Best Cheap Tablet

[79wjd]

What's a good cheap tablet that still feels quick and has a stylus? Used is fine (and expected). It will mainly be used for writing the occasional notes and for media consumption. 

 

I was eyeing a Samsung P580 ($200~), but I'm not sure how it performs these days and/or if there is something cheaper/better.

[r2724r16]

Don't know if this counts as a tablet, but a used iPad Air 2 might be a good option. I have one, and it still feels snappy and fast even after a few years. 

[79wjd]

1 minute ago, r2724r16 said:

Don't know if this counts as a tablet, but a used iPad Air 2 might be a good option. I have one, and it still feels snappy and fast even after a few years. 

It has no (good/active) stylus support.

[r2724r16]

1 minute ago, 79wjd said:

It has no (good/active) stylus support.

I'm pretty sure any stylus can get the job done. I personally don't use a stylus so I don't know how useful it even is.

[79wjd]

Just now, r2724r16 said:

I'm pretty sure any stylus can get the job done. I personally don't use a stylus so I don't know how useful it even is.

No, they can't. Passive styluses are terrible.

[Slottr]

Used surface?

[Boomwebsearch]

29 minutes ago, 79wjd said:

What's a good cheap tablet that still feels quick and has a stylus? Used is fine (and expected). It will mainly be used for writing the occasional notes and for media consumption. 

 

I was eyeing a Samsung P580 ($200~), but I'm not sure how it performs these days and/or if there is something cheaper/better.

Buying an external stylus device usually is not very expensive unless you want the device to have a design which would be able to house the stylus for the tablet. So, I would not recommend using that as a search eliminating strategy unless you want it to have a design to be able to house the stylus.Are you looking for certain specs for the display or computations wise for your tablet as that would be a good way to eliminate some results such as tablets with slower processing.

 

link to a cheap stylus to show that they usually are not very expensive:   https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Top-Capacitive-Touch-Screen-Stylus-Pen-for-iPhone-7-7s-iPad-Air-2-1-Mini-2/32902851427.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.1.44c44f8f27Rott&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4_10065_10068_10130_10890_318_10547_319_10546_10548_317_10545_10696_450_10084_10083_10618_452_535_534_10307_533_532_204_10059_10884_323_325_10887_100031_320_321_322_10103_5727613_5727713_5727813_448_5024913_449-10890,searchweb201603_35,ppcSwitch_0_ppcChannel&algo_expid=273c2f61-abd4-494b-ac2b-1cd25c2f699b-0&algo_pvid=273c2f61-abd4-494b-ac2b-1cd25c2f699b

[79wjd]

3 hours ago, Slottr said:

Used surface?

Been there, wouldn't go near windows on a tablet ever again.

2 hours ago, Boomwebsearch said:

Buying an external stylus device usually is not very expensive unless you want the device to have a design which would be able to house the stylus for the tablet. So, I would not recommend using that as a search eliminating strategy unless you want it to have a design to be able to house the stylus.Are you looking for certain specs for the display or computations wise for your tablet as that would be a good way to eliminate some results such as tablets with slower processing.

 

link to a cheap stylus to show that they usually are not very expensive:   https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Top-Capacitive-Touch-Screen-Stylus-Pen-for-iPhone-7-7s-iPad-Air-2-1-Mini-2/32902851427.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.1.44c44f8f27Rott&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4_10065_10068_10130_10890_318_10547_319_10546_10548_317_10545_10696_450_10084_10083_10618_452_535_534_10307_533_532_204_10059_10884_323_325_10887_100031_320_321_322_10103_5727613_5727713_5727813_448_5024913_449-10890,searchweb201603_35,ppcSwitch_0_ppcChannel&algo_expid=273c2f61-abd4-494b-ac2b-1cd25c2f699b-0&algo_pvid=273c2f61-abd4-494b-ac2b-1cd25c2f699b

Passive styluses are still terrible -- it doesn't need to be housed in the device, it just needs to be active and not garbage.

[79wjd]

Bump

[RockyRZ]

DO NOT GET THE AMAZON FIRE 7. Only God can handle such disappointment.

[Boomwebsearch]

20 hours ago, 79wjd said:

Passive styluses are still terrible -- it doesn't need to be housed in the device, it just needs to be active and not garbage

 

20 hours ago, 79wjd said:

Been there, wouldn't go near windows on a tablet ever again.

 

3 hours ago, 79wjd said:

Bump          *I am not sure what you were trying to state within this post

Are you looking for the ability to have different pressure points on the screen be measured like the apple pencil accessory has the ability to do? Sometimes on certain devices passive styluses have trouble with being able to register movements on the screen although I personally use a passive stylus which I bought separately and use the display on high when I am using the stylus. I have a ASUS MeMO Pad 7 which is now sold on Amazon at 90 dollars which is way lower than the 150 I paid for it a couple years back even on Black Friday. One recommendation  I would be able to provide is going to be the getting some budget tablet and just buying a separate active stylus for around 20 dollars as the other tablets which come with one are priced pretty high, as I do not think that an Apple iPad device, Galaxy Tab S3, or other similar expensive options such as the would be very budget effective unless you find a great deal on like a used or refurbished version.  

