These cheap tablets, including the iPad 11th Gen, Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, and Lenovo Idea Tab, offer top value under $500 in 2025.
If you’re looking for a tablet in 2025, it’s easy to overpay. Apple is out here shoving the same chips into the iPad Pro that it uses for the MacBook Pro, which is a great excuse to charge MacBook prices. Not to be outdone, Samsung’s latest laptop-sized Tab S11 Ultra costs nearly as much as median rent in the largest U.S. cities. That’s great if you’re looking to replace your laptop with Samsung DeX, as I did last year, but many people don’t want a tablet to be their computer. The vast majority need something suitable for watching videos, reading, or checking a few emails. For that reason, there’s always been a market for low-to mid-range tablets that get the basics done at a bargain-bin price.
I’ve been writing about the tablet market for many years and tracking it for over a decade, so I’ll be the first to admit that the pickings are slim under the $500 mark. Every manufacturer makes trade-offs, so the trick is to find those that compromise in ways you won’t notice day-to-day. If you know where to look, there are a number of attractive tablets that won’t break the bank.
I rounded up five of the best tablets you can find under $500 in late 2025. Spoiler alert: you can get a fantastic, new iPad for significantly less than that, and you can get a bare-bones Android tablet for well under $100 from one of the most well-known brands on the planet. These picks make great everyday devices and even better holiday gifts. So, here are some cheap tablets that are actually worth buying.The base model iPad 11 is a no-brainer pick in 2025
iPads are not known for being affordable, which is what makes the base model 11th-generation iPad so surprising. Its predecessor, released in 2022, was already a good deal, and the updated 2025 model only sweetens the pot by giving you more tablet for less money. Not only is the 11th-generation iPad going to be more future-proof with its A16 processor and longer update support, but it’s also much cheaper than the older model. Currently, the 128 GB model of the newest iPad retails for $350, which is double the storage for almost $30 less than the older model. Plus, it comes in a bunch of fun colors — take that, iPad Pro!
There’s no real catch to Apple’s generosity, either. The base model iPad is still an iPad, even though it doesn’t have the processing power of its more expensive siblings, the iPad Air and Pro. It does iPad things, runs iPad apps, and sports the latest iPadOS 26 update to vastly expand its multitasking capabilities. That’s why we recently called the 11th Gen iPad the best and most affordable tablet of 2025. As we noted in that article, most people will hardly notice the difference between this and an iPad Pro without putting them side-by-side. The only real downsides to this tablet are its lack of Apple Intelligence — a minor gripe, given that Apple has fallen far behind in the AI race — and the fact that, as always, Apple charges far too much for accessories. The bottom line: there is no better tablet at this price point, at least for now.Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Lite is the cheap Android tablet for most
If you prefer Android on your tablet, it’s hard to compete with Samsung, which holds the second-largest market share after Apple.
