Amazon Updates Fire 7 Tablets

Amazon today unveiled an update to its $50 Fire 7 tablet that offers more performance and storage and adds Alexa Hands-Free functionality. There’s a new version of the Fire 7 Kids Edition as well.

“Fire 7 is our best-selling tablet with tens of millions sold,” Amazon vice president Kevin Keith says. “For under $50, we’re making it even better for customers with a faster processor and [double] the storage, so customers can enjoy even more of their favorite entertainment at home and on-the-go. And, with hands-free access to Alexa on Fire 7, it’s never been easier to get the news, find a recipe, play music, and more.”

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The new version of the Amazon Fire 7 features a quad-core 1.3 GHz processor, a 7-inch IPS display, 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to an extra 512 GB via microSD, Alexa hands-free capabilities, front and rear cameras, and up to 7 hours of battery life. Amazon says it is twice as durable as iPad mini. It comes in Black, Sage, Plum, and Twilight Blue colors and is available today for pre-order. It will begin shipping June 6.

Additionally, Amazon is launching a new version of the Fire 7 Kids Edition that adds a kid-proof case and a two-year “worry-free” warranty. The Fire 7 Kids Edition starts at $99.99 and will be available in blue, pink, or purple, and each includes an adjustable stand for hands-free viewing. It also starts shipping June 6.

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Conversation 8 comments

  • roland00

    16 May, 2019 - 12:11 pm

    <p>With those specs you get a painful experience. Except with video.</p>

  • klhyvcfxe2 vtni56y

    16 May, 2019 - 12:25 pm

    <p>I have the previous version, and I find it mostly unusable even for browsing the web. I think the primary issue is the lack of RAM — I think mine has 512MB. I'd be happy to pay $100 if they'd put in 4 or 6GB. </p>

  • yoshi

    Premium Member
    16 May, 2019 - 12:30 pm

    <p>I have the Fire HD 8 and it's super slow, but great as a consumption device considering the price. Just don't expect to do much else besides watch video, play music, or read. Even email is a pain on it since the keyboard lags so much. But if all you'd do on an iPad is those 3 things, might as well save a couple hundred and get a Fire tablet.</p>

    • JCerna

      Premium Member
      16 May, 2019 - 1:02 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#428566">In reply to yoshi:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have the kids version and they work just fine, wish it had a bit more internal storage and a bit more ram. The most important feature for me is USB and fast charge wish this version had at least that.</p>

  • j_c

    16 May, 2019 - 1:45 pm

    <p>These work for what they are. I used them as started tablets for my kids for years until they were ready for iPads. I see kids using them out and about all the time playing basic games and watching movies.</p>

  • SvenJ

    16 May, 2019 - 2:10 pm

    <p>I got a Fire 7 (refurbished) a while ago with the Echo dock to see how it worked. Was reasonably impressed with the way they handled adding the dock capability to the plain tablet. Found the device to be adequate, and found it easy to add the Google Play store to round out the available apps. After playing with it I considered another or two, but the upcharge dissuaded me. The device is $50, but if you want more storage it's another $20 (for just 16G more). The cover/case is very nice but another $25. Then if you want to get rid of special offers, ka-ching. Your budget tablet can get to $100 real quick. That's still not expensive, but it reminds me of low cost airlines. </p><p>I like the new colors.</p>

  • mikes_infl

    16 May, 2019 - 2:33 pm

    <p>I got a few of them for around the house but they're so slow it's more convenient to head back to the office and just use one of the computers or bring a laptop out to where I want them. </p><p><br></p><p>The old Fire 7's seem to have the same specs except for the amount of memory. I don't think the processor speed has actually changed, the 2017 versions have a quad core 1.3 GHz processor as well. ??? Maybe they misquoted and got the speed wrong?</p><p><br></p><p>edit: I checked their page for the 7" tablet – It's still the same quad core 1.3 GHz processor, it just listed as "Faster" on the website. Meaning they sell faster? Or maybe they spin faster… They still have only 1MB of Ram as well.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      16 May, 2019 - 3:13 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#428619">In reply to mikes_infl:</a></em></blockquote><p>Speed isn't just about clock speed, but also efficiency, doing more per cycle. </p><p>But I agree about the speed of the old ones. I have the 2017 tablets as well, with Alexa support (turned off straight away). It is fast enough for reading books and light browsing. </p>

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