Touchscreen smart devices have gradually become the zing thing!
No disrespect to laptops, but today, everyone wants to surf the internet or do other vital tasks with the use of their smartphones or tablets.
Isn’t it obvious?
These devices have come to make our life easy. After all, who wants to carry a 13 or 15-inch laptop around when you can slot your smartphone or tablet into your pocket or messenger bag respectively.
We can’t deny it! Tablets play their role in our lives—they are the bridge between smartphones and laptops.
The challenge is finding one that’s durable and ideal for your needs, considering a large number of tablets available in the market today. It’s even more difficult when you’re on a budget looking for the best tablet under $300.
That’s why we made this article for you—to help your decision making more straightforward and give you the best selections in the market today.
Contents
Quick Summary
Finding tablets under $300 that met our requirements was a tough task. But, we put a lot of hard work into finding the best tablets that fit the budget—under $300. In the long run, we were able to find three that met our standard.
- If you’re looking for a sleek tablet that comes with large storage capacity, slender build, and brilliant screen, then you’ll love the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
- The Asus ZenPad 10 will be an ideal choice if you want to enjoy the widescreen game experience on the go as well as streaming movies with ease.
- You can go for Samsung Galaxy Tab A if you’re looking for a Samsung tab with widescreen and a high resolution.
Who Should Get This?
When you’re shopping for portable smart devices like tablets, it’s always advisable to check for features that meet your specific needs.
If you’re always on the go, you will need a device that’s lightweight and portable to carry around. That’s where the tabs come in.
They are ideal for people that don’t want to carry their laptops—and at the same time want to do tasks their smartphones may not handle properly.
For young folks that like to do a lot of gaming on the go with a more realistic experience, the tabs come in handy for such needs.
Also, if you’re having a business meeting with some clients where you need to present some slides or portfolio, your tab can be resourceful.
However, none of the tabs listed here are suitable for you—if you plan on running heavy-duty tasks
Best Tablet Under $300: What Are the Things to Consider in 2022
Here are a few factors to consider when looking to buy a tablet under $300:
Wireless Connectivity
Wi-Fi connectivity is one of the essential features to check out before buying a tab, even though most tablets today are Wireless-ready. A handful comes with access to cellular data networks like 4G LTE. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
Display
Tablets designers are doing a great job in this area nowadays as we see most tablets coming with great screen resolutions and brighter display—which makes text and image display richer for users.
Also, we see a handful that comes with features like anti-reflective coating, which makes users see easily even in brighter light conditions.
Screen, Shape, and Size
The screen size of most tabs starts from 7 inches and gets larger to somewhere around 10 inches. Thus, a tablet can adopt the widescreen shape of a TV. It’s advisable to go for tabs with a wider screen shape. That way, you’ll enjoy your movie streaming and gaming.
Ports
A large number of tabs come with an averagely fine internal memory size. Thus, the manufacturers usually create ports that allow expansion of the memory size of a tab with a memory card. A handful of them, however, come with USB slots that read USB thumb drives.
Printing
It’s not so common to see someone using their tabs to print out documents. But some manufacturers designed their tabs with pre-installed apps that support printing, especially for Android tablets.
Operating System
When it comes to tablets, Android and Apple dominate the market the most. Of course, we see a handful of window tablets—promoting the Microsoft Surface Line.
If you’re shopping for tabs, look for an OS that is more compatible with more Apps. Also, check if it’s easy to upgrade the tab’s OS.
Best Tablet Under $300: Our Picks for 2022
Here are our top picks for tabs under $300:
1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
If you’re looking for a tab that comes with similar features as the iPad Air 2, you can go for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, which is a far cheaper option.
The tab is super lightweight and slim. Plus, it’s great for consuming and running fast media.
But that’s not all!
It comes with a lovely fingerprint scanner that works fast. Plus, it has a fantastic AMOLED screen with 2,046 x 1,536 pixels, which gives you the power to enjoy clear and crisp videos.
Moreover, it has a stellar 13 hours extended battery life that comes in handy for those that do a lot of traveling. And it has a slot for installing an external micro SD card—which allows you to store up to 256GB as much.
Without a doubt, this Galaxy Tab S2 gives the iPad Mini a good run for the money.
What We Like:
- The screen is bright and colorful
- The amazing battery life of 13 hours
- Rail-thin design
- Expandable memory and 32GB internal storage
What We Don’t Like:
- No IR blaster
2. Asus ZenPad 10
You may want to give this Asus ZenPad 10 a try if you can’t break the bank to buy a tab as expensive as the iPad Air 2. This tab is great for playing games and watching videos with double the memory storage of the entry-level iPad Air 2. With that, you can download more games and movies without worrying about space.
But there’s more.
It comes with an expansion slot to increase the number of videos and games you decide to download, coupled with its sharp HD screen. You’ll enjoy holding this tab for a long while as you watch your movies or play games because of its compact and sleek feel.
The Zen Pad may not make the first choice of Asus, but one thing is sure! It’s a great bang for your buck.
What We Like:
- Great battery life
- The build is sleek and compact
- HD Screen is large and sharp
- Charges fast with USB-C
What We Don’t Like:
- Prone to block speakers on the edge while holding it
3. Samsung Galaxy Tab A
This Samsung Galaxy Tab A is a 10-inch mid-range tablet released by Samsung to compete with Apple’s iPad. How? The tab comes with a larger 10-inch screen and a high resolution of 1920×1200 when compared to the 9.7-inch iPad screen.
But that’s not all!
Samsung invested in the processor of this tab, so we see the tab having a 1.8GHz 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, which is relatively large. Plus, it comes with a 32GB internal memory and a micro SD slot that can allow up to 400GB.
The sound of this device is superb as it comes with a Dolby Atmos support as well as its four speakers—evenly distributed on both sides.
What We Like:
- Full HD widescreen
- 32GB memory and expandable 400GB
- Great sound system
- Decent touchscreen
What We Don’t Like:
- The battery doesn’t last as long
FAQs
Should I concern myself with portability when it comes to tablets?
Yes, you should. Getting a tablet with 10 inches or smaller means it will weight lower. And the smaller the tablet size, the longer the battery life of about 15 hours or even more.
Does size have anything to do with price?
Yes, it does. For somewhere around $200 or less, you can get a decent 7 – 8 inches tablet. But tablets with larger sizes are usually more expensive. It’s rare to find a 10-inches tab going for anything under $300—that doesn’t mean you won’t find one. An excellent instance is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A.
What kind of games can I play with my under $300 tablet?
With a tablet under $300, you can play casual games, like 2048, Hearthstone, or Angry Birds. However, there are few tabs under $300 like the Asus ZenPad 10 that can handle high-end games.
Majorly, you’ll have to get high-end tabs that can play more high-demanding games, like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition or Monster Hunter. And such tabs cost a fortune.
In essence, you’ll need a tab with ample storage space and a powerful processor to handle those heavy-duty games.
Closing Words
In the end, all three tablets we listed in this article have their pros and cons. Plus, they are great laptops that won’t break your bank.
All you need to do is to take time to go through our comprehensive buyer’s guide again. That way, you’d be able to choose from our top picks for the best tablet under $300.
Are you still finding it tough to make a decision? Or do you have other favorites that you think should be on this list? Buzz up! We want to see your comments below.
