Best Amazon Fire Tablet to Buy

Amazon has a hit on its hands with the Amazon Fire tablet range. These great tablets are an affordable alternative to the iPad, and they’ve been a hit with customers. With millions sold to date (and frequent discounts), the Fire range has plenty of fans.

It’s not too hard to see why – the Fire tablets start at $50, even less during sales, and in terms of value for money, they can’t be beaten. They’re especially desirable if you’ve already bought into the Amazon eco-system. But even if you haven’t, they’re still a great bunch of tablets.

The question is, which do you go for? The all new Fire HD 8 Plus? The entry-level Fire 7? The original Fire HD 8? Or a Kids version? We talk you through the range, and which you should be ordering today.

In this guide:

• Which Fire Tablet is Best?
• Amazon Fire 7 – The cheapest Fire tablet, but limited by a low detail screen
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus – The newest Fire tablet adds wireless charging plus a little more RAM for extra speed
• Amazon Fire HD 8 – The original HD 8 is a great device for nearly everyone, and the best value Fire tablet to choose
• Amazon Fire 10 HD – Amazon’s biggest and most powerful tablet, though it’s much pricier than the rest
• Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition – A cheap tablet that’s great for very young kids who won’t notice the less detailed screen
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition – One of the best kids’ tablets out there, this is the best all-rounder to go for
• Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition – A tablet for demanding, tech-savvy kids, but it’s expensive and probably overkill for younger children

Which Amazon Fire Tablet is Best?

The short answer? Get the Fire HD 8 for the best value model, or the newer Fire HD 8 Plus for a faster tablet with wireless charging

On the face of it, the Amazon Fire tablet range can be slightly overwhelming, with a choice of six models to go for. However, it’s not quite as daunting as it seems at first glance.

The range is split into two – Fire and Fire Kids, with three models in each. To make things even simpler, the models in both ranges, the Fire 7, Fire 8 HD (our top choice) and Fire 10 HD are identical to the equivalent Kids Editions, aside from the extra protections that are added to the Kids models.

The Fire 7 is the entry level model; the Fire 8 HD adds a better screen and more Ram, and the Fire 10 HD gives you the fastest processor and biggest, highest resolution screen. Added in June 2020 is the Fire HD 8 Plus – this model doesn’t have a ton more features than the original HD 8, but it adds wireless charging and extra RAM for faster performance. It’s more expensive, plus, you may want to spend a little extra on a wireless charging dock.

The models in the Kids range come with a chunky case to protect them, as well as a two-year warranty. They’re more expensive, but you’re paying for peace of mind. However, those with careful kids can get away with a cheaper, standard model.

All Fire tablets now come with voice assistant Alexa built-in. But, it’s disabled by default on the Kids versions. It can be set up in the parental controls.

Fire 7

Super cheap, but we’d recommend the HD 8 instead if you want a value model

The Fire 7 is the entry-level Amazon tablet, and the first thing that anyone notices about is that price tag. At $50, it’s a steal. And, with Amazon regularly discounting it to $35 or even $29 during Black Friday, Christmas and other events, it’s no wonder the Fire 7 is the company’s best-selling tablet.

So what do you get for the money? We’ll admit that the specs are basic, but if you’re mainly a web surfer or social media addict, you won’t find better for the price. It’ll run most apps without issue, and you’ll only encounter problems if you try to do too much at once. The 1GB of Ram means that this tablet works better when focusing on one thing at a time.

If you’re an avid Netflix viewer (or Amazon Prime Video, even), the Fire 7 isn’t really the best bet for you. The sub-HD screen and mono speaker is fine for the odd YouTube video. But, as a small portable cinema, it doesn’t quite cut it.

Fire HD 8 Plus

The latest Amazon Fire tablet has wireless charging and faster performance

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is the newest model in the Fire range, released in June 2020. On the surface, it doesn’t look a whole lot different from the original HD 8 model. So, why the price difference ($109 vs $89)? Well, it has a few new tricks under the hood.

For one thing, this is the only Fire model to offer wireless charging – a trick even most iPads can’t pull off. Ok, standard procedure applies – you need to buy a charging matt separately, or the custom-designed charging dock. If you pick a bundle with the dock included, it’s $139 – a big step up from spending $89 on the standard HD 8.

