Best tablet deals: Windows and Android slates from $77

If you're looking for cheap, mid-sized tablets for entertainment or work, you'll want to check out this list of five great tablet deals. You can save $30 on the full-HD Dell Venue 8, grab a Toshiba Encore Mini for just $79, or bag a Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 at $81 off.

Neil Hand, VP of the Tablet Group at Dell Inc., speaks about the new Dell Venue 10 7000 series tablet at the Intel Developer’s Forum 2014. Thanks to an incredible boom in production over the past couple years, tablets have never been more plentiful or cheap.

AP Photo/Tony Avelar/File

January 24, 2015

Thanks to an incredible boom in production over the past couple years, tablets have never been more plentiful or cheap. And nowhere is that more apparent than our weekly roundup of the best tablet deals. Save $30 on the full-HD Dell Venue 8, grab a Toshiba Encore Mini for just $79, or bag a Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 at $81 off.

Dell Venue 8 8" 16GB Android Tablet

Store: Newegg
Price: $119.99 with free shipping
Lowest By: $30
Expires: January 31

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Is It Worth It?: If you're looking for a mid-size entertainment tablet that can display full-HD videos, then Dell's 2nd-generation Venue 8 is one of the most reasonably priced options around. An Editors' Choice pick, right now this tablet is available for $120 from Newegg or Amazon, a savings $30 under current prices elsewhere.
The 0.7-lb. Venue 8 features an Intel Atom Z3480 2.13GHz dual-core processor, an 8" 1920x1200 IPS touchscreen LCD, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.4 (Kit Kat).

ASUS VivoTab 8 8" 32GB Windows 8.1 Tablet

Store: Microsoft Store
Price: $149 with free shipping
Lowest By: $40 

Is It Worth It?: An 8" tablet that's perhaps more suited to work than play, the Asus VivoTab 8 Signature Edition comes with a 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal. You'll save $40 on this mid-size workhorse.
The VivoTab 8 boasts an 8" 800x1200 IPS multi-touch screen, an Intel Atom Z3745 1.33Ghz processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 2-megapixel front and rear cameras, 802.11a/n wireless, Bluetooth, and Windows 8.1 32-bit. 

Toshiba Encore Mini 16GB 7" Windows 8.1 Tablet with a Toshiba 16GB microSD Card

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Store: Microsoft Store
Price: $79 with free shipping
Lowest By: $21 

Is It Worth It?: Small in size but big on value, this Toshiba Encore Mini bundle remains an Editors' Choice bargain for the second week in a row. For just $79, you'll score the tablet and a 16GB microSD card, saving you $21 on the tablet alone.
The Toshiba Encore Mini sports an Intel Atom Z3735G 1.33GHz quad-core processor, a 7" 768x1280 multi-touch screen, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, front and rear cameras, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, and Windows 8.1 32-bit. 

Refurbished Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 10.1" 32GB Android Tablet

Store: A4C
Price: $119.95 with free shipping
Lowest By: $81 

Is It Worth It?: The Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 isn't the most cutting-edge 10" tablet around, but it's built remarkably well. "The first time I handled the Lenovo IdeaTab S6000, I thought it was worth much more than its asking price," PC World's reviewer raved. "And that’s the thing about the S6000; almost every facet is better than it should be." Although we saw it for $20 less during Black Friday, this refurb is tied with last week's mention and an incredible $81 price low.
This 1.2-lb. tablet features a 1280x800 touchscreen LCD, an MTK MT8389 quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of flash memory, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, a 0.3-megapixel front camera, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and Android 4.2 OS (Jelly Bean). A 90-day A4C warranty applies. 

Refurbished Hisense Sero 8 8" 16GB Android Tablet

Price: $76.99 with free shipping
Lowest By: $3
Expires: January 29

Is It Worth It?: If all you're looking for is a mid-size, entry-level tablet, then the Hisense Sero is a steal at $77. Unlike many sub-$100 Androids, this refurb offers access to the Google Play store, which is generally more secure than a 3rd-party app marketplace.
The Hisense Sero 8 features an 8" 1280x800 touchscreen display, a Cortex A9 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, a 2-megapixel rear camera, a 0.3-megapixel front camera, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 3.0, and Android 4.4 (KitKat). A 30-day warranty applies, but it's unclear who backs it.Marcy Bonebright is a features writer for dealnews.com, where this article first appeared.