5 Android Tablets Owners Say You Should Avoid

• Technology
• Computers and Tablets
• Tablets

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Android tablets, for the most part, can seem like a budget-friendly alternative to iPads, with some models costing half the price or less. And on paper, many of them look like solid deals, with decent processors, sharp displays, and plenty of storage. Now, while an Android tablet's spec sheet might promise smooth performance and long battery life, you could get it home and only then discover the touchscreen is laggy. In some cases, apps that should run fine start crashing. Or the whole device just slows to a crawl after a few software updates, if it even gets updates at all.

Admittedly, it's hard for Android tablets to beat the iPad. iPads tend to be more reliable, better built, and benefit from Apple's ecosystem. But not everyone wants to spend north of $500 on a tablet, especially if they just need something for casual browsing, streaming, or just a cheap iPad alternative for the kids to play games. That's where Android tablets should fill the gap. And some do; there are genuinely good budget options out there.

The problem is knowing which ones will actually deliver and which ones will leave you wishing you'd spent your money elsewhere. So, to help you avoid buyer's remorse, we dug through hundreds of owner reviews on Amazon and Reddit to find some of the Android tablets that actual owners say you should avoid, no matter how tempting the price. And of course, we made sure to add all the reasons they say these aren't worth the spend.

1. DigiLand 2025 11-inch Android 14 gaming tablet

At first glance, this DigiLand 2025 11-inch Android 14 gaming tablet looks like a solid deal. It features an 11-inch FHD IPS display with a 1200x1920 resolution and a 1500:1 contrast ratio, delivering really cool visuals. In terms of performance, it runs on a MediaTek Helio G99 processor at 2.2GHz, paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, ensuring a smooth gaming experience. On paper, that's a nice package, especially for $142. And to be fair, it seems the manufacturers got the basics right; the apps run smoothly, the display looks good, and setup is straightforward.

But here's where things go left. One user pointed out that DigiLand's official website clearly states that this tablet supports WiFi 6, which turns out not to be true. You might think this is a small detail, but some people specifically look for this feature when they want faster download speeds. Finding out after purchase that an advertised feature simply doesn't exist sucks. What's more, another owner did some digging and discovered that the DigiLand 2025 Android 14 Tablet appears to be a rebranded Onn tablet, specifically model 10011027, just sold under a different name. 

If that's true, it's definitely not a good look. That said, despite this device running on Android 14 and having a front-facing camera, it doesn't have facial recognition as an unlock option. While the product description didn't actually promise this, it's become such a standard feature you'd expect on any Android device, particularly one released in 2025.

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

If there's a name that's enjoyed success with its tablet releases, it has to be Samsung. So when the Galaxy Tab A8 showed up with a relatively affordable $238 price tag, it's no surprise that a ton of people got excited about the tablet. However, the tablet fell a bit short of expectations. Don't get us wrong, this tablet is not exactly a bad device. It just didn't meet the standards Samsung had set for itself over the years as one of the best Android tablet brands.

To begin with, the tablet's performance is not that great. The base model comes with just 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM, and users have confirmed that it lacks real-world performance. So if you're planning to play anything graphics-intensive on this tablet, you'll be disappointed. One user complained that it becomes particularly frustrating when playing racing games like Asphalt 9 while other apps run in the background.

In terms of display, the 10.5-inch screen is nice for reading and watching movies. It has a resolution of 1200 X 1920p, which is decent for its price tag. Curiously, while Samsung is known for its attractive OLED displays, even on budget smartphones, the A8 uses an LCD screen, which is somewhat of a letdown. Another big letdown with the Galaxy Tab A8 revolves around outdoor use. When sunlight hits the screen, the glare makes it hard to see, and the tablet's brightness levels just aren't strong enough.

3. Lenovo Tab 2023 M8

For this device, the specifications alone tell you almost all that you need to know without hearing from previous users. The Lenovo M8 Tab is powered by a MediaTek Helio A22 processor with just 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It has an 8-inch HD display with 1280x800 resolution, a 5MP rear camera, and a 2MP front camera. These may be entry-level specs, but you'd generally expect better from a Lenovo Tablet. In terms of functionality, the combination of the Helio A22 processor and 2GB of RAM simply cannot handle modern apps smoothly. Users have complained that loading everyday apps like Netflix or YouTube takes noticeably longer than it should.

