tablet deals.
As an example, we can look at Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet, which has a 10.1-inch 1080p display, 32GB of storage, and an octa-core CPU paired up with 3GB of RAM. It’s regularly priced at about $150, but we can see with CamelCamelCamel that it has dropped in the past to as low at $75 at Amazon. You now know that the $75 price is as good as it gets, and you should try to match or best the price during Prime Day. This same tactic can be applied to any product that Amazon sells, giving you a much better idea of what to expect when getting a great Prime Day deal.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime has long since evolved from the days when it merely offered free two-day shipping and a burgeoning library of original shows. Prime now includes a music service, one of the most robust TV show and movie streaming services on the market, unique deals for its members — like free Twitch subscriptions and exclusive Whole Foods discounts — plus access to exclusive deals, especially on Amazon’s unofficial-official holidays, like the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days.
