Tablets are a genuinely great piece of hardware to have in the home. While some folks may scoff at the thought of using something that’s basically just an enlarged phone without calling capabilities, they’re great for a plethora of different things. Watching your favorite shows or movies, playing games, and even using them for video calls is a great thing. But a budget tablet can sometimes cause more headaches than it’s worth.
I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ since 2024 at this point, and recently, it’s started to get on the slower side. The tablet still has a fantastic screen and excellent audio, and I’d love to keep using it for the foreseeable future. I figured I should start tweaking things to make it run smoother, and these little tricks have breathed some new life into my tablet.
Try running a minimal launcher
Something like Niagara or KISS can make the interface much smoother
When using a budget tablet, one of the most cumbersome areas of navigation is using the standard launcher. Samsung has made some pretty significant strides with recent software updates, making One UI run relatively well on my aging A9+. But even with all of the software updates that have been pushed through recently, there were still plenty of moments of lag and hangups. None that I’ve seen since I switched my launcher.
Using something like Nova Launcher may be a great option for those who want extreme amounts of customization. But I’ve been a big fan of Niagara for a while now — it’s incredibly minimalistic, and I love how it looks and feels. It’s got a bit of a learning curve, seeing as it fundamentally changes how the home screen looks and feels, but it’s also perfect for cheaper tablets that stutter on the main screen.
- OS
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Android
- Price model
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Free w/in-app purchases
- App Type
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Launcher
A minimal launcher meant to help budget phones and tablets stay speedy for years to come. It’s also great for productivity, but does have a bit of a learning curve for new users.
Utilize Developer Options to your advantage
Disable animations, limit background processes, and more to keep up with the times
One of the most powerful tools for any Android user is the Developer Options menu. Accessing this is incredibly easy — all you need to do is find your Build Number, typically under the About Device section, and tap it 7 times. It’s really that simple, and you’ll gain access to some incredibly valuable settings that can be toggled on or off with just a press of a fingertip.
While there are plenty of settings here, there are a few in particular that I would recommend toggling off if you’re on a budget tablet. Background Process Limits set to 3 maximum, Animation Scale to Off to turn off animations that typically play when things are opening or closing, and if it’s an option on your device, Force GPU Rendering. If you would prefer to have those animations back, you can always set the scale to something lower than 1x, but that may slow things down again.
Use “Lite” versions of popular applications
Facebook is roughly 100MB, whereas Facebook Lite is roughly 10MB
It feels like optimization has taken a backseat to pumping as many unnecessary features into an app as humanly possible. The Facebook Lite application basically functions more like their webpage, and is perfect for budget devices, devices with poor connections, or for folks who find themselves doomscrolling on the app for far too long. It’s also a great way to use social media on a device with lower RAM or memory constraints.
The regular Facebook application can also swell up over time, whereas Facebook Lite stays quite small, no matter how much you use it. Will there be some drawbacks? For sure, especially when it comes to photo and video resolution. But if you’re hoping to save space on your device, and still have complete access to your favorite social media applications, check and see if there is a “Lite” version available. Browsers have them, too.
I turned my old Android tablet into a second monitor for free
I skipped buying a portable monitor and reused an old tablet instead—and it worked far better than expected.
Keep your storage as low as possible
The more storage that you use, the slower your device may function
Many people may already know this, so this is just a reminder to those who may not be aware — the more stuff you have on your devices, the slower they may operate. Especially as you near your storage cap. Some budget tablets still allow users to add additional storage via SD cards, but for tablets that don’t have this feature? You may need to remove some of your apps or replace them with the Lite versions as explained above.
If you’ve got too much junk on your device, using a trusted cleaner could be a good way to ensure that you’re not running out of space. Apps like Clean Master used to rule in this particular space, but as people began to realize that they were causing more harm than good, they were quickly pulled from the app store. Open-source cleaners like SD Maid SE have been a staple of my Android devices up to this point, and I would recommend using them to keep your devices in tip-top shape.
If all else fails, you can always repurpose your old tablet
There are a ton of different things you can do with an old tablet, rather than tossing it out
If you’ve tried everything you can think of and your tablet still isn’t working as you would like it, you don’t need to toss it into the recycle bin. There are still many different ways you can reuse it around your house, from a digital photo frame to a unique take on a recipe book. While manufacturers want us to upgrade to their newest, biggest, and brightest devices, our old ones still have plenty of value for the foreseeable future.
If you’ve got a smaller tablet that you picked up for cheap, you may even be able to make your car a bit smarter before your next road trip. Even if you’re curious to mess around with an older device that you picked up for pennies on the dollar, there are plenty of projects that show what its true value is.
