Top 8 Best Tablets Under $500 | 2026 Edition

We have compiled a list of the best tablets priced under $500 with Android and iPadOS. These tablets come equipped with powerful hardware, high-quality displays, and excellent software and workmanship, proving that you don’t have to break the bank to get a top-quality tablet.

Regardless of whether you value the strongest possible performance or a large display is your top priority – you will find what you are looking for in our list of best devices. Nowadays, you don’t need to spend $1000 to get a high-quality tablet with good performance and a nice screen. The best part is that many mid-range tablets come with pen and keyboard support. In our review, we also provide details on how good the accessories are.

Top Tablets Under $500: An Overview

Here are our top tablet recommendations under $500.

• Best performance tablet under $500: Apple iPad Air M3 (on Amazon*). The iPad Air has great performance, supports professional apps and has good accessories.
• Best value under $500: Apple iPad 11’’ 2025 (on Amazon*). The default iPad is the best deal for most people. 
• Best tablet with a stylus under $500: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE (on Amazon*). The Tab S10 FE has a good display, build and comes with Samsung’s S-Pen. 
• Best 13’’ stylus tablet under $500: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (on Amazon*). It’s the same as the S10 FE, just bigger at 13’’. 
• Best 8’’ tablet under $500: Apple iPad Mini 2024 (on Amazon*). Our top pick for a mini tablet.
• Best iPad Mini alternative for gamers under $500: Lenovo Legion Pad Gen 3 (on Amazon*). Better gaming performance and display than the iPad Mini, shorter support and worse stylus.
• Best gaming tablet under $500: Lenovo Yoga Tab 2025 (on Amazon*). The Yoga tab has great performance and a fast display. It’s a good alternative to the S10FE. 
• Best S10FE+ alternative under $500: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (on Amazon*). This tablet is bigger and better than the Yoga tab, and is a good choice instead of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+. 

Best Tablets Under $500: All Details

Let’s look at these tablets in more detail. You’ll find videos for all of them embedded below and links to our detailed reviews.

Best Performance Tablet Under $500: Apple iPad Air M3

Apple’s iPad Air is your best bet if your work requires incredible performance, colour accuracy or if you just want the best stylus tablet and are willing to spend more on an Apple Pencil Pro.

With Apple’s M3 chip and 8GB of RAM, there’s no Android tablet that even comes close to the iPad Air’s performance around this price point. But that’s not without its sacrifices. The iPad Air’s display is IPS, and only 60HZ. That means animations won’t look as smooth as on the iPad Pro or the other Android tablets on this list. And accessories are incredibly expensive if you buy them new. 

That’s not to say that the display of the iPad Air is bad. In fact, Apple’s displays are famously well calibrated and have super accurate colour representation. It’s the best choice for designers and artists for that reason. Still, it’s rather dim at 500 nits. 

Apple’s storage options are overpriced, and the Air only comes with a base of 128GB storage. If you’re video editing on this device, that’s going to fill up incredibly fast. There’s also no expandable storage via MicroSD. 

The new iOS26 update brings excellent mac-like workstation features to the table. You can split your screen however you want, every app has an easily accessible top bar for fine control and there’s now a preview app for marking up PDFs and opening downloaded photos or videos. We think that Apple has the best “desktop” experience on a tablet right now despite there still being some bugs that need to be ironed out with the software. But make sure to budget for a magic keyboard with a trackpad for the best possible experience in desktop mode. 

Ultimately, if you don’t need the performance and software on offer, the other tablets on this list might be a better suit. 

Best Tablet Deal For Under $500: Apple iPad 11’’

If you want to stay within the Apple ecosystem and save yourself some money, you can grab the iPad 11’’. It’s Apple’s cheapest tablet but still brings you nearly all the features that the iPad Air does.

The display is pretty much identical to the Air, and this iPad’s performance is still great. Games can be run at their max settings with no trouble, and even heavier tasks like video and photo editing are a breeze. You even have more colour options to choose from. For most buyers, there’s little reason to overspend on the iPad Air. 

Specs wise you’re getting Apple’s A16 chip and 6GB of RAM, along with a base of 128GB of storage. That can be upgraded all the way to 512GB, though it will cost you a fortune.

The one significant downside is that the iPad’s display isn’t fully laminated, meaning there’s a visible air gap between the stylus and screen when drawing or writing. It’s not a big problem for taking notes for school, but might be for serious artists.

Best Tablet With a Stylus for Under $500: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE/FE+

Samsung’s S series tablets all come with the excellent S-Pen included, making them much better value if you need something with a stylus. 

The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and FE+ are the cheaper siblings to Samsung’s premium S10 lineup. They have an LCD display instead of an OLED, so colours and contrast aren’t as good. Their performance is also significantly weaker since they use older Exynos chips instead of flagship Mediatek chips. But don’t be mistaken; these tablets are perfectly capable of running most games and are great for multitasking. 

