Which Amazon Fire Tablet should you get?
Look no further, for we have the definitive listing of the best Amazon Fire Tablets to help you make your purchase decision. Can you believe that Fire Tablets have been around for almost a decade? When the original Kindle Fire was released way back in 2011, many thought Amazon was onto something with a low-cost, easy-to-use tablet experience. You know what? They were right! Today, there are no fewer than six Fire Tablet devices on offer from Amazon if you count the Kids Editions. Out of them all, we think the Fire HD 8 (2020) is the best overall value thanks to its size, improved processor, charging, storage capabilities, and ability to hit an affordable price point still. Here is a list of some of the best Fire Tablets out on the market right now.
Best overall Amazon Fire Tablet: Fire HD 8 Tablet (2020)
The Fire HD 8 sits in between the Fire 7 and Fire HD 10 in more ways than one. It's roughly in the middle of the two sizes, of course, but it's also priced in the middle. Those two data points alone justify the Fire HD 8 as a great choice, but let's explore a little more about what makes this device special.
For starters, it's the lowest-priced Fire device you can get with a 1280x800 resolution display. The base model comes with 32GB of storage, but you can quickly and cheaply add to that with a microSD card and expand up to 1TB. With up to 12 hours of battery life, you'll have plenty of juice to watch several movies or play games on the go. The device features Dolby Atmos in its dual stereo speakers and comes with a headphone jack to enjoy your music or videos. Unfortunately, you won't get access to Google apps, but the Amazon app store has better offerings than it used to.
Our favorite feature here is the hands-free Alexa. You can call out to Alexa to ask questions or give commands. So not only is this device great as an entertainment portal, but it can also serve as a smart home hub. For example, you can use the touchscreen or Alexa to control your lights and thermostat, show you who's at the front door through your Ring camera, or video chat with friends and family through its 720p HD video camera. You also get two 2MP cameras - one on the front and one on the back.
Even though the Fire HD 10 has a bigger screen with a higher PPI (pixels per inch) resolution, we think the Fire HD 8 has all you need for a fantastic entertainment experience. The current iteration has a USB-C port for more efficient and faster charging, just like the HD 10. The addition of Game Mode for distraction-free gaming will please both the kids and the adults in the family.
Pros:- HD display
- Expandable storage
- Dual stereo speakers
- Hands-free Alexa
- 12 hours of battery
- Fast charge capable through USB-C port
- Limited initial storage options
- Fire HD 10 has a higher-res screen
- Google apps not included
The Goldilocks tablet
The Fire HD 8 makes the right tradeoffs in the display, storage, and price to justify it as a great family tablet purchase.
Best Amazon Fire Tablet for sharing: Fire HD 10 Tablet (2021)
If you want the most immersive video and gaming experience on a Fire Tablet, you want a Fire HD 10. We know it's the most expensive Fire, but you know what? It's still darn affordable! Try finding another Android tablet or iPad of this size at anywhere close to this price.
The Fire HD 10 (2021) is the largest Amazon tablet with a full HD 1080p display, coming in at 1920x1200 resolution. It offers up to 12 hours of battery life, including video watching, web browsing, and music listening, and it comes with Dolby Atmos, dual stereo speakers, and a headphone jack. It features a VGA front-facing camera with 720p HD video recording and has the same 2MP cameras as on the HD 8.
As its size would suggest, the Fire HD 10 comes with more storage (up to 64GB) that is expandable up to 512GB, and it has the best processor of the Fire Tablet line. You can use that storage and processing speed to watch hours of Prime Video, Netflix, or Showtime, and playing mobile games on that full HD screen is a delight.
While the 2019 edition of the Fire HD 10 was a bit heavy for some at just over a pound (17.8 ounces), the latest version is a bit lighter at 16.4 ounces. It's a fantastic device for reading books, newspapers, magazines, or even websites - particularly if you need or want to enable a larger font because there's just so much more screen space to view your content.
Pros:- Full HD display
- Biggest Fire Tablet screen
- Dolby Atmos and dual stereo speakers
- More storage than competitors
- 12 hours of battery
- Cameras are low resolution for a "high-end" device
- Highest priced Fire Tablet, non-Kids Edition
- A little heavy
Full on fire
With its full HD screen and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, the Fire HD 10 is like a little TV in your hands!
Best upgraded Amazon Fire Tablet: Fire HD 10 Plus Tablet (2021)
The Fire HD 10 Plus shares many of the same features as the HD 8 Plus released in 2019, including wireless charging capabilities and increased RAM. The HD 10 Plus is also available in the Productivity Bundle, with a year of Microsoft Office 365 and a Bluetooth keyboard.
As far as storage is concerned, the HD 10 Plus has 4GB of RAM as opposed to 3GB in the HD 8 Plus, and it is capable of charging up in as little as 3.5 hours. Also similar to the HD 8 Plus, the HD 10 Plus can also charge wirelessly.
