Not sure which tablet is right for your needs? We’ve searched through dozens of different products to find the best tablets under $400 in 2021.
Want a highly portable device with a wide range of features for browsing the web, playing games, or even designing graphics?
A tablet is often a better way to go these days over a full laptop. If you’re willing to spend in the $300 – $400 range, you can find some truly high end devices with unbelievable display quality. If you are on a budget, you can find our tablet under $300 guide as well!
Recommendation for December 2021
- Huawei MediaPad M5 – Best Android Pick
- Lenovo Tab 4 Plus – Best 10-Inch Choice
- Apple iPad – Best Overall
- Microsoft Surface Go – Best Windows Choice
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e – Best Smart Tablet
- Apple iPad Pro – Best Value
- Asus Chromebook – Best Productivity
- Apple iPad Mini – Best iPad
- Microsoft Surface Pro – Best Write And Draw Tablet
- Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 – Tablet With Projector
Best Tablets Under $400 In 2021
Huawei MediaPad M5 – Best Android Pick
Huawei has been making waves in the laptop and tablet industries lately with slim and stylish options, which is exactly what you get with the MediaPad M5.
Despite being so thin and light, you get really high end specs here and the latest version of Android. That means you can run multiple apps at the same time with no stuttering or lag.
Best of all?
This model is actually the cheapest option in our lineup of contenders. Talk about a bargain buy!
The MatePad doesn’t skimp on screen quality, either. This unit’s 2k display is easily on par with Apple’s lauded retina quality screen technology.
You also get a curved edge for a significantly better viewing experience — with less eye strain — than many other models at this same price range.
Want an even better device? The MediaPad domes in a Pro version with a larger screen, four speakers, and an included pen, although that version bumps up above $400.
Recommended configuration for Huawei MediaPad
CPU: Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 960 2.1GHz | Graphics: Mali G71 Integrated | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 8.4″ 2560×1600 2K Curved Touch Display| Storage: 64GB | Operating System: Android | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 0.68 pounds
Lenovo Tab 4 Plus – Best 10-Inch Choice
Not all buyers want a tiny tablet that can be held in one hand. Some prefer a larger 10 inch screen, and if that describes you, be sure to consider Lenovo’s Tab 4 Plus.
Despite the larger area, the Tab 4 is still a surprisingly light device at just around a pound.
Note that while this model’s has full HD for streaming 1080p video, it isn’t actually a 2k screen like our other two contenders.
With its dual front facing speakers, this unit is definitely geared towards streaming video without using headphones.
Like this size but prefer the Samsung design over Lenovo’s style? The Galaxy Tab S2 is another solid option that’s just slightly under 10 inches wide.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Tab 4 Plus
CPU: Qualcomm 625 2.0GHz | Graphics: Integrated Graphics | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10″ 1920×1200 Touch Display| Storage: 64GB | Operating System: Android | Battery Life: 14 hours | Weight: 1.05 pounds
Apple iPad – Best Overall
In terms of comfortable hand design and high quality construction, it doesn’t get much better than Apple’s flagship product — the iPad.
With a retina quality screen you’ll get crystal clear picture quality whether running iOS apps or streaming videos.
While the specs are a bit lower than the upgraded iPad Pro, most users will have very quick response times with nearly any app here.
In terms of overall usage and versatility, the iPad is one of the top tablets to look at no matter what amount you intend to spend.
Want a tablet that’s a little smaller and lighter? The iPad Mini 4 is also available for under $400.
Recommended configuration for Apple iPad
CPU: A10 Fusion Chip | Graphics: PowerVR Series7XT | RAM: 2GB | Screen: 10.2″ Retina Touch Display| Storage: 128GB | Operating System: iOS| Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 1.1 pounds
Microsoft Surface Go – Best Windows Choice
The Microsoft Surface Go gives you laptop performance with the portability of a tablet. A long battery life and a stunning touchscreen.
This sleek and slim new Surface Go tablet comes with a powerful Intel Pentium Gold Processor, 10-inch PixelSense display with touchscreen making it perfect for browsing.
The Microsoft Surface Go runs on the latest Windows laptop operating system, perfect for work, school and entertainment use.
Recommended configuration for Microsoft Surface Go
CPU: Intel Pentium Gold | Graphics: Intel 8032 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10″ 1800×1200 Touch Display| Storage: 64GB | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 9 hours | Weight: 1.15 pounds
Samsung Galaxy tab S5e – Best Smart Tablet
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is a compact lightweight magnificent Android tablet. It comes with a big bright screen that enriches every type of color for which Samsung is known for.
Bixby Assistant smartly connects your device to your smart products, like home lights, control TV, smart doors, thermostat and everything that has the word smart on it.
It comes with a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED wide display which helps you to enjoy your favorite movies and games, powered by a Snapdragon chipset to boost your high-end activities with ease.
Recommended configuration for Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon | Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno 616 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.5″ 2560×1600 Touch Display| Storage: 64GB | Operating System: Android | Battery Life: 15 hours | Weight: 0.23 pounds
Apple iPad Pro – Best Value
Apple iPad Pro has ample internal storage of 128GB to store much of your data. The widescreen installed with LED-backlit LCD along with a multi-touch screen coated into the scratch resistant glass backed by IPS technology to view everything as bright and through their true colors.
