Tablet Insight: Budget Cases

It seems people are tightening their belts everywhere these days. Perhaps you have found yourself in a similar situation where a paycheck must be stretched to the end of the month or else you have to stay in on the weekend. Whatever your strategies of saving, here is one more to add to your list: budget tablet cases.

If you already have a tablet, then you have probably shelled out a nice chunk of change (although, Amazon’s Kindle series is certainly becoming more affordable!) so in order to keep costs down, I’ll take you through the best of the budget cases. For under $30 you can usually get all the features of some high-end cases.

Average Pricing

First off, there are plenty of cases that are come normally priced at under $30. For example, screen protectors , back protectors and tablet skins should run normally at about $20. An envelope tablet case or a tablet sleeve is usually priced around $25.

We here at tablet2cases have gone through a tremendous amount of research to figure out these average prices, so it is a good guideline while shopping around. So now that we have a good understanding about some of these prices, let’s take a look at some budget cases that give you the most bang for your buck.

Affordable Folios

The folio style is a very popular and very useful case design. The folio tablet cases offer good overall protection, a nice way to transport your tablet and sometimes an integrated tablet stand . Normally, these cases have an average of about $45.

If you are trying out case design and just want to get a feel of the folio, why not consider the nicely priced iPad Bookstand from Macally tablet cases, which sells for $24.95. If you dig the folio style, you can always upgrade later!



Or perhaps you need to go budget because you have a bunch of gifts to get for others, you are ordering a bulk of cases for your classroom—whatever it is, this $8.95 folio is a STEAL.

Stylish Sleeves

The tablet sleeve style case is a classic. No nonsense, easy to use, great access to the tablet, similar to what laptop users have—this is a case design that really let’s you save. As I said above, a typical sleeve or envelope tablet case is around $20. Let’s see if we can cut that price in half.

Our first contender is a vibrant red sleeve. Keeps the tablet safe, looks good, and gets the job done. $9.95? Why not.



For just a fiver more you can pick up one of Paul Frank tablet cases that is suitable for any 7-inch tablet. Again, a deal at $14.95! This kind of case seems ideal to me if you must transport your tablet every day, but like the feel of the tablet in your hands when you are using it. Take it out of the sleeve and it is ready to go.

Skins & Back Protectors

Most tablet skins out there aren’t too expensive. Every once in while you see some priced around $30-$40 and it is perhaps a bit over the top. The ‘skin’ is a simple case design that is literally like an extra, thin, film-like layer on your tablet that helps with grip, protection and can add some flare.

Back protectors have a similar function—cover up and protect the back. These guys are thicker than skins, but about the same price. So, what can you get on a budget?

iFrogz tablet cases offer up a nice looking, frosted-style gel-like back protector. What is particularly nice for this case and its price is that it is made from TPU material, which gives it the jelly-like feel. Plus, TPU is preferable to silicon in my opinion. Silicon tends to attract more lint and dust and it is harder to keep clean over time. But, silicon-based cases are usually cheaper than TPU. So, a $19.95 priced TPU back protector is right on!



If you don’t need a silicon or TPU jelly kind of case but don’t want a hard plastic back protector, check out this generic $14.95 flexible-yet rigid back protector. This one has a great price, protects the case (while adding a nice map design), and has good access to all the external ports.



Considering skins, these are a bit more difficult for a small budget. I say, as long as you are paying some cash for a skin, you might as well customize it. GelaSkins tablet cases allow you to do exactly that for $19.95 (for Kindle Fire, iPad Gelaskins cost $29.95). Simply upload your photo and you are ready to go for just as much as you’d pay for another generic skin.

That’s not all folks!

These are just a few cases and a few of the styles to pique your interest and whet your appetite for the ‘right case search’. Take a look through our wide range of case reviews and features and you’ll find that there is a case for every taste and every price range.

Tablet Insight is a weekly column by Thomas Andersen that focuses on the innovative tablet uses and considers what is the most compatible and necessary tablet case.