One of the best budget Android tablets I've tested is not made by Samsung or TCL
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The AGM Pad P2 Android tablet is a steal at $160 on Amazon.
- With a crisp display, solid mid-range performance, and decent battery life, this tablet is well worth the price.
- Note that the Pad P2’s included case is a bit flimsy, so you might want to purchase a third-party option.
Many would say Android has a stranglehold on the global market share because of inexpensive phones and tablets. There are billions of people on the planet who simply cannot afford the price tag of the latest Galaxy Tab Ultra or iPad Pro, and that’s where the more affordable Android options come into play.
Throw a rock into the internet, and you’ll find countless inexpensive Android tablets. I’ve tested several of them over the years, and although they may not perform at the level of devices costing five times the price, they are fully capable of serving anyone needing a mobile gadget that just works.
Also: One of the best budget Android tablets I’ve tested is not made by Samsung or Google
Such is the case with the AGM Pad P2. This 4G LTE-capable Android tablet is impressive, especially considering its sub-$200 price point.
The specs
- 11″ FHD 90Hz display
- MediaTek Helio G99 chipset 8-core at 2.2Ghz
- 8GB RAM with 256GB internal storage
- 50MP rear camera, 8MP front camera
- Widevine L1 certification (allows you to play HD or 4K content when the highest resolution is available)
- 7,850mAh battery with 20W fast charging
- OS – Android 14
- Weight – 530g
- Thickness 7.5mm
- Price – $199 on the AGM site and currently only $169 on Amazon
My experience
I’ve come to understand what cost-effective Android tablets mean. You typically get mid-range hardware, older versions of the OS, and bloatware. This time around, I was taken by surprise. Although the AGM Pad P2 offers less-premium hardware experience, it ships with the latest Android 14 and little to no bloatware.
Also: I love everything about this budget Android tablet (especially the price)
In fact, you get a fairly vanilla version of the operating system and three apps you might not usually find on a tablet: FM Radio, TabletManager, and SIM Toolkit. Besides that, it’s all a standard Android experience, and that’s good. Because there’s no added UI or bloatware, the AGM Pad P2 runs really well out of the box. Apps open quickly, animations are smooth, and video plays without skipping or buffering (so long as you’re on a decent network). This tablet performs as though it could sell for twice the cost.
The only thing that gives away the price is the included case, which is flimsy. The case does have what looks like a slot for a pen, but the tablet doesn’t ship with one.
The display is bright and clear, but certainly not the best I’ve ever seen. On sites with ads or graphics-heavy content, the tablet can jitter a bit when scrolling. But, again, this is midrange hardware, so it’s to be expected. Fortunately, watching YouTube videos, one of the most popular use cases for a tablet, was a crisp and burdenless experience.
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For those curious about how the camera performs, I found it besting some of the $400 tablets on my tech shelf. The only caveat is that you don’t get many edits when taking a photo in Portrait mode (such as the ability to change the blur percentage). The Pad P2 does, however, take photos that are indicative of a more costly tablet, like the iPad Air.
On a final note, the battery life on the Pad P2 is good but not great. Depending on your usage, you’ll easily get a full day out of a single charge. Lighter use (mainly web browsing and emailing) can extend that life to a few days. I left the P2 in standby mode, and after a week, it still had 14% battery. That’s not too shabby.
ZDNET’s buying advice
That’s to say, I honestly can’t complain about the overall experience I got out of this inexpensive tablet. The AGM Pad P2 runs well, looks great, includes the latest version of Android, sounds fairly decent, and has a rock-solid display. As I said, the only knock I can give it is the flimsy case. While it’s supposed to fold and serve as a stand, it seems too fragile to hold up for the long haul. Of course, you could probably find a generic 11-inch case on Amazon that would serve it better.
As long as you don’t expect high-end specs and performance, the AGM Pad P2 will surprise you. It’s available from Amazon for just under $170, which is a steal for a tablet that will probably serve you for some time.
