Kids' tablet recommendations

[endo]

Does anyone have any recommendations of decent tablets for kids (7 yo)? Nothing too expensive, but something with decent enough storage capacity and quick enough not to struggle playing games/watching videos, etc.

We got a kid's Kindle Fire a few years back and it's just degraded into a laggy POS that never has any spare storage space. Are they better now?

The kids also use our ancient iPad, which is on its last legs, so a new tablet is definitely needed.

[nonny]

Playing games is rather broad and probably the tricky part, just what kind of games? Plus budget is the other piece of the puzzle.

If you're going with Android probably a Samsung s5e is worth a look which isn't a powerhouse but it is a lovely 10" tablet with banging speakers and USB C quick charge. As its a couple of years old now you'd be able to grab one fairly cheap. I've got one of these for myself and put a kids OS app on it to restrict it down when the kids use it.

You can get the cheaper Samsung A series variants but they are less capable at playing games. Then you've got similar offerings from Huawei and Lenovo which are decent but it really depends on price.

[endo]

Games-wise, nothing too taxing at all. Toca Boca stuff and only fairly basic things. Budget-wise, up to 300 quid I'd say, which I know restricts options quite a bit, but we don't need anything too meaty.

[QualityChimp]

Amazon have some "Last minute deals" on their tablets at the moment.

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet | 8" HD display, 32 GB, Blue Kid-Proof Case
4.7 out of 5 stars 4,725
Last Minute Deal
£99.99 £139.99
Or £20.00/month for 5 months
Today by 10PM
FREE delivery
Arrives before Christmas

Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet | 7" Display, 16 GB, Blue Kid-Proof Case
4.7 out of 5 stars 14,255
Last Minute Deal
£69.99 £99.99
Or £14.00/month for 5 months
FREE One-Day
Get it Tomorrow, Dec 19
Arrives before Christmas

• A full-featured 8" HD tablet (not a toy) with a kid-proof case, parental controls, 2-year worry-free guarantee and 1 year of Amazon Kids+ (Fire for Kids Unlimited) with apps, games and videos.
• 2-year worry-free guarantee: if it breaks, return it and we'll replace it for free.
• The included 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ gives kids access to thousands of popular apps, games, videos, books and audiobooks, including content from Disney, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street.
• Create screen-time limits and set educational goals remotely from your smartphone using Amazon Parent Dashboard or the Kids Edition tablet.
• Stream through Wi-Fi or view downloaded content on the go with 32 GB of internal storage. Add a microSD card for up to 1 TB of additional storage.
• Up to 12 hours of reading, browsing the web, watching video and listening to music.

[wakka]

If your budget is up to £300, I'd consider getting the base level iPad. It's £329 so stretches your budget slightly, but it's going to last you years and years. The A12 chip inside is really fast, good battery life, good screen, etc. The biggest library of tablet-optimised software and games by far, too (and it'll play any iOS game you throw at it).

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-ipad/ipad-10-2

The Fire tablets are cheap but you get what you pay for (as it sounds like I think you've discovered).

[nonny]

What Wakka says... If the budget is that high you can get the base ipad or if you're more into Android I'd stick with the Samsung s5e which should run you about £250 or if you can stretch the newer S6 lite which has an rrp of £349 but I'm sure there's deals around.

[endo]

Cheers y'all.