Best Android tablets under £200 on the UK market for December 2013

Discover the best Android tablets for under £200 for the holiday buying season in Wired.co.uk's buying guide.

Do you really need to shell out the big bucks to get a terrific tablet? Not if you're smart about it. Some sub-£200 tablets may be a bell or a whistle short of the high-enders but they have the good stuff where it counts. 

GoogleNexus 7
The 2013 version of Google's party piece beefs up the original's spec with a hugely impressive HD screen, more powerful processor and a new camera while keeping the price low.

The 7 inch screen now boasts a pin-sharp HD resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels and of course it will be the first device to get the very latest Android version 4.4 KitKat as soon as it becomes available.

The quad-core 1.5GHz processor is very fast indeed and there's now a 5 megapixel camera, with a 1.2 megapixel version on the front. Nexus beats just about anything at this price on features, and it offers better value for money than just about any other tablet out there -- it's still the one to beat.
Wired: Terrific screen, powerful processor, new camera, low price
Tired: Bigger than the original, no expandable memory
Cost: £199
Score: 9/10
Read our full review of the GoogleNexus 7
AmazonKindle Fire HDX 7
If you choose a Kindle tablet you probably don't want to bother with the sometimes confusing world of standard Android, and Amazon's simplified, iOS-style interpretation of the interface delivers that.
Yes, you can add the Kindle app to any other Android tablet, but with the Fire HDX you also get access to Amazon's lending library and the Mayday button -- instant video assistance from an Amazon employee, very handy for tablet newbies.
Its 7 inch screen matches the Nexus 7 with its sharp 1,920x1,200 resolution and the quad-core 2.2GHz processor means it's very fast indeed.
This one has 32GB of memory on board and you can get it even cheaper if you go for the 16GB version (there's no option to add more memory though). And although there's plenty of content available from Amazon, you don't get access to the myriad app delights of Google Play.
Wired: Sturdy but lightweight, terrific screen, slimmed down UI, fast processor
Tired: No Google Play, no expandable memory
Cost: £199
Score: 8/10
Read our full review of the  AmazonKindle Fire HDX 7
LenovoYoga Tablet 8
It looks a little weird but that cylindrical bulge not only makes it easy to hold single-handed, it also holds an outsize battery which should keep you going for around three days -- considerably longer than most tablets.
It also houses a brace of Dolby Digital Plus DS1 stereo speakers which pump out a sound that's better than expected -- certainly better than most tablets -- and a sturdy fold-out metal kick stand.

The 8 inch screen offers a perfectly fine 1,280x800 pixels -- not quite as sharp as some others here, but then it is bigger. The quad-core processor is clocked at 1.2GHz and backed by 1GB Ram -- not bad, but it's a bit sluggish compared to the Nexus 7 and other big guns in this space.
Wired: Sturdy build and kick stand, okay camera, long battery life
Tired: Odd shape, processor could be better
Cost: £199
Score: 7/10
Read our full review of the  LenovoYoga Tablet 8
Tesco Hudl
You can actually get the Hudl for less than £100 if you have Tesco ClubCard vouchers, but even at the full price of £119 it's still a bargain.

It's sturdily built -- essential for a family-friendly device. The 7 inch ten-point multitouch screen offers a decently sharp 1,440x900 pixel resolution and its 1.5GHz quad-core processor is fast too, capable of HD movie viewing, fast browsing and even HD gameplay. There's a low-quality 3 megapixel camera on the back plus a 2 megapixel one on the front for video calls and unlike the Kindle, you can beef up the 16GB of onboard memory via microSD card.
Wired: Decent screen, quad-core processor, expandable memory, low price
Tired: Poor camera, processor could be faster
Cost: £119 (or less with ClubCard vouchers)

Score: 7/10

Read our full review of the  Tesco Hudl