Toshiba’s $99 Excite Go hopes to win the budget Android tablet war

Toshiba’s entry into the budget tablet arena has generated a combination of triumphs and defeats. The Toshiba Excite 7, in particular, encountered substantial obstacles in achieving market superiority. Nevertheless, Toshiba’s aggressive pricing approach accorded the subsequently launched Excite Go a potential advantage. This tablet, introduced on a Tuesday, runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, and was originally retailed at $109.99. An early July deal reduced this price to an attractive $99.

A pricing strategy as aggressive as this is seldom observed from a seasoned brand, despite the existence of alternatives like the HP 7 Plus. The HP 7 Plus, which features a 7-inch screen, operates on the relatively antiquated 4.2 Jelly Bean Android version. It employs a 1GHz A31 Allwinner processor that is less potent and offers a mere 8GB of storage space, which can only be extended through a microSD slot that accepts a maximum of 32GB SD cards.

Contrastingly, the Excite Go presents a more enticing value proposition. It exhibits a 7-inch display with a 1024-by-600-pixel resolution, running on a quick and effective quad-core Intel Atom processor. It also comes with 16GB of built-in storage, which can be ramped up to a significant 128GB via a microSD slot. As per Toshiba’s claims, the Excite Go’s battery has a lifespan of up to 8 hours, though it falls to approximately 6.5 hours during continuous video playback. Furthermore, its featherweight makeup, at a mere 12.5 ounces—scarcely more than half a pound—renders this tablet conveniently portable.

Whether the Toshiba Excite Go is worth its hundred-dollar price tag remains a debated subject even up until its launch in July. Nevertheless, for those on a stringent budget looking for a trustworthy tablet, the Toshiba Excite Go is a highly enticing choice.

Updated in 2025 to align with recent developments.