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.
Not sure which tablet is right for your needs? We’ve searched through dozens of different products to find the top 3 best tablets under $400.
If you follow our review & buying guide, you’ll find the perfect device in no time!
Want the best bang for your buck?
..but a little tight on budget. We recommend you to checkout our buying guide for:
Mid-range tablet pick: Under $300
Budget tablet pick: Under $200 | Under $100
..or browse our Tablet by budget series to get our experts’s most recommended tablets falling under different budget constraints.
In A Hurry? Here’s The Winner From 15 Hours Of Research
We have two possible top choices, depending on whether you prefer the Android OS or want an Apple product with iOS instead.
Editor’s Choice
Huawei MediaPad M5
Why is it better?
- Very high end display
- Low price but excellent specs
Also Great
Sources Researched
Reviews Considered
Hours Researched
Products Considered
Products Reviewed
The Lineup At A Glance
| Rank | Image | Name | Category | Rating | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Huawei MediaPad M5 | Best Android Pick | 8.0 | Check Price |
| 2 |  | Lenovo Tab 4 Plus | Best 10 Inch Choice | 7.0 | Check Price |
| 3 |  | Apple iPad | Best Overall | 7.66 | Check Price |
Review of the best tablet under $400
1. Huawei MediaPad M5 – Best Android Pick
- Low price
- Excellent specs
- High quality display
- Pen not included
- Two speakers instead of the newer quad speaker design
Want a high performance tablet with a great screen and a very sleek design? The MatePad M5 is easily the best Android tablet under $400 on the market right now.
Key features & details
2. Lenovo Tab 4 Plus – Best 10 Inch Choice
- High battery life
- Great specs for the price
- Comes with Android 7.1 rather than Android 8
- Slightly lower quality display
Like a larger viewing area for sketching designs, writing notes, and playing with apps? Lenovo’s Tab 4 is easily one of the best 10 inch tablets under $400.
Key features & details
3. Apple iPad – Best Overall
- High quality screen
- Excellent build quality
- Lower resolution camera
- Highest price
Want the absolute best screen quality and build design in a tablet? The innovative iPad is still the reigning champ and the best overall tablet under $400 right now.
Key features & details
Criteria Used For Evaluation
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Resources
- Max Parker,Lenovo 4 Tab Plus Overview, Trusted Reviews
- Jeffrey Van Camp,All 3 of Hauawei’s MediaPads Are Worth Your Time, But Which Is Right For You?, Wired
- Gareth Beavis,iPad 9.7 Review, Tech Radar