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Prices checked October 2026Not tested in handNo paid rankingsHow we pick
You give up: A bigger 10.9-inch 90Hz screen and a mid-range Exynos 1580 chip, and Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps.
Short answer: The closest cheaper alternative to the Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro, 128GB) is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, about $550 instead of $699 (save 21%). What you give up: A bigger 10.9-inch 90Hz screen and a mid-range Exynos 1580 chip, and Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps. The cheapest is the Amazon Fire HD 8 at about $100. Prices checked October 2026.
Why it's a good swap An S Pen in the box and an IP68 rating, like the mini's IP67, per Samsung's launch announcement.
You give up: A bigger 10.9-inch 90Hz screen and a mid-range Exynos 1580 chip, and Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps.
Why it's a good swap A small 8-inch tablet at 0.74 lb with up to 13 hours of battery and a microSD slot, per Target's listing.
You give up: Basic HD screen and 3GB of RAM, lock-screen ads, and no Google Play.
Why it's a good swap A 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 screen and up to 13 hours of battery for reading and streaming, per Target's listing.
You give up: Slow, with lock-screen ads and no Google Play, and much bigger than the mini.
Why it's a good swap An 8.7-inch tablet close to the mini's size, with a microSD slot, for under a third of the price.
You give up: A low-resolution 1340 x 800 screen, a slow Helio G85 chip, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage, per Lenovo.
Why it's a good swap Same iPadOS apps, Touch ID and up to 10 hours of battery for $250 less, per Apple.
You give up: Bigger and heavier (10.86 in, 1.05 lb vs 0.56 lb), with a non-OLED Liquid Retina screen and no Apple Pencil Pro support.
Why it's a good swap The previous mini, still sold new at Best Buy: nearly the same one-hand size, with Apple Pencil Pro support and an 8.3-inch screen, for $100 less.
You give up: An LCD instead of OLED and no IP67 rating, and Engadget lists it as thicker and heavier (6.3 mm and 0.65 lb against 5.4 mm and 0.56 lb).
Typical US prices, checked October 2026. Not live prices; check the listing before you buy.
Looking for a cheaper alternative to the Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro, 128GB)? It usually sells for about $699. Here are 6 cheaper swaps from $100: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the closest match from another brand, the Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) is a cheaper option from Apple and the Amazon Fire HD 8 is the cheapest at about $100. Each one says what you give up for the lower price.
| Option | Type | Typical price | You save | What you give up | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro, 128GB) | The original | $699 | – | – | View ↗ |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 | Budget pick | $100 | $599 (86%) | Basic HD screen and 3GB of RAM, lock-screen ads, and no Google Play. | View ↗ |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 | Budget pick | $140 | $559 (80%) | Slow, with lock-screen ads and no Google Play, and much bigger than the mini. | View ↗ |
| Lenovo Tab One | Budget pick | $200 | $499 (71%) | A low-resolution 1340 x 800 screen, a slow Helio G85 chip, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage, per Lenovo. | View ↗ |
| Apple iPad 11" (A16) | Same brand, cheaper | $449 | $250 (36%) | Bigger and heavier (10.86 in, 1.05 lb vs 0.56 lb), with a non-OLED Liquid Retina screen and no Apple Pencil Pro support. | View ↗ |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE | Close match | $550 | $149 (21%) | A bigger 10.9-inch 90Hz screen and a mid-range Exynos 1580 chip, and Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps. | View ↗ |
| Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) | Same brand, cheaper | $599 | $100 (14%) | An LCD instead of OLED and no IP67 rating, and Engadget lists it as thicker and heavier (6.3 mm and 0.65 lb against 5.4 mm and 0.56 lb). | View ↗ |
Typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, checked October 2026. They are not live Amazon prices and may have changed, so check the listing before you buy.
The Amazon Fire HD 8, at about $100 (86% less). A small 8-inch tablet at 0.74 lb with up to 13 hours of battery and a microSD slot, per Target's listing. The catch: Basic HD screen and 3GB of RAM, lock-screen ads, and no Google Play.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, at about $550 (21% less). An S Pen in the box and an IP68 rating, like the mini's IP67, per Samsung's launch announcement. The catch: A bigger 10.9-inch 90Hz screen and a mid-range Exynos 1580 chip, and Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps.
Yes. The Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro), at about $599 (14% less). The previous mini, still sold new at Best Buy: nearly the same one-hand size, with Apple Pencil Pro support and an 8.3-inch screen, for $100 less. The catch: An LCD instead of OLED and no IP67 rating, and Engadget lists it as thicker and heavier (6.3 mm and 0.65 lb against 5.4 mm and 0.56 lb).
Apple lists an A20 Pro chip, an 8.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR screen (600 nits, 1200 nits peak for HDR) and an IP67 water-resistance rating. It weighs 0.56 lb and starts at $699 for 128GB; it went on sale on Nov. 6.
The Apple iPad 11" (A16) ($449) runs the same iPadOS apps with Touch ID and up to 10 hours of battery, per Apple. It's bigger and heavier at 1.05 lb, has a non-OLED screen, and doesn't support Apple Pencil Pro.
Yes. The Amazon Fire HD 8 ($100) has an 8-inch screen, weighs 0.74 lb and lists up to 13 hours of battery. It has a basic HD screen, lock-screen ads and no Google Play.
Engadget's review lists an OLED screen in place of the LCD, growing from 8.3 to 8.5 inches and from 500 to 600 nits, plus an IP67 rating and a thinner, lighter body (5.4 mm and 0.56 lb, down from 6.3 mm and 0.65 lb). Both support Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) ($599) is still sold new at Best Buy.
Engadget scored it 8.5 out of 10 and praised the OLED screen, but noted that it costs $200 more than the last mini did at launch and found the 60Hz screen a let-down. Six Colors' verdict is that it isn't cheap but packs in a lot of value if you have a plan to use it.
No. Engadget and Six Colors both report that the OLED screen still refreshes at 60Hz; Apple keeps 120Hz ProMotion for the iPad Pro. Samsung lists the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE ($550) at up to 90Hz.
It's water resistant, not waterproof. Apple rates it IP67, tested to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes, and says the resistance isn't permanent. Six Colors notes it's the first iPad with the rating. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE ($550) is rated IP68.
Each swap links to amazon.com. Prices are typical US prices checked October 2026 and change often, so check the listing before you buy.
Compared on their own pages: iPad Pro alternatives · Apple Pencil Pro alternatives · iPad mini alternatives · iPad alternatives
Every swap is a product sold in the US that does the main job of the original. Close match is another brand with similar features, Same brand, cheaper is an older, smaller or renewed model from the same maker, and Budget pick is the cheapest thing that still does the job. On each page, Closest match is the close match nearest the original in price, and Lowest price is the cheapest swap. We compare published specs, retailer listings and reviews; we don't test products ourselves.
A cheaper product is cheaper for a reason. Each swap says what you give up, like weaker noise cancelling, a smaller screen or a shorter warranty, so you can decide if the savings are worth it.
Prices are typical US prices from retailer listings and price trackers, last checked October 2026. They are not live Amazon prices, which change often. When a price couldn't be confirmed, the page says “Check price on Amazon” instead of showing a number.
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