Lenovo Tab M10 TB-X605L 16Gb LTE

This tablet has been on sale for several years now, but it still looks good among its competitors due to its price and not average specifications. The large ten-inch model received, although not bright, a high-quality IPS display, the resolution of which is FullHD. The Snapdragon 450 chip, of course, can hardly be called productive by today’s standards. In fact, this is the 625 from 2016 with an underclocked frequency. But he can handle even simple toys, because the manufacturer even released an update to Android 9. Of course, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage is very little, but the latter can at least be expanded with a memory card. But there is also a Type C, 3.5 mm audio jack. In short, a good option for a user who is looking for a bedside device to watch YouTube or scroll through social networks on a large screen.

 

HUAWEI MatePad T 8.0 32Gb LTE

The development of the line of budget eight-inch tablets from Huawei is going quite strangely. Or rather, this is not even development, but some kind of regression. The current 2021 MatePad T 8.0 model runs with the same resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, and it uses MediaTek MT8768 as a processor (although its predecessor had Snapdragon). But the price remains at the same level, despite fluctuations in the exchange rate of the national currency. There is only 2 GB of RAM, but the EMUI shell, based on Android 10, is very responsive. Of course, in games and resource-intensive tasks the tablet begins to slow down. There is 32 GB of memory, but there is also a slot for a memory card. The tablet can work in a mobile network and also has a GPS chip. There is one specific problem with Huawei products – the MatePad T 8.0 does not work with Google services, so you will have to install the YouTube client using workarounds.

Lenovo Tab M8 TB-8505F 32Gb

A model from Lenovo very similar to the previous tablet with an 8-inch screen. The resolution is the same 1280 x 800 pixels, so it’s better not to look at the fonts. The MTK A22 processor is very similar to the solution used in Huawei, although, formally, the chipset was released a year earlier. There is no support for working in mobile networks, but there is full-fledged GPS navigation. There is not much performance here with 2 GB of RAM, but if the user is undemanding, then you can live with it. In addition, there are Google services here, unlike Huawei.

Apple iPad (2019) 32Gb Wi-Fi

The most expensive tablet from our rating, which costs well over 20 thousand rubles. But there are reasons to include it in the top. Firstly, this is the most inexpensive modern tablet from Apple. Secondly, this is perhaps the most inexpensive mobile device from the Apple company. Finally, this is a really high-quality gadget that you want to use. It uses the still current Apple A10 processor, an excellent IPS screen with a resolution of 2160 x 1620 pixels and support for the Apple Pencil stylus.

Irbis TZ197

A tablet from the category “I wouldn’t mind giving it to a child.” At a price of about 10 thousand rubles (and you can find it cheaper), Irbis TZ197 looks like a good deal. There’s a metal body, an IPS matrix (though with HD resolution, but the hardware couldn’t handle more), and work with 4G. You have to pay for this with very modest performance of the MediaTek MT8735 chip, not very recent Android 8.1 and modest autonomy with a 5000 mAh battery. There are only 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory – which will only worsen the thoughtfulness of the system. But, as an option, in a car or to be torn to pieces by a child – why not?

ECS TF10EA 4Gb 64Gb

This device belongs to an almost extinct class of tablets based on Intel chipsets and capable of running both Android and Windows 10. Specifically, the ECS TF10EA even looks intriguing – it has a waterproof case. But you need to take into account the disadvantages inherent in all dual-system Intel tablets – the OS (especially Windows) is severely lacking in memory (even 64 GB), battery life is significantly lower than traditional analogues. In the mode of working with Windows, which still cannot scale the interface to a normal scale, you will suffer without a mouse. But the ECS TF10EA can replace a computer in office work. By the way, there is also GPS here.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 SM-T290 32Gb

An inexpensive eight-inch tablet from Samsung, which, suddenly, runs on a Snapdragon 429 processor. This is a rather modest chip in terms of performance, but it works more stable than its counterparts from MTK. Otherwise, this is a fairly typical device – 2/32 GB of RAM and storage, screen resolution 1280 x 800 pixels, GPS. The tablet is charged using a microUSB connector, and the battery capacity is 5100 mAh.

How to choose an inexpensive tablet

Buying a top-end tablet is often easier than choosing a budget device. Evgeniy Aliev, a computer equipment salesman, will talk with Komsomolskaya Pravda about how to choose such a gadget .

Screen

The most important (and expensive) element in a tablet is the screen. Ten-inch models, even with the same resolution, will cost more than eight-inch models. The latter are losing popularity, because many modern smartphones are already approaching 7 inches, and users vote with their wallets for a universal device. Inexpensive tablets still use faded screens with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. And if at 8 inches it is still tolerable, then at 10 inches with such a density of dots it becomes torture.

Performance

Although most tablets costing up to 14-15 thousand rubles are offered with 2 GB of RAM, I categorically do not recommend buying this in 2021. Even your browser will constantly lag, but there’s no need to talk about full-fledged work. Therefore, it is better to save up and look at models with 3 or 4 GB of RAM.

The processors used are also modest, mostly inexpensive MTK. But you will have to come to terms with this, if they already put decent “gibles” into smartphones for this money, then they save money on tablets.

Operating system and optimization

I won’t say anything new, but in 2021 you shouldn’t buy a device with Android version lower than version 9. Budget devices are most often not updated, and if the version is also old, then problems with the software are inevitable.

Finally, manufacturer optimization is important. For example, Huawei tablets, even with 2 GB of RAM, work more stable than any no-name.