Though headlining mobile product unveilings have dwindled in recent years, expect the push towards tablet market saturation to continue at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

No, we likely won’t see a lot of high-end tablets with their sights set on Apple’s iPad Air 2, but we expect to see a surge in affordable, nearly disposable tablets from name brands and upstarts alike. The baseline for cheap, serviceable Android tablets has fallen from the once-standard $200 mark to the $100 range and below, while new Windows tablets will look to better compete with Android on price. If our predictions hold true, 2015 will be a good year for those looking to add a complimentary mobile device on the cheap.

Let’s start with a few possible scenarios based on rumors and shows past. Last year, Samsung showed off two new lines of Android tablets, the NotePro and TabPro series. These were quickly supplanted by the superior Galaxy Tab S line, though, and with Samsung’s mobile division struggling, I wouldn’t expect the usual spattering of Samsung one-offs. If any Samsung tablet were due for a refresh, it would be the 10.1-inch Galaxy Note, but the most recent update came at IFA in Berlin, not CES.

Sony also unveiled its midsized Xperia Tablet Z3 Compact at IFA, but the larger 10.1-inch refresh was conspicuously missing. A CES unveil is possible, but improbable—the larger Z2 Tablet debuted at Mobile World Congress in early 2014, rather than CES. Most of the bigger mobile announcements will take place at MWC this year, as companies have shifted away from CES and towards the European conference. That show takes place at the beginning of March 2015, so look out for more coverage as that date approaches.

Acer has confirmed that no new Android devices are on the way, while Asus, Toshiba, and Dell have been quiet in the run-up to the show. Lenovo will likely show off its new Yoga Tablets, but it’s possible there will be more releases from the growing Chinese company. Beyond that, expect tablets in the $100 range or below from companies like E-Fun, Polaroid, and a ton of other lesser-known companies. 

Don’t Forget Windows
That’s just on the Android side, though, and some of the more exciting movement will land on the Windows-powered side of the fence this year. Two key pieces will drive Windows-based tablet development in 2015. The first is Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 with Bing, a full version of Windows that will be free for vendors so long as they satisfy two conditions: The devices must be inexpensive, in the sub-$400 range, and they cannot have preinstalled browsers or cloud services other than Microsoft’s. It’s a savvy gambit that frees up the license to the full-fledged, touch-friendly desktop OS, helping low-end Windows tablets better compete with the spate of affordable Android tablets.

The second major development for Windows tablets is the introduction of Intel’s Core M processor, which offers better processing power than the Atom and Celeron CPUs used in a lot of Windows tablets, but uses passive cooling, with none of the cooling fans needed for a Core i3 or Core i5. It allows thinner, fanless designs and the same sort of battery life you’d expect from a low-powered Atom. The Core M devices are more expensive than the Atom chips, and the tablets are priced accordingly.

We expect a range of affordable and high-end Windows tablets from Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, HP, and Asus at this year’s CES. With HP’s $100 Stream 7 tablet earlier this year, it’ll be interesting to see just how low the pricing floor will drop. 

Ready for a world of uber affordable tablets? Stay tuned for in-depth coverage from this year’s show floor.

Be sure to check out our CES previews for:

• Laptops and Desktops
• Activity Trackers and Wearables
• HDTVs
• Digital Cameras