Mrs SR has been using my old iPad 2 for a few years now, and I have a suspicion it’s just chugging along like an old tractor now, but she doesn’t complain.

I wouldn’t be able to spend much (say around £250), but would I be advised to get her a second-hand, but more recent, iPad? Or is there an Android one out there (or some other system) that would be better?

I’m not an apple fan but one good thing is that they hold their price. Music magpie will give you £65 for it.
Then head over to the apple refurb store.
I’ve just got an iPad mini 2 for £189 which is miles better than my mini 1 which I sold for £70.

Depends what you mean by “better,” and what she’s using it for.

Apple vs Android comes down a lot to personal preference, so change may be an issue here. I have an Android tablet, my OH has an iPad, and when either of us have cause to use the other’s device it drives us round the twist. Neither of us are likely to want to jump ship any time soon.

If you’re already bought in to the Apple infrastructure then of course any app purchases wouldn’t be of any use to her on an Android tablet. This may or may not be a concern depending on whether she’s bought two apps or two hundred.

So what are these Amazon Fire tablets like? Any good?

Mrs SR couldn’t care less what sort of tablet she uses; indeed here phone is Android, and she uses the iPad because it was free. As far as I know, she hasn’t downloaded any apps for it.

What she uses it for is online banking, online home admin, and the weekly Tesco order.

Would a Fire handle that alright?

Mrs withchips has just moved from an ipad 2 to a fire hd8. New one is a nice bit of kit, handy enough for shopping and books and does email and whatever shark, candy or farm based crap she’s playing very well.
We neglected to pay the extra to remove the ads (you can take the boy out of fife…) not sure it makes a lot of difference.
Long story short: recommended.

We have Amazon fire tablets for the kids. They work very well for consuming media from the Amazon ecosystem.

Problem with iPads is the cost. Problem with Androids is the variety and different specs to choose from.

That sort of price is also cheap Windows laptop/tablet convertible territory. You can use it as a tablet, but then stick the keyboard on if you need it. Like a Surface but loads cheaper and not quite as good obvs.

Re online banking etc – you can only install apps from Amazon on a Fire. They do have a lot of apps, but they might not have your online banking app. Websites would still work, but the apps are better.

What she uses it for is online banking, online home admin, and the weekly Tesco order.

If that’s genuinely the case, why are you replacing the iPad?

I’ve used a Samsung Galaxy Tab E briefly and it seemed OK but I have a first gen iPad Air and can’t see me switching away from Apple when I replace it. Partly due to the apps investment (not sure if that’s relevant to you) but also I personally think they’re the best available, albeit at a price.
If you changed to something new now for under £250 it might not be noticeably faster than your current iPad 2, why are you looking to change if she only does basic things on it?

If that’s genuinely the case, why are you replacing the iPad?

At a guess, it’s because it’s her birthday, chosing presents is a nightmare, and he can’t think of anything else to get her.

Went to a new iPad Air from an iPad 2. The old one went to th in-laws for basic browsing of BBC. The new one is a lot faster, thinner etc. Since Mrs Tired doesn’t really do apps I didn’t feel the need for stupid amounts of memory. Better than trading in and everyone is very happy.

I wouldn’t go for a mini if she’s used to a full size iPad. I have a mini4, and it’s much more portable, but it’s no laptop substitute.

You’re getting her a new tablet to make her shopping easier? 😆

Maybe you could do the dishes on her birthday so she can get the ironing done before bed?

Have you considered a Windows 10 tablet? We’ve got Android, Apple and Windows 10 tablets and it’s I’d say W10 is the best option.

I bought a cheap (sub £150 I think) quad-core Lenovo from Amazon which has a detachable keyboard and that’s been a very good bit of kit, almost like a cheaper/smaller MS Surface.

If that’s genuinely the case, why are you replacing the iPad?

What mogrim said, plus the fact that it is very slow now, and she finds that some sites won’t load, or that the things she does use take a long time to open. Having said that, I would love for her to be able to use it more for entertainment as well, as she is not the kind of person who treats herself to much.