However, it's worth pointing out that the HD 10 Plus isn't compatible with the wireless charging dock released alongside the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus. While the HD 10 Plus is more expensive than the HD 8 Plus and the regular HD 10, I think the benefits and extras offered as part of the HD 10 Plus ensure you'll get a lot more and a lot longer use out of it than any other Amazon Fire Tablet.
Pros:- HD display
- Wireless charging and USB-C
- Expandable storage
- Dual stereo speakers
- Hands-free Alexa
- 12 hours of battery
- More expensive than HD 10
- Wireless charging stand is extra
- Google apps not included
All the bells and whistles
This is the most advanced Fire Tablet. The "Plus" stands for fast charging, wireless charging, and better specs all-around.
Best value Amazon Fire Tablet: Fire 7 Tablet (2019)
Every excellent product line has its entry point, and for the Fire Tablets, that's the Fire 7. This version is the perfect portable companion for anyone who wants a low-cost tablet to watch their favorite shows on, play games, read their favorite new Kindle book, or maybe occasionally surf the web or check Facebook. As with the other Fire tablets, this device comes with 2-megapixel front and rear cameras and a 720p HD video camera, so you can still snap some decent shots and video chat to your heart's content.
This would be a great option if you could get an affordable family tablet to share with your kids. With the savings you'll get on this device, you can easily afford to pick up a protective case (maybe one that isn't neon pink or yellow!). You can also add Amazon Kids+ to this or any other Fire Tablet whenever you want.
You can still access all of your favorite content from Amazon and other services through this device, and even though it's not HD resolution, the screen looks good enough for most use cases. The battery life is decent, and you can add to its internal storage with a microSD card. The Fire 7 is already cheap, but you can often find it on special for even less, making this practically an impulse buy.
Pros:- The lowest point of entry into the Fire ecosystem
- Expandable microSD storage
- Easy hands-free Alexa
- Not HD resolution
- Lower-quality mono speaker
- No protective case included
The most affordable Fire tablet
With hands-free Alexa and access to tons of great content, the Fire 7 Tablet is a fun gadget for all ages.
Best Amazon Fire Tablet for kids: Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet (2021)
Some may object to this pick based on the price alone. You see, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is significantly more expensive than the Fire HD 10 Tablet, even though they are essentially the same device. So why is this so? It's about all of the extras, which adds up to a good value.
Amazon's Kids Edition Fire Tablets all come with a kid-proof case with a built-in stand to protect the devices from inevitable accidents. In the case (pun intended) of the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, you can get them in Sky Blue, Black, Doodle, or Intergalactic. In addition to the case, Amazon throws in a two-year worry-free guarantee, so you can send the device back at any time if it gets damaged, and Amazon will send you a new one.
Just as important as physical device security is digital peace of mind. The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro comes with parental controls that allow you to decide what your child can and cannot do on-device. For example, it's easy to set screen time limits, curfews, or limit content. Alexa and in-app purchasing are disabled by default. The device also comes with one year of Amazon Kids+, which gives you access to 20,000 apps, books, videos, games, audiobooks, as well as educational content from PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney, and more.
Back to the specs, this tablet features 32GB of storage, with the option to expand up to 1TB via the microSD card slot. Of course, you also get unlimited cloud storage for any content purchased through Amazon. The device can get up to 12 hours of battery life depending on usage, and it features dual stereo speakers and, blissfully, a headphone jack. There are also 2MP front and 5MP rear-facing cameras and a 720p video camera for those times when you want to have the kids chat with the grandparents.
Pros:- HD Display
- Expandable storage
- One year of Amazon Kids+ included
- Two-year warranty included
- Kid-proof case with built-in stand included
- Limited internal storage
- Significantly more expensive than "regular" Fire HD 8 Tablet
Great display with tons of kid-friendly features
Get this one if you have young kids and want to monitor their screen time and usage easily.
Bottom lineThe lineup of Amazon Fire Tablets has never been so complete, and we can understand why these are among the best Android tablets on the market. They offer a great entertainment experience with industry-leading parental controls and child content options, as well as and access to Alexa and Amazon's connected home ecosystem, at a fantastic value. Aside from the iPad, no other tablet series can compete!
When looking at the Fire Tablets, we feel that the Fire HD 8 (2020) is the best choice for most people. It has an impressive HD screen, expandable storage, and hands-free Alexa. For the price, you can feel comfortable picking up two or three of these for less than the cost of an iPad, and you can easily share it with your family members if you choose.
Credits - The team that worked on this guide
Jeramy Johnson is proud to help keep Keep Austin Weird and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand. When he's not writing about Amazon products and services, he's defending his relationship with his side-chick Alexa to his family. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeramyutgw