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Best Cheap Tablets under $100 (2014 Update)
Can you find a good cheap tablet for under $100?
Yes! I originally wrote this article a couple of years ago, at
which time all of the cheap tablets were of questionable quality.
But now, as we approach the 2014 Christmas season, there are
tablets around the $100 price mark that are worth considering.
It's simply a good time to buy a cheap tablet because technology
has improved and older models have become discounted. Also
tablet sales are slowing this year, which means manufacturers
might have to slash prices. Tablet sales are only supposed to
increase by 11% this year, compared to a 55% increase last
year.
Often, when I use my tablet while relaxing on the couch, I
reflect on how much technology has changed. When I was a
teenager I was using a clunky Windows 95 computer with a dial
up modem. Now, super thin and speedy tablets are ubiquitous.
In a sense, the future has arrived. The high resolution touch
screens and intuitive interface make tablets easy for all ages to
enjoy.
The Kindle Fire HD 6 - Amazon's New $99 Tablet
Amazon just released an under $100 tablet. They managed to do this in part by reducing the screen size to only 6". The reviews are pretty positive, many people describing the size as convenient and pocketable.
The Fire HD 6 has a lot of power and some new features. The screen is brighter, it's 2x faster than the previous model, has front and rear-facing cameras, the ability to edit documenmts, and unlimited cloud storage.
It has a solid 4 star rating, based on over 800 customer reviews. They're a lot of fun to read, and a surprising number of reviews are from people who also own the iPad or other Android tablets, so you can get a true comparison. It's the best tablet for viewing Amazon movies and other Prime content. Plus, it's backed by Amazon's customer service, which I've found to be really good.
Dell Venue 7 16 GB Tablet (Android)
Just over $100, but may go on sale...
This tablet has the same resolution screen as the Kindle Fire 7" HD and double the amound of RAM. That means it might be faster! It also has a Micro-SD card reader, so you can add a card for more storage. The processor is an Intel® Atom processor Z2560 (up to 2.0GHz Dual-Core). All in all, this had good specifications and only costs a little over $100 currently. (Although prices tend to be volatile so it might be less by the time you read this). Just like the Asus Memopad, this one runs Android and is a good choice for Netflix and Youtube video. It has two cameras so it'll work for Skype as well.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite
I have a special place in my heart for Samsung. I know that sounds funny, but I find their Galaxy phones to be easy to use and my husband has a Samsung tablet that he also uses all of the time. One thing about Samsung is that they write their own software so their tablets have the Android operating system and then the Samsung enhancements over the top. Some people call this bloatware, but most of the time I find that their software actually offers genuine improvements to Android. In any case, their tablets consistently get high reviews and they tend to be reliable. But, you pay a price for the Samsung name, so there's no under $100 tablet yet - but this one if their lowest priced one.
Also, Samsung makes deals with other companies so you often get free trials with their phones and tablets. This one says "Enjoy hundreds of dollars of premium apps and services and 50GB Dropbox space for 2 years" Having all that Dropbox space has proven useful for myself.
Buy now or wait?
Is that your dilemma? I like to watch prices and while prices have dropped over the past year, I don't know if they will continue to drop. On one hand, there always will be new technology coming out, and older technology should probably decrease in price, but you might have to buy refurbished or used to get the savings. Refurbished is not necessarily a bad deal - it may mean that they fixed whatever problem their was - but always check the warranty policy because sometimes refurbished items have a much shorter warranty period.
Also, beware of who you are buying from. Always look at who is selling the item on Amazon and if it's not directly from Amazon, check out their feedback. Unscrupulous dealers may list used items as refurbished.
One way to look for a deal is to check out Amazon's Daily Deals page. They offer deeply discounted merchandise year-round, not just on Black Friday or Cyber Monday!
Also, remember if you wait to buy, you can not enjoy the technology you don't own! If the price drops $20 in 3 months, would you have rather waited, or had the use of the tablet during that 3 month period?
If you are buying a tablet as a gift, you are purchasing something that many other people are also likely to buy as a gift, so right before a big holiday, like Christmas, demand might spike. So I wouldn't wait until last minute to buy. If you can, buy when others aren't. There really is something to shopping early and often. It's the best way to catch a deal.
Do you have any comments of questions?
- Author
@teelover: Thanks, this page has been a challenge to keep up to date because the prices change a lot.
- Author
@aminebombom: Yes, so true. I often think back to ten years and it is amazing how much technology has advanced! In another 10 years, android might rule the world. Even in just the past few years, the tablet interface has gotten so much easier to navigate.
Great selection!!!
yah yah, under $100, great!
Nicely done...
now who would thought like back 10 years that those prices are possible.
well done my squidfriend
This is great info. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Great lens. I did not know that there are so many tablets under $100. Thanks for sharing this lens.
- Author
@GreatGazoo: I'm sure it's nice but it starts at $499.
Where would you place the new iPad Air on this list?