However, if you’re a fan of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, or want to give it a go for the first time, then this is actually a pretty neat way to do it. When you sit the Fire HD 8 Plus in the official dock, it automatically converts into “Echo Show” mode, displaying some basic background info such as the time and the weather, and letting you give commands to Alexa or ask questions. Arguably, this is a better value way of getting an Echo Show functionality (versus buying an Echo Show device itself), since you also gain a perfectly good tablet.

The other main advantage to this model over the older one is it has 3GB of RAM, versus the original 2GB. That’s a decent bit more speed to help out with more challenging apps.

If you’re happy to spend more, this is the best, most up to date Amazon tablet to go for.

Fire HD 8

The perfect choice Amazon tablet to go for if you want value plus quality

The Fire HD 8 is the mid-range Fire tablet, and we think it’s the one that most people should go for. Yes, it’s a little more expensive than the basic Fire 7, but it’s a much better everyday device.

The main reason? It’s so much better for video. The screen on the Fire 8 HD has a noticeable resolution boost over the Fire 7, although it’s not quite Full HD (you’ll need the Fire HD 10 for that). It also has stereo speakers, another advantage over the Fire 7’s mono speaker. Then, there’s the one-inch increase in screen size. All these factors make it much more feasible as an entertainment device, whether you’re playing games or catching up on Stranger Things.

In terms of what’s under the hood, the Fire HD 8 has the same processor as the Fire 7, although Amazon has given the Ram a slight boost from 1GB to 1.5GB, which makes for a slightly zippier experience.

Fire HD 10

The best quality Amazon tablet, but not especially cheap

The Fire HD 10 is the most advanced tablet in the Fire line-up. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has a 10.1-inch screen, and is Full HD. This makes it great for streaming video, although its size means it can be a hefty unit when used for long periods of time. This is a tablet you want to prop up on a surface when starting your annual viewing of Das Boot, rather than hold in your hands.

The processor is the most powerful of the range, with Amazon offering a quad-core 1.8Ghz processor, complemented by 2GB of Ram. It won’t give the iPad Pro a run for its money, but then again, it is a third of the price. The extra power that the Fire 10 HD packs is appreciated, and it’ll handle most of the tasks you throw at it with relative ease.

If you’re considering whether to opt for the HD 8 or HD 10, know that the HD 8 is the best value of the two, but the HD 10’s extra power and screen estate will likely be alluring for those who want the very best for their budget. That’s assuming, of course, that you don’t need a highly portable tablet, which the HD 10 can’t really claim to be.

Fire 7 Kids Edition

It’s certainly cheap, but has a very basic screen

The Fire 7 Kids edition is the most basic of the bunch. It’s easily one of the cheapest tablets you’ll find that’s child friendly.

Yes, it has a low resolution screen. But, unless your young child happens to be an avid pixel-counter, they won’t be too bothered, and most kids’ TV and movie content lends itself fairly well to screens that lack detail anyway, Pixar aside.

However, the tablet might struggle if your child is constantly flitting between apps and running several things at once. In these scenarios, they could become frustrated by the slowdown. It’s worth spending a little more on the Fire HD 8 Kids tablet if you can stretch budget to it to avoid this issue.

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition

The best Amazon kids tablet to choose

When it comes to the Amazon Fire Kids range, it’s the HD 8 that hits the sweet spot, just like it does for the grown-ups.

A decent chunk of power, HD screen and a smidge extra Ram make it a capable tablet that doesn’t break the bank and proves itself portable as well as easy for even little hands to hold for extended periods.

Yes, the screen isn’t ‘Full HD’. But it’s unlikely that your little ones will care – Peppa Pig looks good enough on this display, and the upgrade to stereo speakers means that her oinks don’t sound as tinny.

Like the rest of the line-up, it comes with child-proof casing that prevents damage from knocks and bangs. Plus, there’s a no-quibble two year warranty.

Fire HD 10 Kids Edition

Excellent, but expensive for a kids’ tablet model

The Fire HD 10 Kids tablet is Amazon’s biggest and most powerful child-friendly tablet, and it’s just been given a snappier processor, too. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing.

Firstly, the good. The competent processor and Ram mean that the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition can keep up with your child’s apps, no matter how demanding. Plus, the large HD screen means that streaming video looks nice and crisp.

However, with its 10-inch screen, this Fire tablet could prove unwieldy for younger children, and more susceptible to drops and damage. They may also struggle to hold it for long periods of time.

Consider the Fire HD 10 for older children who can make use of the power and appreciate the screen, but for younger folk, it’s overkill.