These are the best affordable Windows 10 tablets money can buy

It used to be that a good Windows 10 device cost an arm and a leg, and the cheap ones were rubbish. But that's the past. Today there are plenty of affordable, quality Windows 10 tablets to choose from with the Chuwi Hi10 X rising to the top of the pile. If you're now working from home, it's a solid choice on a budget to get the job done.

Best Overall: Chuwi Hi10 X

The Windows 10 era has been a golden age for hardware. The horrors of the super-budget netbooks are long behind us, and we now find a range of top quality products at super affordable prices like the Chuwi Hi10 X.

That means for not a lot of money now; you can get a great looking display, with support from an optional keyboard and digital pen if you want them. It's powered by Intel's N4100 Celeron quad-core processor, and as standard comes with 128GB of internal storage backed up by 6GB of RAM.

Ultimately what the Hi10 X is, is a compact, affordable laptop, especially if you spring for the detachable keyboard and digital pen. It's not just a great tablet with killer specs for its bargain-basement price, it's a pretty capable laptop, too.

Reasons to buy

• Detachable keyboard and pen options
• 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM
• 1920x1200 IPS display
• Superb price
• USB-C

Reasons not to buy

• Average battery life
• Poor cameras

Best Overall

Chuwi Hi10 X

$230 at Amazon

A great tablet from a brand you might not know

The Hi10 X is well made, has a great screen, specs, and an optional, detachable keyboard and pen.

Best Premium: Microsoft Surface Go 2

The Surface brand is desirable, and thanks to the Surface Go 2, it's no longer out of reach for folks on tighter budgets. Any model is easily a match for most affordable laptops, with the bonus of a touchscreen with inking support. Inking is an essential tool because the size of the Surface Go 2 makes it a truly spectacular digital notebook.

On this kind of budget, you'll be getting the entry-level model with an Intel Pentium processor, 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. While the optional Type Cover will get the best experience from it, it's not a compulsory purchase. You can alternatively just use any wired or wireless keyboard you may already have to type on the Surface Go and save a little money.

The Surface Go is a proper Surface but with a much more attractive price. And with a larger 10.5-inch screen now on the Surface Go 2, there's never been a better time to get one. As a tablet, this is potentially the Surface to go for as well. It's small enough to toss in any bag and comfortable to use while sitting on the sofa or while traveling to watch a movie.

Pros:

• All-day battery life.
• Kickstand built-in.
• Touchscreen with inking.
• Great price

Cons:

• Keyboard not included.
• Better performing models can get expensive

Best Premium

Microsoft Surface Go 2

Everything that we love about a Surface but for less money

From $400 at Microsoft

A Surface experience on a smaller scale with a more modest price, but no real compromises.

Best Budget: Fusion5 10-inch tablet

This tablet is slim, light has a beautiful display, and an attractive price, all wrapped up with Windows 10 in S mode. Of course, you can always upgrade out of that if you wish, and while there's no included keyboard, you do get an option with 128GB of storage to go with the 4GB of RAM and Intel Atom processor for a pretty potent little device.

This isn't the fanciest of Windows tablets, and the performance will hardly set the world on fire with an Intel Atom processor inside, but it's well put together and has plenty going for it. And it's not much of a looker from behind, but it has it where it counts.

For one, you get a ton of ports on this thing, which isn't the norm for tablets in general. Not only do you have USB, but also micro USB and micro HDMI along with a 3.5mm headset jack and a micro SD card slot.

Pros:

• Nice screen
• Plenty of ports
• Expandable storage
• Great price

Cons:

• Lackluster CPU performance
• Not the greatest looking tablet around

Best Budget

Fusion5 10-inch tablet

Affordable but still great hardware

This 10-inch tablet comes with Windows 10 in S mode and up to 128GB of storage in a sleek form factor.

From $200 at Amazon

Best for Work: Chuwi U-Book Pro

The Surface Go 2 might be a baby Surface, but what about if you're looking for that kind of experience but still want the larger screen for working on? That's where the Chuwi U-Book comes in. Size-wise it's a good match, but it costs an awful lot less.

The hardware is scaled down to an Intel N4100 processor and a 1080p display, but with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, the U-Book Pro makes up for it in other ways.

It also has a kickstand, optional pen, and detachable keyboard, and for the price, it represents real value. The display is even fully laminated, so while it's limited to 1080p in resolution, it looks great and is a joy to use.

Pros:

• Nice screen with lamination
• Kickstand built-in
• SSD storage
• 8GB of RAM

Cons:

• Lackluster CPU performance
• Keyboard and pen extra purchase

Best for Work

Chuwi U-Book Pro

Like a Surface Pro but less expensive

A large screen, kickstand, and optional keyboard and pen like a Surface Pro but with a much more affordable price tag.

$370 at Amazon

The bottom line

Affordable Windows tablets aren't as commonplace as perhaps similar hardware running Android, but there are still some excellent choices out there. Chuwi is a brand that's putting out a lot of good quality Windows hardware, and the Hi10 X is a perfect example.

It's also an example of the versatility of Windows 10. If you want to use the Hi10 X as a tablet, you can. If you're going to use it as a laptop, you can, thanks to the optional keyboard that clips on and off at will. If you want to use a pen to draw and write, you can.

And all of that on a well priced, well-made tablet. You can't argue with that.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Daniel Rubino is the executive editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft since 2009 back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, HoloLens, Xbox, and future computing visions. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.