Android

Don’t waste your money on an awful Android tablet on Black Friday

Ben Schoon | Nov 23 2023 - 10:45 am PT

Black Friday is a weekend (or a couple of weeks, at this point) of some of the year’s best deals, and that often includes phones and tablets. But if you were looking around for a cheap Android tablet on Black Friday, avoid wasting your money on a super cheap tablet that you’ll ultimately regret buying.

Part of the beauty of Android is that the OS comes on a variety of hardware. You can get a high-end, do-everything tablet, or something super affordable that’s good for just the basics. But, as with anything else, you get what you pay for, and with the cheapest of the cheap Android tablets, that often boils down to a product that’s not worth the apparent savings it brings.

With super-cheap Android tablets that are often used for Black Friday doorbusters, you’ll usually run into a few issues.

Firstly, there’s the quality of the hardware itself. When an Android tablet is dirt cheap, it’s going to feel that way. That might mean getting a display that’s dim and hard to read, or a touchscreen that’s unresponsive. And it definitely means you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to performance. A good rule of thumb to follow with a cheap Android tablet is to avoid anything that has a “resistive” touchscreen, has a screen with resolution below 1280×720, and comes from a completely unknown brand. If you don’t recognize it and can’t find reviews of it, there’s probably a good reason for that.

Second, there’s the software discussion, which is two-fold. Android is Android no matter where you find it, but super cheap devices can often be lacking. They might not have the Play Store, or might be loaded up with bloatware apps that you can’t remove and that eat up your storage. Worse, they might have security holes or malware, as we’ve seen in the past.

Lastly, there’s just the longevity of a cheap Android tablet. What you walk out of the store with is probably all you’ll ever get in terms of software, as Android updates (including crucial security updates) are likely far and few in between if they come at all. Even Walmart’s store brand of Onn tablets don’t get updates very frequently (despite the retailer’s super affordable Google TV sets being very well supported). There’s also just the fact that cheap hardware usually doesn’t age well at all, and you might end up replacing your tablet after just a few months where a higher initial investment would have lasted 2-3x as long.

So what Android tablet should I buy on Black Friday?

Luckily, there are still some good deals out there on Android tablets. Here are some of the best options where you’ll actually get some value out of your money.

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022)

A trusty option is also Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022). While it’s a couple of years old at this point, it’s easily the best value in an Android tablet for Black Friday this year.

At $199, you get a 10.4-inch display, 64GB of storage, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor, which is way stronger than almost everything else on this list. The tablet is also due to get Android 14 in the next couple of months, and there’s an S Pen included in the box.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite & Tab A8

As far a super-affordable tablets go, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab A8 are among the best options. Priced at $99 and $149 this Black Friday, these Android tablets offer bare bones, but solid overall hardware and software. You’ll get Samsung’s feature-packed flavor of Android and the promise of updates to come as well – both of these have Android 14 updates planned soon.

Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has an 8.7-inch display, 32GB of storage, and a 5,100 mAh battery. It’s a compact option great for watching movies and playing casual games on the go. Meanwhile, the Tab A8 offers a bigger 10.5-inch display with 32GB of storage and a much bigger battery.

Lenovo Tab P11 and Tab M10 Plus

Also on the super-affordable side of things is the Lenovo Tab P11 and Lenovo Tab M10 Plus. These affordable tablets offer big displays on a budget, with 11.5-inch and 10.6-inch displays respectively. The Tab P11 is the objectively better deal here, with that big display paired with 128GB of storage for $169. Meanwhile, the Tab M10 has just 32GB available at its $119 Black Friday sale price. Still, it’s hard to argue against either option at their sale prices – Best Buy even has some used models available – but the biggest thing to keep in mind is that Lenovo’s update policy isn’t nearly as strong as Samsung’s.

Lenovo Tab P11: Best Buy or Lenovo.com
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus: Best Buy or Lenovo.com

Also of note. On November 24, Lenovo.com will be offering the Tab P11 in a bundle with its keyboard and stylus accessories for $239, down from $369.

Google Pixel Tablet, Galaxy Tab S9 FE, OnePlus Pad

Finally, if you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can approach the “flagship” tier. That includes Google’s Pixel Tablet, which has a clever docking station that lets the tablet double as a smart display, as well as a great update policy that will keep updates coming for 5 years to come. Plus, it has clean and useful software, and there are some great trade-in deals.

On the other hand, there’s the workhorse option in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE series. As we discussed in a recent review, this one is all the tablet you’ll ever need, and it has plenty of accessories for productivity and fun, and Samsung is knocking the price down a bit for Black Friday.

Another great option is the OnePlus Pad, which is down to $399 for the holidays too.

Or, just get an iPad

And, to address the elephant in the room, you can’t go wrong with an iPad.

While it’s not going to integrate as well with an Android phone, Apple’s tablets have a huge selection of apps, long-term software support, and great build quality, as well as a rich ecosystem of accessories. It’s a solid option for anyone, and there are some good deals around Black Friday too, and most new models have USB-C nowadays.

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