When it comes to buying a (good) cheap tablet, your options are much more limited compared to the vast selection of best cheap phones available in 2025. That does, however, make the process of settling on the right model for your needs much simpler.
For context, the iPad 10.2 (2021) sat atop our list of the best cheap tablets for several years before Apple’s last-gen base iPad, the iPad 10.9 (2022), displaced it in March. That only happened because Apple finally released a new base iPad, the iPad A16 (2025) – are you keeping up? – which pushed the 2022 model into true budget territory.
In truth, there isn’t all that much between Apple’s 2022 and 2025 base models save for more storage and longer software support for the latter (despite Apple’s new naming scheme suggesting otherwise, the two tablets are identical in size).
If you can afford to meet the 2025 model’s $349 / £329 / AU$599 asking price, that longer software support is worth the money, but for those looking for a true cheap tablet, the 2022 model is still on sale for around £299 / £269 at retailers including Walmart in the US and Currys in the UK (stock in Australia is a little harder to come by).
Whichever generation you go for, though, the fact remains that Apple’s base iPad is the best cheap tablet money can buy in 2025 – and I don’t see it losing that title any time soon.
My iPad-loving colleague, Jamie, recently explained why iPadOS 26 will make Apple’s cheapest iPad a great option for years to come; and while his piece refers, for the most part, to the new iPad A16, Apple has confirmed that iPadOS 26 will be compatible with the A14-equipped iPad 10.9 (2022), too.
In fact, iPadOS 26 is coming to all iPads released after the 8th-generation base model – that’s the iPad 10.2 (2020) – which makes me confident that the iPad 10.9 (2022) will qualify for at least a few more iPadOS updates after iPadOS 26. You just won’t get that sort of longevity from other tablets at this price point.
There's no competition (yet)
What’s more, Apple’s A14 chipset is now three years old, but it’s still much more powerful than the chipsets you’ll find in Samsung’s latest budget offerings, the Galaxy Tab A9 and Galaxy Tab A9 Plus. Granted, those tablets are much cheaper than both the iPad 10.9 (2022) and iPad A16 (2025), but Apple’s slates are worth the extra investment if you plan to hold on to your next cheap tablet for more than a couple of years (as you should do!).
The same is true of the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023), which is undoubtedly cheap and cheerful but can’t hold a candle to Apple’s base iPad in terms of power and longevity (don't even think about gaming on that thing).
I should caveat this iPad lovefest by saying that Samsung’s newest middle-of-the-road tablet, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, is a worthy adversary to the iPad A16 (2025). OnePlus, too, is preparing to launch a cheaper, Lite-branded version of its excellent OnePlus Pad 3, which will no doubt give budget-conscious (and Android-preferring) tablet buyers food for thought.
But the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is not a cheap tablet (it costs £499 / $499 / AU$999), and the OnePlus Lite hasn’t launched yet. As things stand, Apple’s base iPads still rule the roost, and we’ll continue to recommend them above the competition in the affordable tablet market until the competition steps up to the plate.
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