I put "best tablet under $100" for my search and your squidoo page came up on the first page. Very nice.
I wish we could get low-priced tablets here in South Africa - the import duty pushes up our prices.
This lens is very useful and informative. Thanks for sharing.
Great lens! Useful info. Thnx for it
Tablets at less than 100 dollar, well the author is right, I might as well save 59 dollars more and buy the amazon kindle
The Kindle Fire looks like a good buy for the price.
@anonymous: yes
If A TABLET SAYS WIFI . CAN I USE IT WITHOUT A PROVIDER AS LONG AS I HAVE A WIFI SIGNAL
nice post thanks for sharing
- Author
@anonymous: I used to link to Archos tablets (they do have several under $100) but the customer reviews aren't very good. They usually get 2-3 stars out of 5 stars.
Thanks for this post. Lots of useful info on products, most of which you can't even try out at a store because they don't carry them.
What about Archos? They were some of the first Android tablet makers, now they're almost a no name brand. Are they bad tablets or is it just poor marketing, a field that the French have always been very bad at (I'm French BTW)? Motion was also a pioneer for Windows that kind of faded out.
The funny thing is that tablet PC's and even hybrids, such as the Toshiba Portege (2003-2005?) that I am using right now, have been around for ages! And they were real computers. My Portege has a 2GHz Centrino Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 60GB HD. It runs XP Pro (tablet Ed), has a CD/DVD burner that can be replaced by a second HD, a multi flash card slot (SD, XD, Mem Stick, etc...), 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Firewire (iLink) port, a PC Card expansion slot, integrated Wifi a/b/g, WXGA out to TV or a second monitor (at over 1080p!), a fingerprint reader, auto-rotate, external volume control and adapter on/off switch, a 10" screen. I can run Avid MC, After FX and just about anything except super high-end Autodesk software like Flame, Smoke, Inferno, which actually cannot even run on any laptop at all. Battery life is great (8 hrs, fresh) and although it is about 1" thick (tablet screen + keyboard), I think it still kicks any tablet's ass on the market 10 years later, except high end ones over $500. I paid mine refurbished for about $200. Again, marketing marketing.... Nothing new here!
ncie lens, thank
Great lens. I like it!
another good lens!
Really like these tablets! Great stuff.
Great post
Awesome info! So helpful! Thanks!
A lens that's wallet friendly!
These are all so cute! This is a fantastic lens.
wow! a lot of great selections there! appreciate for sharing them!!
An excellent presentation of the best cheap Tablets with that under $100 price tag and I really like how you tell the difference between capacitive and restrictive screens, good information to know, well done!
Nice Lens thank you
Thanks for sharing.. Good Lens.. :)
- Author
@anonymous: Wireless internet via a computer network. As opposed to accessing the internet through a cell phone connection.
Wi-fi?
Thanks for the info and great lens!
nice lens didn't know the some tablets were so cheap in price.
Thanks for he great Lens, I learned a lot.
Thanks for sharing this lens too!
nice lens
High five! i like your lense .. great collection.
Nice list, thanks
I am considering getting myself a tablet (near or far future :/) but am not keen on spending a fortune, I think it is wise to go with cheaper ones (not at the cost of quality though) if you are an amateur or are just starting your venture with tablets - I reckon they offer everything an average user needs! Ebay is great for snagging great deals. Great lens. Cheers!
Can you get free songs on it?
Never realized that tablets were available for less than a hundred bucks! Thanks!
thanks for your reviews :D
- Author
@free ebooks onl: Thanks for pointing that out. I've read the same thing. That's why the first two tablets on this page are name brands. Maybe not well known name brands, but at least there is a company standing behind their product. For example, Skytex is a company based in the USA that offers technical support. The other tablets under $100 that show up from Ebay are listings generating automatically, so I can't vouch for those. From what I've read, it helps to be tech savvy when working on the no-name brand tablets, as you might run into problems... Many of these problems can be fixed if you know what you're doing, but not necessarily in all cases. So, one option to consider is buying a warranty through SquareTrade. If you buy on Ebay, you can get a discounted warranty through them. However, if you add on the cost of a warranty, then the tablet costs more, so you might want to look at other tablets that are available, including refurbished ones and ones that are name brand but deeply discounted.
Part of the word I do involves tech support, and I've heard from people time and again that off-brand tablets just don't perform as well as those from the big names. Just something to consider if you're thinking about buying a cheap one. In electronics, you often get what you pay for.
I had no idea you could get a tablet for under $100. What a bargain! I might add one of these to my Christmas wishlist!
@hotbrain: yes i have checked. but don't know use of ebay.
- Author
@webgain: Have you checked Ebay listings? Ebay has lots of different sellers and some ship worldwide.
I am looking for cheap tablet and found them here... but these are not shipped in my country.
wow, I didn't know that tablets can be so cheap.. good lens
Nice lense. I will have to look into this further.
Awesome lens! Love these tablets!
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