Even lightweight apps like Pandora have been known to freeze on Lenovo's M8. This led to one owner bluntly describing the tablet's performance as "laughable." As a result of these features, you really don't have the option of multitasking. With only 2GB of RAM, switching between open apps significantly slows the tablet. With that in mind, gaming is certainly not something you should consider because this device simply doesn't have the power.

Another uninspiring feature of this tablet is its display. It has an 8-inch ADS display, which, to be fair, is decent enough for indoor use. However, the Tab M8 only has Widevine L3 certification. What that means is you cannot watch Netflix in HD; you're limited to only standard definition. Given that other features of this tablet might force you to use it primarily for watching movies, it's a sad letdown. Even at a low price of $130, it's not a budget tablet we recommend buying.

4. TCL NxTpaper 11

With the NxTpaper 11, TCL tried to bridge the gap between e-readers and regular tablets, and to be fair, they didn't do too badly on that front. The headline feature is a proprietary matte display designed to reduce glare and filter blue light, making it easier on your eyes during long reading sessions. But there's a sort of give-and-take involved. What you're trading for a smooth reading experience is video display quality. This is because the matte coating reduces the sharpness of colors, making whatever you're watching appear a little dull.

TCL actually prepared for this possibility and included a "Nxtvision" mode designed to improve image quality, but reviewers said it didn't really make much of a difference. Performance-wise, the Nxtpaper 11 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P60T processor paired with 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, which surprisingly still gives headaches. For starters, the tablet takes about 27 seconds to power on. Once you're in, navigating the interface is mostly smooth, but launching and switching apps starts to reveal some lag.

One of the tablet's genuine strengths is its 8,000mAh battery, which is genuinely impressive. However, it takes between 3.5 to 4 hours to fully charge the battery, so you can forget about quick top-ups before heading out. At the time of writing, this device is currently listed on Amazon at $159 instead of its original price of $249. If you can get it at the discount price, then it's not a bad deal. If you can't, there are other good, cheap tablets you should consider.

5. Lenovo P11 Plus 2021

Last on our list is the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus. Its specifications include an 11-inch TDDI IPS display with 2K resolution (2000 x 1200) for smooth visuals, and a MediaTek Helio G90T octa-core processor, supported by 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. With these numbers, you should expect at least mid-level performance, but that's not the reality for owners. Carrying out basic tasks seems to be a problem with random freezing occurring even during everyday activities like browsing or checking emails.

However, the biggest issues users have had with this device stem from the software updates. One user reported receiving the Android 12 update notification, attempting to install it, and watching it fail repeatedly. Another tried four times before the fifth attempt completely locked them out of the tablet. A third owner went through the same failed update cycle only to have the tablet revert to Android 11.

Still on the software, both the Tab P11 and Tab P11 Plus come pre-loaded with apps that many owners describe as bloatware. Sure, you can try to uninstall them, but it really is not that straightforward. According to one owner, this factory-installed software repeatedly reinstalls itself, which can be pretty annoying, considering these pre-installed apps unnecessarily consume a ton of the tablet's storage. With all of these in mind, you'll be inclined to agree that you can do much better than this device with its $260 price tag.

How we compiled our list

For this article, we narrowed our search to tablets released within the past five years. Anything older than that is likely outdated anyway, and you probably wouldn't be considering it. We also excluded off-brand and no-name tablets, since their reviews tend to be generic and don't tell you much. From there, we combed through Amazon reviews and cross-checked them with discussions on forums like Reddit and Quora, as well as YouTube reviews. To find the tablets that consistently disappoint owners, we looked for patterns; not just one or two bad reviews, but recurring complaints. We also made sure to distinguish between the "this tablet isn't perfect" complaints and the "these shortcomings genuinely make this tablet hard to use" warnings. 

Because, ultimately, every device has trade-offs, especially at lower price points. However, these tablets have some major problems that make them especially frustrating to use. Whether it's tablets that advertise WiFi 6 but don't actually have it, devices with so little RAM that switching between apps causes it to freeze, bloatware that reinstalls itself no matter how many times you delete it, software updates that lock you out of your device, or screens so dim you can't use them in sunlight, these are the Android tablets actual owners warn you to reconsider buting.