Best Tablets Under Rs 20,000: OnePlus Pad Go, Realme Pad 2, More

Best Tablets Under Rs 20,000: Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, Lenovo Tab M11, and more to choose from.

OnePlus Pad Go, at a starting price of Rs 19,999, makes for an excellent choice. ( Image Source :OnePlus )

Tablets are gadgets that have clawed their way out of the grave. Phones were growing bigger and laptops were getting more handy and somehow with all this, whatever space Tablets had for them in the market shrunk to the brink of extinction. There was only one tablet that managed to stay afloat through this storm, the iPad, but buying it meant burning a serious hole in most budget users’ pockets. 

Fortunately, tablets are back from the dead (with some help from the pandemic and the work-from-home culture it brought into play) and now have created a place for themselves in the market. The “affordable price + powerful specs” combination that we see in the smartphone world has now come to tablets too.

So, if you are looking to get a middle screen between your phone and your laptop, here are a few options that will not dent your bank balance by more than Rs 20,000:

OnePlus Pad Go: Classy Budget Tab From The 'Never Settler'

Price: Rs 19,999 onwards

The OnePlus Pad Go is one of the most affordably priced and competitively specced tablets around. It comes with an 11.35-inch 2.4K display with a slightly unusual 7:5 display ratio, a fast refresh rate of 90 Hz, a peak brightness of 400 nits, and surrounded by super thin bezels. 

It runs on the very capable MediaTek Helio G99 chip, backed by 8GB RAM, and up to 256GB storage and has OxygenOS running its show. You can also expand the storage on the device up to 1TB using a microSD card. The tablet is powered by a huge 8,000mAh battery, which comes with support for 33W fast charging by OnePlus. 

There are two 8-megapixel sensors on the tablet, one on the front, another on the back and you get the LTE connectivity option on both 128GB and 256GB storage options. You can also get a 5G version of the device at a marginally higher price. 

The tablet also features Dolby Atmos quad speakers and comes with a distinct dual-tone mint-coloured back, making it stand out in the budget tablet crowd.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+: Budget Star In The Samsung Galaxy

Price: Rs 18,999 onwards

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ comes with an 11-inch display with 1,920 x 1,200 pixels resolution and a fast 90Hz refresh rate. The bezels around its display may be on the thicker side, but this being a Samsung display, not only is it a very vibrant one, but it also comes with a high peak brightness of 570 nits. 

Making it an absolute multimedia moghul are Dolby Atmos quad speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack, while the still-very-able Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor can easily help you navigate through your everyday chores with ease and even play the odd casual game. 

The tablet comes with RAM and storage options of 4GB + 64GB and 8GB + 128GB, and its storage can be expanded up to 1TB by using a microSD card. 

It has an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 5-megapixel one on the front for video calls. It is backed by a 7,040mAh battery that easily sees off a day of use but charges a little sluggishly at 15W.  

The tablet runs on Android 13 OS, but is due to get updated to Android 14 soon, and comes with Samsung's OneUI, which has been specially customised for tablets. 

Realme Pad 2: A Tab Spec Monster

Price: Rs 17,999 onwards

If there is a tablet in this segment that is a spec monster, it is the Realme Pad 2. The tablet comes with a big 11.5-inch 2K display with a very fast 120 Hz refresh rate with a peak brightness of 450 nits. 

This is paired with Dolby Atmos quad speakers, making the tablet great for experiencing multimedia content. 

It is powered by MediaTek Helio G99 chip, the same one that powers the OnePlus Pad Go and comes in 6GB + 8GB RAM and 128GB + 256GB ROM variants with the option to expand storage up to 1TB. 

It brings a massive 8,360mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging and runs on Android 13 out of the box, with Android 14 expected soon. 

It has an 8-megapixel sensor on the back while a 5-megapixel one sits on the front for handling video calls. It has a smart design with slightly thick bezels and a round camera unit on the back but it's what's on the inside of the Realme Pad 2 that should matter to those looking to buy a budget tab. 

Lenovo Tab M11: Steady Performer With The Power Of A Pen 

Price: Rs 17,990 (Rs 20,100 with an included pen) onwards

Lenovo did not give up on tablets even when the rest of the world did and is today one of the leading brands in the budget tablet market. So it's no surprise that a Lenovo tablet is on this list - the sleekly designed Lenovo Tab M11. 

It comes with an 11-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, a fast 90 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 400 nits It is powered by the very efficient if slightly old MediaTek Helio G88 processor, and comes with RAM and storage options of up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage (which is expandable using a microSD card). 

You also get a Dolby Atmos quad-speaker arrangement, making the Lenovo Tab M11 a multimedia delight. The tablet has also one of the best camera arrangements in the segment in terms of megapixel count, with an 8-megapixel sensor in front and a 13-megapixel sensor on the back. 

The tablet comes with a good 7,040mAh battery but charges only at 15W, which can make charging it a tedious process.  The tablet runs on Android 13 out of the box, but is expected to be updated to Android 14 soon, and also comes with several tablet-friendly features.  

In a very handy touch, you can also combine this tablet with a Lenovo Pen to make it even more versatile, while not going too far north of the Rs 20,000 mark. The chip does hold it back from major productivity and gaming tasks, but the Lenovo Tab M11 is still a very good device for viewing content and everyday use. 

Redmi Pad: Budget Tablet Bomb 

Price: Rs 12,999 onwards

If you are looking for a tablet on a shoestring budget then the Redmi Pad is the one to go for, no contest. The biggest USP of the device is of course its price tag but it comes with some very good specs too. 

Its 10.61-inch screen is the smallest of this list, but it comes with a 2K resolution, a 90 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 400 nits. 

Running it is the  MediaTek Helio G99 processor, the same that powers the more expensive OnePlus Pad Go and the Realme Pad 2, and you also get Dolby Atmos quad stereo speakers. 

The tablet comes in three RAM and storage options: 3GB + 64GB, 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 128GB, and the storage can be expanded up to 1TB using a microSD card. 

The Redmi Pad comes with two 8-megapixel cameras, one on the front and another on the back, and is powered by a huge 8,000mAh battery which comes with support for 18W charging.

It runs on Android 13 with MIUI on top but is expected to be updated to HyperOS soon. It is the smallest tablet of this group but comes with very contemporary looks with straight sides and is staggering value for money in the best Xiaomi tradition.