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Where to find the cheapest tablets
Finding a good deal on a tablet is no easy task. You want to make sure you get all the best features and performance for the right price.
Luckily, we've done the hard work for you, producing a list of the top tablets and the cheapest prices.
To keep comparisons simple, we've gone for Wi-Fi-only options, so these basic prices don't come with contracts that tie you in to any network provider.
Kindle Fire
Fancy a tablet for under £100?
Well Amazon has knocked £30 off the cost of the Kindle Fire 7” Wi-Fi 8GB tablet, bringing the price down from £129 to £99.
The move is thought to be ahead of Amazon launching a new generation of the device later this year.
For the price you only get 8GB of memory, 5.5GB of which is available for user content. Most other basic entry tablets offer at least 16GB. But you do get access to unlimited Amazon Cloud storage, if you need more.
There’s no Bluetooth or camera, but the Kindle Fire is wireless and lightweight. Compared to the iPad Mini, it’s faster, has a better pixel per inch density (169ppi compared to 163ppi) and has double the RAM.
You will be hard pressed to find a better price elsewhere; after all a 7-inch tablet for under £100 is a pretty good deal!
But there are still ways to save.
Currys for example is offering 1.5% cashback via Quidco and also has a deal for 5% off tablet computers.
Alternatively you could get a refurbished model. Amazon takes pre-owned or faulty Kindles and restores them, so they’re up to the same standard as a brand new model. A refurbished Kindle Fire comes with a one-year warranty and has exactly the same returns service as a brand-new one.
Currently Amazon is offering a £30 discount on its Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire devices, meaning you can buy one for £79. The offer ends on 15th October so you will need to get your skates on if you want to take advantage.
Google ASUS Nexus 7
The new Google ASUS Nexus 7 16GB (2013) was only released last month and has an RRP of £199.
For a seven-inch tablet it packs a pretty big punch. It features an HD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and the 323 pixels per inch means it’s got a better display than any tablet out there including the iPad 4. With a 1.5GHz processor and 2GB RAM it’s a pretty powerful piece of kit for under £200.
Since it’s fairly new, discounts aren’t readily available for this little gem. The cheapest I could find was £196 on Amazon, a saving of just £3.00.
As I mentioned before Currys is offering 5% off tablets and you can get 1.5% cashback via Quidco. With the code TABL5 you could save £10 off the cost of the new Nexus 7 bringing the price down to £189.99.
iPad Mini
Apple waded into the seven-inch tablet world with the launch of the iPad Mini in October last year.
It costs from £269 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model. For your money you essentially get a mini iPad 4, with 10 hours battery life, Bluetooth and a 5MP camera, but with less RAM and a slower processor.
It’s hard to find discounts on Apple products, but they do exist.
Amazon for example is selling the iPad Mini for £251.80 (saving £17.20).
But for bigger savings you could try the Apple Certified Refurbished store. Here you can find Apple products that have been restored to Apple’s high standards and are backed up with a one-year warranty.
Currently you can get a refurbished iPad Mini 16GB for £229, a saving of £40 or 14% on the RRP.
However, it’s been nearly a year since the iPad Mini launched and rumours are circulating that the iPad Mini 2 is coming soon. So it might be worth holding back for a few months to get a discount on the older version.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3
Samsung has a confusing array of tablets (and even phablets) to choose from.
But the latest in the tablet range is the Galaxy Tab 3, which comes with the choice of a seven-inch, eight-inch or 10.1-inch device.
The eight-inch is the closest challenger to the iPad Mini. It costs £279 but for £10 more you get a faster device, better display, better camera and the ability to increase the memory up to 64GB.
Pixmania is offering the device for £272 with free delivery, a saving of £7. Or you can try Currys to get 5% off using the code TABL5, giving you a £14 saving. And get 1.5% cashback to boot by shopping via Quidco.
iPad 4 with Retina Display
The iPad with Retina Display was launched in October 2012 along with the iPad Mini, just sixth months after the iPad 3.
It’s one of the most expensive nine-inch plus tablets around, with a price tag of £399 for a starter 16GB Wi-Fi model.
For the money you get a 9.7-inch display with a 264 pixel per inch density, up to 10 hours of battery life, a super-fast 1.6GHz processor, Bluetooth as well as wireless connectivity and a HD 5MP camera.
Amazon is selling the iPad 4 for £364 (saving £35).
But again for bigger savings you could try the Apple Certified Refurbished store. You can get a refurbished iPad 4 16GB for £339, which is 15% or £60 off the normal price.
The iPad 4, like the iPad Mini, is due a reboot so it might pay to hold off buying one now and wait for the iPad 5 to launch to get a better deal on the older generation.