The only difference between the S10 FE and the FE+ are the sizes. The S10FE has a 10.9’’ display while the FE+ has a massive 13.1’’ one. The price difference is only $50, so it’s really a matter of preference. We tested both models and found them excellent for work and with a stylus. The keyboard cover is pricey but high-quality, and the S-Pen works just as well on these tablets as on the far more expensive Tab S11 Ultra.

Storage starts at 128GB and RAM at 8GB but there’s a 256GB plus 12GB model too. There’s a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion and there’s also a SIM slot for cellular connection if you buy the 5G version. 

Best 8’’ Tablet under $500: Apple iPad Mini 2024

There’s only a few higher end tablets under 9’’, and the Apple iPad Mini is the easiest to recommend by far. This tablet packs a 8.3’’ display, the powerful A17 Pro processor and supports the Apple Pencil Pro for drawing and notetaking. 

There are a couple downsides. The iPad Mini is already a year old, but still costs nearly $500. Its display is only 60HZ, so it’s not the smoothest, and the screen bezels are quite large. The tablet can also look a bit dim outdoors since the peak brightness is just 500 nits.

Storage starts at 128GB and RAM at 8GB, but the storage can be configured with up to 512GB. A 5G model also exists for cellular connectivity on the go. As an E-reader or notetaking tablet, the iPad Mini is perfect. But be prepared to pay extra for the Apple Pencil Pro or the Apple Stylus. Gaming performance is also excellent. 

Best iPad Mini Alternative for Gamers Under $500: Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3

Lenovo’s Legion Tab Gen 3 is the opposite of the iPad Mini. It’s marketed at gamers thanks to its high-performing Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, but of course you can also use it for other things if you don’t play videogames. 

The Legion has a larger 8.8’’ display than the iPad Mini, mostly thanks to thinner bezels. It gets up to 144HZ refresh rate, so scrolling or gaming will feel much smoother. The battery life is also much better than the iPad mini. Its speakers are impressive for the small size and in general there’s no real weakness with the hardware. And of course, gaming is the highlight here. You can run any Android game on the highest possible quality settings thanks to the powerful chipset, the display is nice, bright and smooth and the stereo speakers help with immersion. 

Why we can’t recommend it over the iPad Mini for everyone is because of the weak pen performance and the short software support. Security updates will end in 2029, which means apps will lose support and vulnerabilities won’t be fixed. Lenovo’s official stylus for the Legion Tab is also not the best out there, and we find the writing experience on the iPad Mini far superior.

Overall, at about the same price, we think the Legion Tab is a good pick over the iPad Mini if you want great battery life and a smoother display, and don’t mind the shorter software support policy. 

Best Galaxy Tab S10FE and S10 FE+ Alternatives Under $500: Lenovo Yoga Tab and Yoga Tab Plus

The Lenovo Yoga Tab and Yoga Tab Plus are solid alternatives to Samsung’s midrange tablet lineup. These tables bring a bright and fast LCD display and more importantly a far faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset to the table. 

Just like the Samsung tablets, the Yoga Tab is 11,1’’ while the Yoga Tab Plus is bigger at 12.7’’. The Yoga Tab comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The Yoga Tab Plus steps it up to a base of 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, with an option for 512GB storage as well. 

We find the keyboard cover for these tablets on-par, if not slightly better than Samsung’s offerings, and they’re also cheaper at under $100. These also come with a Lenovo active stylus that works pretty well. It’s not as comfortable as Samsung’s S-Pen, and it’s a shame that they can’t use the Samsung Notes app.

The only big tradeoff that makes the Yoga Tablets harder to recommend is their 4 year support period. The Yoga Tab Plus is only expected to receive updates until Android 17, and the Yoga Tab until Android 18. That’s usable, but a lot less than what Samsung is offering. That’s also why we find it hard to recommend these tablets by default instead of the Samsung S10FE series. 

Still, if you’re looking for a tablet with a good pen and keyboard, great gaming performance and don’t mind the shorter support, we think that you’ll be happy with the Lenovo Yoga tabs. These are also great if you like what the iPad Air offers but just want a smoother display.

Which tablet under $500 is best for you?

So those are the best tablets under $500. To recap, the iPad Air and iPad 11’’ are good picks in general. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10FE and FE+ are great if you want a stylus tablet. The iPad Mini is the best 8’’ tablet and the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 is a good iPad Mini alternative, especially for gamers. 

Lenovo’s Yoga Tab and Yoga Tab plus are excellent alternatives to the Samsung FE tablets if you don’t mind shorter software support.  

If you’re still on the lookout for a premium tablet, make sure to check out our Best Android Tablets. There are some really interesting and outstanding tablets that didn’t make it into this best-of list.