I will tell you a secret: I hate having to update our best guide of cheap tablets. Not because I am against the idea of affordable technological boards, but because I feel bad for the state of the cheap tablet market in 2025.
Actually, there is only a handful of low -end tablets that are worth considering at the time of writing, and it is a challenge to recommend more than the last iPad of Apple’s entry level, which, I recognize, stretches the definition of “affordable” for most people.
I am slightly relieved, then, that Huawei has announced a renewed version of its impressive Matepad 11.5 tablet, which will arrive in the United Kingdom and Europe at the end of this month. This 11.5 -inch slate will have a 120Hz LCD screen with a 2.5K resolution, 8 GB of RAM, a considerable battery of 10,100 mAh and optional Papermatte technology, all decent specifications, if Huawei obtains the correct price.
Of course, if you live in the United States, this is useless information. Matepad 11.5 will not get a truly global launch, as well as the OnePlus pad and all Xiaomi and Honor economic tabs are limited to British, European and Asian markets.
For our friends on the other side of the pond (I am writing this from London), the cheap tablet situation is reduced to three, maybe four options. If you are willing to stretch your budget a little more, the 11 -inch iPad (2025) is, without a doubt, one of the best tablets you can buy, while Android fans should consider the Lenovo tab or the Lenovo Idea tab. For a truly affordable option, I would recommend one of Amazon’s cheap and cheerful fire tablets.
That’s all. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 never arrived in the United States, and while we, friends can Buy the Galaxy Tab A9 plus, that device released almost two years ago, which means that it is difficult to recommend in 2025. There is still no sign of the Galaxy Tab A10 series.
Similarly, the Google Pixel tablet debuted in May 2023, and we have not heard a pio on a possible second generation model (August made by Google Showcase will surely be reserved for the Pixel 10 series and Pixel Watch 4).
It is nothing new for US buyers.
There are, of course, several strategic, economic and even political factors at stake here, and I will not assess whether these factors are correct or incorrect. Rather, I am only drawing attention to a problem that I continue to find when updating our best cheap tablet guide every month: there are very few options that are worth recommending to a global audience.
Apple’s entry level iPad is an excellent device, but I would like to see Google and Samsung have another adequate crack at the lower end of the tablet market.
