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In this review:
  1. Cheap Tablets
  2. Tablet Reviews
  3. Cheap Android Tablets
  4. Tablet Memory, Tablet Cameras
  5. Tablet Deals
  6. Discount Cheap Tablets Features Comparison Table
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Tablets Performance

Tablet reviews indicate that two elements in particular separate a good tablet from a mediocre one: the screen and the processing speed. A high-quality screen is essential because it doubles as the device's interface.

You use your fingers or a stylus to operate a tablet, rather than a keyboard and mouse. Of course, the screen should also look good. Most tablets have high-definition screens, so in general videos and photos look crisp and clear on a tablet. A tablet's processing power is also critical, according to tablet reviews. The CPU does more to determine a tablet's performance than any other single component. Apps should open quickly and run smoothly. When you use finger gestures to zoom in on a photo or swipe to a new page, there should be little, if any, lag. The results should be immediate.

Tablet Processor.

We found many budget tablets that run on the excellent Nvidia Tegra 2 chip, with an integrated 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU. This processor has garnered a lot of recognition and praise in tablet reviews from experts and users for its smooth, speedy performance. We also found plenty of cheaper tablets that use slower CPUs. For example, the Archos 70 tablet (starting at $200, Amazon) runs on an ARM Cortex A8 CPU. The Coby Kyros MID7015 (starting at $135, Amazon) uses an 800 MHz Telechips CPU and the E Fun Nextbook Next3 (starting at $160, Amazon) uses an even slower Texas Instruments chip, an ARM model that runs at only 600 MHz.

Although less powerful tablet processors tend to carry lower price tags, it's clear from tablet reviews that dual-core CPUs smoke the competition in terms of raw speed. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 (starting at $380, Amazon) and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (starting at $380, Amazon) both use the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, and reviewers rave about the speed of these devices. The Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet (starting at $249, Amazon) and Amazon Kindle Fire (starting at $200, Amazon) both use 1 GHz dual-core CPUs as well. The Nook Tablet earns the approval of Gizmodo for its zippiness, thanks to that dual-core CPU. However, expert reviewers at The New York Times and Gizmodo have found that the Kindle Fire sometimes lags despite its speedy CPU. Tablet reviews don't have much to say about the speed of the Coby Kyros or NextBook Next3 tablets.

Review continues below

Tablet Touchscreen.

There are two types of tablet touchscreens, capacitive and resistive, and it's important to know the difference. Capacitive touchscreens are popular on smartphones nowadays and are found on several cheap tablet PCs, including the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Acer Iconia Tab A500, Kindle Fire, and Nook Tablet. One big advantage of capacitive touchscreens is that they respond better to finger taps than resistive touchscreens. Also, capacitive touchscreens support multi-gesture input. For example, you can "pinch" the screen to reduce the size of a photo. The advantage of a resistive touchscreen is that you can use anything to manipulate it: your bare fingers, a stylus, a gloved hand, your fingernail -- whatever you'd like. Resistive screens have been around longer, but it seems clear that capacitive screens are the tablet technology of the present and future. Expert reviewers certainly prefer capacitive tablet touchscreens to resistive ones.

Of course, there's more to a screen than its sensitivity to touch. It has to display graphics and images as well. Reviewers seem to find that most tablets exhibit photos and video with vibrant colors in addition to having responsive touchscreens. The screen on the Nook Tablet impresses several reviewers with its excellent quality. An expert at PCWorld calls the Nook Tablet touchscreen dazzling, and Gizmodo notes that the screen correctly registers touches. CNET editors say the Amazon Kindle Fire has an exceptional screen and especially excels at playing videos. However, some users posting tablet reviews at Amazon have complained that the touchscreen can be hard to use, especially for those with larger fingers. Users say the screen doesn’t always register touches and the software keyboard is awkward to use.

Experts and users alike are unimpressed with the resistive touchscreens on the Coby Kyros and Nextbook Next3. Although a handful of users and experts find the quality of the displays acceptable, according to tablet reviews, the majority dislike the resistive touchscreen technology because it simply isn't sensitive enough.

Review continues below
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Best Cheap Tablets

Amazon Kindle Fire
Gold Medal

Amazon Kindle Fire

 The Kindle Fire may not quite be the iPad killer some people were hoping for, but it has a great chance to redefine the tablet market, because it's super affordable and still delivers most of what users hope to find in a tablet. Its performance is solid, apart from occasional hiccups, but its real strength is the ease with which users can access and enjoy Amazon's vast content library. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals
Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet
Gold Medal

Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet

 The Nook Tablet is the Kindle Fire's closest competition in terms of price and ability. Its Android operating system is heavily customized to tightly integrate with Barnes & Noble's online services, including apps, so it has a bit of a different look and feel than other Android devices. Reviewers praise its overall performance and responsive, fantastic-looking touchscreen. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals

Good Cheap Tablets

Asus Eee Pad Transformer
Gold Medal

Asus Eee Pad Transformer

 TF101
The hardware on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 is about as good as it gets on an Android-based budget tablet. This model uses Google's Android 3.2 operating system and a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. It also has a large, 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen that impresses reviewers. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals
Acer Iconia Tab
Gold Medal

Acer Iconia Tab

 A500
This Acer Iconia tablet is a solid Android 3.0 model with a large, 10.1-inch screen, a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, an HDMI port, and Bluetooth support. Some reviewers note that it's a bit heavy compared with other tablets. Read more »
Cheap Tablets Deals
 
 
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Think Twice Cheap Tablets

Coby Kyros MID7015

The Kyros MID7015 has a shockingly low price, but that isn't enough to win the favor of user and expert reviewers. The biggest weakness of the Kyros is its resistive touchscreen, which requires a fingernail or stylus to use. Reviewers also note that the image quality isn't very good and the battery life is sub-par. This tablet also runs an older Android 2.1 operating system. Read more »

Nextbook Next3

Reviewers don't seem to have found the fun in the E Fun Nextbook Next3. It's a bargain-priced tablet with bargain-priced hardware. It uses a resistive touchscreen rather than the preferable capacitive screen and it doesn't support as much memory as other tablets. It also runs Android 2.1, an outdated version of the operating system. Read more »

 
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