 

link to an active stylus pen on eBay:   https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aimilcall-USB-Rechargeable-Active-Stylus-Pen-Fine-Point-Precision-Drawing-pen/132774480226?hash=item1ee9f9c962:g:8NIAAOSwgh5blK-s:rk:2:pf:0

 

Link to a budget tablet on sale currently from Walmart:   https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Voyager-7-16GB-Tablet-Android-6-0-Marshmallow/53990885

[79wjd]

bump

[Darkseth]

Save up for an iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil / Logitech Crayon.

 

Seriously. You will NOT do yourself a favour saving a few bucks by getting a half-baked solution.

Save up, get the iPad 2018 + Pencil / Logitech Crayon, and be happy with it for the next 4-5 years).

For starters, iOS > Android on Tablets... Performance, optimization, Apps, how long it gets updated... Different League.

 

All that combined with a Digitizer + a very good stylus.

Even if you go to android for the same Price, the only Android Tablet in that price range with a Stylus would be a Galaxy Tab S3 (should still be more expensive than iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil), and iPad > Tab S3.

 

For <200 bucks.. i honestly can't think of ANY Android Tablet with an active Stylus.

Even without considering the Stylus at all... I still think, buying an iPad 2018 for 300 bucks has a much better Value than any 150-200 bucks Android Tablet. Performance, how long you can use it (updates, support etc), make a better experience overall. Alone the duration of Updates makes it a better value tbh.

 

 

And no, i'm not a blind Apple Fanboy, i use Android smartphones only since 2010, and i will continue to do so. ^^ But as for Tablets.... yea, iOS > Android.

 

Even tho the P580 is "fine" for that stuff.. i doubt it will get more than 1 major Update. iPad 2018 will continue to get updates for the next 4+ years, and there are much more (and much better) Note Taking Apps + PDF Expert available.

 

If you do not want an iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil / Logitech Crayon, the P580 will be your best bet in that Price Range.

[79wjd]

4 hours ago, Darkseth said:

Save up for an iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil / Logitech Crayon.

 

Seriously. You will NOT do yourself a favour saving a few bucks by getting a half-baked solution.

Save up, get the iPad 2018 + Pencil / Logitech Crayon, and be happy with it for the next 4-5 years).

For starters, iOS > Android on Tablets... Performance, optimization, Apps, how long it gets updated... Different League.

 

All that combined with a Digitizer + a very good stylus.

Even if you go to android for the same Price, the only Android Tablet in that price range with a Stylus would be a Galaxy Tab S3 (should still be more expensive than iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil), and iPad > Tab S3.

 

For <200 bucks.. i honestly can't think of ANY Android Tablet with an active Stylus.

Even without considering the Stylus at all... I still think, buying an iPad 2018 for 300 bucks has a much better Value than any 150-200 bucks Android Tablet. Performance, how long you can use it (updates, support etc), make a better experience overall. Alone the duration of Updates makes it a better value tbh.

 

 

And no, i'm not a blind Apple Fanboy, i use Android smartphones only since 2010, and i will continue to do so. ^^ But as for Tablets.... yea, iOS > Android.

 

Even tho the P580 is "fine" for that stuff.. i doubt it will get more than 1 major Update. iPad 2018 will continue to get updates for the next 4+ years, and there are much more (and much better) Note Taking Apps + PDF Expert available.

 

If you do not want an iPad 2018 + Apple Pencil / Logitech Crayon, the P580 will be your best bet in that Price Range.

I've used an iPad Pro before (as well as a Galaxy Note 8.0 and SP3). I know full well that an iPad + Pencil is by far the best option when ignoring pricing. If I thought I would heavily use it, then I would absolutely get an iPad -- hell, I'd probably get the new one that's rumored to have much smaller bezels/larger screen that's coming out soon rather than buying used. But, I don't. I expect to use it occasionally for random thoughts/notes and things like that as well as the occasional video. So being that I expect a very light use case, the iPad doesn't really seem like a worthwhilele option.

[DrMacintosh]

The 2018 iPad 9.7" has Apple Pencil support and is $329. Maybe get one used or refurbished (no refurb 2018 iPads yet)?

[79wjd]

8 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

The 2018 iPad 9.7" has Apple Pencil support and is $329. Maybe get one used or refurbished (no refurb 2018 iPads yet)?

A used 2018 iPad is around the same price as a used 9.7" iPad pro - which is both better and realistically too expensive as I said above.