Best tablets under $300

Top pick: Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ — the safest all-rounder here. A sharp 1920 x 1200 screen, current Android, and the strongest owner ratings of the bunch, so it handles streaming, browsing, video calls and light games without fuss.

Who the others suit:

• Lenovo Idea Tab Plus — the pick if you want a big, high-resolution screen and lots of storage for reading, notes and split-screen work.
• Lenovo Idea Tab Pro — the largest screen of the group; best as a desk or lap tablet, less so for holding one-handed.
• Amazon Fire HD 10 / Fire HD 8 — cheapest way into a media tablet; fine for Prime Video, Kindle and Alexa, but tied to Amazon's app store.
• Apple iPad (6th gen) or iPad mini 4 — only if you specifically want iPadOS on a tight budget; both are older models, so expect slower performance and no new OS updates.
• Budget Android slates (Baken, BESTSKI, peicheng) — for a child's first tablet or a kitchen screen; weak screens and short software support.

Skip the iPad Pro here — it's well over the limit.