The tablet’s robust dual-core 2.49GHz processor along with Apple A9X chipset to make sure you do not hit any sluggishness when using the Apple iPad mini tablet on its maximum.
Recommended configuration for Apple iPad Mini
CPU: A9X Bionic Chip | Graphics: Apple A9X Graphics | RAM: 2GB | Screen: 9.7″ Retina Touch Display| Storage: 128GB | Operating System: iOS| Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 1.35 pounds
Asus Chromebook – Best Productivity
Powered with vigorous built-in security and it updates automatically. With tons of apps, it provides a learning platform and enhances your creativity.
It has a solid design as its all four exterior edges and corners are protected by a tough rubber bumper, which keeps it safe from any physical shock.
It comes with 9.7-inches Qxga touchscreen display along with an OP1 Hexa-Core Dual arm Cortex-A72, Quad Cortex-A53 processor. Powered by 4GB of RAM and 32Gb eMMC which is made for K-12 education.
Recommended configuration for Asus Chromebook
CPU: OP1 Hexa-Core Dual-arm Cortex-A72 | Graphics: Rockchip OP1 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 9.7″ Retina Touch Display| Storage: 32GB | Operating System: Chrome OS| Battery Life: 9 hours | Weight: 1.1 pounds
Apple iPad mini – Best iPad
This powerful iPad mini can run most of the powerful apps so easily, with a retina display with stunning color that allows you to read anything anywhere.
It can shoot HD videos and pictures, you can also add fun to your content by using Apple Pencil.
You’ll get this incredible iPad in 64GB and 256GB with a slight change in price. Overall this iPad could suffice anything a powerful tablet could do.
Recommended configuration for Apple iPad Mini
CPU: A12 Bionic Chip | Graphics: M12 Coprocessor | RAM: 3GB | Screen: 9.7″ Retina Touch Display| Storage: 32GB | Operating System: iOS | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 1.25 pounds
Microsoft Surface Pro – Best Write And Draw Tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro is a 2 in1 ultraportable tablet as well as a personal computer with unique and astonishing features that converts this top notch machine from tablet to pc and pc to tablet.
Microsoft Surface Pro is so powerful that it can meet the requirement of creative professionals, talented students, and everyone who wants to do something extraordinary.
Recommended configuration for Microsoft Surface Pro
CPU: Intel Core m3 | Graphics: 1GB Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 12.3″ 2736×1824 Touch Display| Storage: 128GB | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 13 hours | Weight: 1.69 pounds
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 – Tablet With Projector
With a built in projector the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 is your ultimate entertainment device. The four kickstand positions give you the ease of viewing your favorite movies or any media anywhere you want.
It comes with faux leather and it has the best voice control features that would give you an ease in using the tablet. Also you can transform this tablet into a kid’s tablet by just turning on the Lenovo Kid’s pack application.
It comes with a big screen that is optimized for entertainment. The crystal clear display will amaze you, thanks to its dazzling 8-inch HD display with a 1280×800 resolution.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Yoga Tab 3
CPU: Intel Atom x5-Z8500 | Graphics: Dedicated Intel Graphics | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.1″ 2560×1200 Touch Display| Storage: 64GB | Operating System: Android | Battery Life: 18 hours | Weight: 1.47 pounds
Picking The Best Tablets Under $400 In 2021
Speed & Power
At this price point, you should expect much better performance than cheaper models when bumping up to the $300 – $400 range.
As the price goes up, so should the internal hardware specs that control how quickly apps load.
For the best overall experience, we recommend sticking with a 4GB RAM model that has at least 64GB of internal storage capacity for Android units.
You can get away with less than that with the iPad, but in most other cases we wouldn’t recommend a 2GB model if you are going to spend this amount of money.
Vibrant Display
If there’s one component you shouldn’t overlook when buying a new tablet, it’s the quality of the screen!
It may seem obvious, but since you will spend 100% of your tablet time staring at the screen, you absolutely want the best quality possible.
Not only does this give you a better viewing experience, but it also reduces eye strain and lets you watch videos or browse the web longer.
At this price range, we recommend a bare minimum of 1920 x 100 pixels resolution. You can find models with 2k displays here though, and those are much higher quality with crisper, more vibrant colors.
Build Quality
You should always consider the build quality of any tablet you ought to buy, the build quality of any device is crucial to its overall quality.
If you plan on buying a tablet for $400 then look for a tablet that has been built with quality so that it could justify your bucks.
All our picks are quality built but not tablets are created equal so pick what is in your interest and we’ve done that for you already.
Just remember that the quality of a tablet speaks of what you can expect from it. The better the quality the longer it will serve its purpose.
Additional Features
Tablets are more than just their RAM and CPU type — make sure to pay attention to what extra bells and whistles you can find before you buy!
Due to their portability and versatility, a tablet can easily become the go-to device for any type of user, but not all tablets include the same base features.
While all of our picks have dual speaker setups, there are a few other options to look at that may make one model a better choice.
We recommend looking for tablets that include extras like a built-in stylus/pen, higher resolution cameras, SIM card slots, or additional storage capacity right out of the box.