The iPad Mini is on sale right now, but I love this gaming tablet more and it's STILL $50 cheaper

Image of the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) tablet for Amazon Prime Day.
I love this little tablet, and you can get it at an unbeatable price right now. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

The iPad Mini is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed tiny tablets for a lot of good reasons, and right now it's on sale for $479.99 at Best Buy — a $120 discount on a great companion.

What if I told you that there's an even better mini tablet that's always $50 less than the iPad Mini — and it's also $120 off right now. Yes, the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) is just $429.99 at Lenovo, and I'd choose that premium gaming tablet over Apple's offering every day of the week.

You can even get the Lenovo Tab Plus Pen for $49.99 at Lenovo without paying more than you would for the iPad by itself (and Apple's pen will cost you $69 at Best Buy, so there are even more savings there).

Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3)
Better than iPad 🍎
Save 22%
Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3): was $549.99 now $429.99 at Lenovo USA

"The Lenovo Legion Tab is a small, Android-powered tablet designed with mobile gaming in mind, but it's a fantastic tablet companion all around. With a sleek and premium design, a fast and responsive display, and powerful internals with a large battery, the Legion Tab isn't just the best iPad Mini alternative — I flat out like it more." — Zachary Boddy

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅Perfect if: You want a more capable and affordable miniature tablet than the iPad Mini — especially if you're interested in cloud or mobile gaming.

❌Avoid if: You're most interested in drawing and notetaking; the Legion Tab is still great for that, but it's one area where the iPad Mini is simply better.

👉See at: Lenovo.com

🔥Full package: Lenovo Tab Pen Plus for $49.99 at Lenovo and Razer Kishi V3 Pro for $149.99 at Amazon

One of the best Android tablets, even if you don't care about gaming

The Lenovo Legion Tab, an Android tablet, won a Windows Central Editor's Choice award. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

Miniature tablets hold a special place in a lot of people's hearts, but there aren't a lot of great options — especially if you want a more premium product. In that department, the iPad Mini has historically dominated.

Right now, though, Lenovo is challenging that position with the Legion Tab (Gen 3). This 8.8-inch tablet is designed with gaming in mind, sure, which means it's equipped with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and a smooth 165Hz display, but it's a premium tablet all around.

It's less than 8mm thick, boasts a large battery with great endurance, and rocks two USB Type-C ports — so you can dock it, charge it, connect a mobile controller, and more without worrying about a thing.

Normally $550, the Legion Tab does compete on the same playing field as the iPad Mini (and Apple has never been known for value), but Lenovo offers a lot of bang for your buck. You get a folio case, a screen protector, and even a 68W fast charger in the box (wild, I know), and it all costs $50 less than the equivallent 256GB iPad Mini.

This is one of my favorite handheld gaming experiences of all time. Just look at that screen! (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

Of course, the Legion Tab is also on sale for $120 off, and that makes it a killer deal in my opinion. I praised the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) in my review, calling it the "best Android-powered iPad Mini alternative."

I ranked it #5 on my list of the top 10 tech products I've reviewed in 2025, and even wrote about how the Legion Tab has become my go-to gaming handheld when paired with my favorite mobile controller.

Yes, it even made an appearance on my round-up of the best deals on my favorite reviewed tech for Amazon Prime Day.

The sleek design, beautiful display, the shockingly beefy speakers, and the top-notch performance make the Legion Tab great for gaming, but it's also awesome for media consumption, web browsing, notetaking, and everything else you could need a mini tablet for.

I truly wouldn't consider the iPad Mini over the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) at all, but I will admit there are exactly two areas where Apple's product has an edge. iPadOS does boast more tablet-optimized apps than Android's Google Play Store (and you obviously get more integration with the Apple ecosystem), and the stylus experience with the Apple Pencil is a step above the Legion Tab and Lenovo's active stylus.

Lenovo's software is actually quite good, though, adding extra features on top of Android without getting in the way, including a desktop mode for when you want to dock the Legion Tab and get some serious work done.

It takes a mere second to take the Legion Tab out of this controller, and suddenly you have an excellent premium tablet. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)

I won't fault anyone for going the Apple route. Honestly, getting an iPad Mini with 256GB of storage for $479.99 at Best Buy is pretty tempting, and even the Apple Pencil is slightly discounted at $69 at Best Buy.

For me, though, the clear winner this Amazon Prime Day is the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3), which offers far more value and is — in my opinion — the better tablet for most people, even if you're not a gamer. You don't need an Amazon Prime membership for this deal, either.

If you're in the market for a capable and premium mini tablet, take my advice and pick up the Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3) for $429.99 at Lenovo instead. If you want the complete experience, I also recommend the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus for $49.99 at Lenovo.

Of course, gamers should also consider investing in a mobile controller for the ultimate gaming experience, and my pick is absolutely the Razer Kishi V3 Pro for $149.99 at Amazon. You can go read my Razer Kishi V3 Pro review if you want some more info on that.

Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3)
Better than iPad 🍎
Save 22%
Lenovo Legion Tab (Gen 3): was $549.99 now $429.99 at Lenovo USA

✅Perfect if: You want a more capable and affordable miniature tablet than the iPad Mini — especially if you're interested in cloud or mobile gaming.

❌Avoid if: You're most interested in drawing and notetaking; the Legion Tab is still great for that, but it's one area where the iPad Mini is simply better.

👉See at: Lenovo.com

🔥Full package: Lenovo Tab Pen Plus for $49.99 at Lenovo and Razer Kishi V3 Pro for $149.99 at Amazon

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft.

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