Walmart’s Onn Tablets Pivot Toward Mid-Range Specs to Challenge Samsung’s Budget Dominance
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Walmart is making a play for the budget tablet market
For years, the entry-level tablet market in the U.S. has been a binary choice: you either bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab A-series device or a generic, often underpowered slate that barely functioned. That dynamic is shifting as Walmart leans heavily into its house brand, Onn, with a massive rollout of six new Android tablets designed to undercut the Galaxy Tab A11 series on price while offering surprisingly competitive hardware.
The most aggressive move in this lineup is the Onn 13 Pro Tablet. While budget tablets typically hover around the 10-inch mark, Walmart is pushing into the large-format space with a 13-inch 2400 x 1600 IPS LCD. Under the hood, it utilizes an unspecified 2.6GHz MediaTek processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. In a surprising move for a sub-$300 device, the 13 Pro also carries an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance—a feature usually reserved for more expensive ruggedized gear or flagship handsets.
What makes the 13 Pro particularly disruptive isn’t just the $288 price tag, but the bundle. Including both a stylus and a protective case in the box removes the ‘hidden costs’ that often plague the Galaxy Tab A11+ experience, where accessories are frequently sold separately.
Scaling down: The Core series
Below the Pro model, Walmart has introduced a tiered ‘Core’ lineup that targets different user personas, from students to casual media consumers. The Onn 11 Core Tablet serves as the mid-point, featuring an 11-inch 1840 x 1280 IPS LCD and the MediaTek Helio G99. With 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it’s positioned as a viable alternative for those who find the base Tab A11 too restrictive in multitasking capabilities. It retails for $167.
For those prioritizing portability over screen real estate, the 8.1 Core Tablet utilizes a Snapdragon 685 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Priced at $138, it bridges the gap between a large smartphone and a full-sized tablet. At the absolute bottom of the pyramid sits the 7 Core Tablet. With a 1024 x 600 display and a Helio G80 processor, this $97 device is effectively a digital notebook, aimed at the most price-sensitive consumers in the North American market.
Addressing the ‘Kid-Proof’ segment
Walmart isn’t ignoring the durability requirements of younger users. The lineup includes two dedicated children’s tablets, both bundled with chunky bumper cases and a 45-day subscription to ABC Mouse. The larger kid-centric model features an 11-inch screen and a MediaTek G88 chip for $136, while the 8-inch variant is priced at $118, though availability for the smaller model has been inconsistent on Walmart’s digital storefront.
The strategic shift here is clear: Onn is no longer just providing ‘cheap’ tablets; they are providing ‘value’ tablets. By shipping Android 16 and including expanded RAM (6GB to 8GB) across most of the lineup, Walmart is attacking the primary weakness of budget tablets—performance throttling and aggressive background app killing.
While the camera systems across the board remain humble—mostly 2Mp and 5Mp sensors—the reality is that very few users utilize budget tablets for photography. By sacrificing camera quality to boost RAM and storage, Walmart has created a product that feels more functional in daily use than many of its counterparts in the same price bracket.