Google Samsung Nexus 10
It’s rumoured that ASUS will be making the next generation of the Nexus 10 rather than Samsung.
But for now the Google Samsung Nexus 10 is available on Google Play for £319, a lot cheaper than the equivalent iPad 4 with Retina Display.
Like the ASUS Nexus 7, this tablet gives the iPad 4 a bit of competition. It’s lighter, faster and cheaper.
And there are plenty of good deals on the Nexus 10, which mean you don’t have to shell out the full RRP.
Value Basket, for example, is selling the Nexus 10 for £274.99 with free shipping, a saving of £44.01.
Microsoft Surface RT
The Microsoft Surface RT is a hybrid machine. You can choose to use it as a tablet or convert it into a laptop with a click-in keyboard.
As the Microsoft Surface 2 is ready to launch later this month, the original version has been slashed in price. At launch the 32GB tablet went for £399, but now you can get it for £279 at the Microsoft Store, saving £120 on the original cost. That makes it significantly cheaper than its rival, the iPad 4.
For the price you get 32GB of memory (16GB is usable), up to eight hours battery life, HD 720P camera both front and back, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity.
I wasn’t able to find a better price, but using the Currys 5% discount offer you can save £13.95, bringing the cost of the tablet down to £265.05. And if you shop via Quidco you can get 1.5% cashback at the moment.
Sony Xperia Tablet Z
Launched in March 2013, the Xperia Tablet Z has received rave reviews as Sony's best tablet by far.
Priced at £399, the Xperia Z goes directly up against the iPad 4.
For the money you get a durable device that is water- and dust-proof, has high-quality graphics, fast processing, up to 10 hours battery life and a powerful front and rear camera.
You can get 5% off if you purchase the Xperia Z from Currys using the code TABL5, saving £20 off the RRP. And again if you shop via Quidco you can get 1.5% cashback.
Comparing tablets
Here’s a basic summary of the main specifications and prices of the models discussed. These are top tablets right now, but there are lots of tablets you can review before making a choice so make sure you do your homework before picking.
Specifications | Kindle Fire | Google ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) | iPad Mini | Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8 | Microsoft Surface RT | Google Samsung Nexus 10 | iPad 4 | Sony Xperia Z |
RRP | £99 | £199 | £269 | £279 | £279 | £319 | £399 | £399 |
Hard Drive Capacity | 8GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB (expandable up to 64GB) | 32GB | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB (expandable up to 32GB) |
Screen size | 7 inches | 7 inches | 7.9 inches | 8 inches | 10.6 inches | 10 inches | 9.7 inches | 10.1 inches |
Weight | 400g | 300g | 308g | 314g | 676g | 603g | 625g | 495g |
Operating system | Android 4.0 | Android 4.3 | iOS 6 | Android 4.2 | Windows RT | Android 4.2 | iOS 6 | Android 4.1 |
Battery life | Up to 9 hours | Up to 9 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 8 hours | Up to 9 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
RAM | 1GB | 2GB | 512MB | 1.5GB | 2GB | 2GB | 1GB | 2GB |
Pixels per inch | 169 | 323 | 163 | 189 | 299 | 300 | 264 | 224 |
Resolution | 1024 x 600 | 1920 x 1220 | 1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1366 x768 | 2560 x 1600 | 2048 x 1536 | 1920 x 1200 |
Processor | 1.2 GHz | 1.5GHz | 1.0GHz | 1.5GHz | 1.4GHz | 1.7GHz | 1.6GHz | 1.5GHz |
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth |
Camera | None | Front: 1.2 MP Back: 5MP | Front: 1.2 MP Back: 5MP | Front: 1.3MP Back: 5MP | Front: 720P Back: 720P | Front: 1.9MP Back: 5MP | Front: 1.2 MP Back: 5MP | Front: 2MP Back: 8MP |
Tips on bagging the cheapest deal
When you look for a tablet, make sure the features match your needs. An all-singing, all-dancing model may contain special functions you don’t actually need.
You can buy tablets on a contract with different network providers, which gives you connectivity on the go via 3G or 4G, but these are very expensive in the long run. Often Wi-Fi hotspots and your own home broadband connection are enough to get the most out of your tablet.
Smaller screen seven-inch models demand a lower price and are often just as good like the iPad Mini, for example, which is £269 but can do pretty much the same thing an iPad 4 can, while the Nexus 7 is just as powerful as the bigger Nexus 10.
Tablets with more memory are more expensive so going with a 16GB or less model can save you money, so long as you don’t plan to download a lot of videos or games.
Hunting out refurbished models is another way to save. These come with warranties and are just as good as a brand new versions.
Lastly older models are often significantly cheaper than brand new launches and in some cases the features are hardly different. The original Nexus 7 for example sells for £139 at the Carphone Warehouse.
