Amazon’s Fire Tablets, Tested, So You Don’t Have To (…
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Best Fire Tablet
Amazon Fire HD 10
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The Max Tablet
Amazon Fire Max 11
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Best-Value Fire Tablet
Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024)
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Best Fire Tablet for Kids
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition (2024)
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Amazon’s Fire tablets are some of the only high-profile, ultra-affordable tablets around. The prices seem too good to be true—and in some ways, they are—but Fire tablets are also completely functional, reasonably capable devices. They’re not the best Android tablets by any means, but if you want a way to consume Prime content without spending a bundle, these fit the bill, especially when they’re on sale for Amazon Prime Day.
We reviewed every model to help you decide whether one of these slates is right for you. We list Amazon’s base price, but we suggest you spend the extra $15 to get an ad-free model.
Check our tech guides for more, the Best Tablets, Best Android Tablets, and Best iPads.
Updated June 2026: We’ve added some more buying advice and updated links and prices throughout.
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Best Fire Tablet
Courtesy of Best Buy
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Fire HD 10
Amazon
The Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s best tablet and the one we recommend for most people. It’s certainly not the fastest tablet around, and it’s not even the nicest Fire tablet (that’s the Fire Max 11 below), but when you can snag it on sale for around $100, it’s a good deal. In my testing it has the best battery life of any Fire tablet, and a 1080p screen that has a lot of glare, but looks decent when you’re watching a movie in the dark. Realize this is no iPad, or even a OnePlus Pad, but performance is good enough for browsing the web with a few tabs open (the 3 GB of RAM helps there), and you set it up to work an Echo speaker. Turn on Show Mode (swipe down on the notification overlay and check the Show Mode box) and you can query Alexa til your heart’s content.
The Fire HD 10 comes with 64 GB of RAM, but there’s also a microSD slot on both, so you can add up to 1 TB of storage if you need more space. There used to be a 32-GB model as well, but as of this writing it’s been sold out for months, which probably means it’s been discontinued. The design of the Fire HD 10 is what you might charitably call “spartan.” It’s a hunk of colored plastic (you can choose between black, blue, and lilac) with a screen on it. It’s functional, but definitely lacks the more premium feel of other Android tablets.
If you go for the cheapest model, Amazon will serve up advertisements on the lock screen. To get rid of that, you’ll need to spend $15 more for the version without “special offers.” If you want to try using your Fire tablet as more than a tablet, you can get a third-party keyboard case. Working on the Fire HD 10 isn’t as terrible as you might think, as long as you don’t need Google apps. None of Google’s office apps work on the Fire HD 10, not even in the browser. This latest Fire HD 10—and Max 11 below—support the Made for Amazon Stylus Pen ($37).
Specs Processor Octa-core (MT8186A) RAM 3 GB Storage 32 GB or 64 GB Screen 10.1 inch, 1920 x 1200 (224 ppi) Battery 6500 mAh (about 11 hours) WIRED/TIRED
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- Crazy cheap for Black Friday, Prime Day and other sales
- Easiest tablet to consume all things Amazon
- Battery life is comparable to any other tablets
- MicroSD slot for extra storage
- Productivity bundle makes real work possible
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- App selection is limited (no Google Play store)
- Runs an outdated version of Android
- Screen quality is ho-hum
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The Max Tablet
Courtesy of Amazon
to wishlist Amazon
Fire Max 11
Amazon
If you’re all in on all things Amazon, the Fire Max 11 (5/10, WIRED Review) is the company’s most powerful tablet. The problem is that it’s barely cheaper than the iPad (A16), and the list of things the iPad can do that the Fire Max 11 can’t is longer than I have space for here. That said, if all you plan to do is consume Amazon content, the Fire Max 11 is a good way to do it. The 2K screen is bright and sharp, the best you can get in a Fire tablet, the speakers aren’t bad, and the cameras are 1080p, which is nicer than the cameras on the rest of the Fire tablets.
However, this premium-priced tablet is still hamstrung by the same Fire OS that powers the cheaper models. While Fire OS seems OK when you pay $75 for it on sale during Prime Day, it feels a lot more limiting at $230 (and even at $150 during sales). If you want to do anything more than watch Prime video and browse the web, we suggest you grab an iPad or OnePlus Pad.
Specs Processor Octa-core (MT8188J) RAM 4-GB Storage 64-GB or 128-GB Screen 11-inch, 2000 x 1200 IPS (213 ppi) Battery 7500 mAh (about 13 hours) WIRED/TIRED
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- Solid build compared to other Fire tablets.
- Genuinely nice screen.
- The keyboard isn’t Bluetooth anymore.
- Has a fingerprint sensor.
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- App selection is limited (no Google Play store).
- Runs an outdated version of Android.
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Best-Value Fire Tablet
Courtesy of Amazon
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Fire HD 8 (2024)
Amazon
Amazon’s 2024 Fire HD 8 is most notable for bumping the RAM capacity to 3 GB, now matching the Fire 10 HD. There’s also a better rear camera (5 MP, compared to the previous model’s 2 MP). The Fire HD 8 works great for browsing the web, and battery life is rated at 13 hours (though we rarely got over 11 in our testing). But boy, 2024 feels a while ago, doesn’t it? This tablet has a last-year’s-model feel to it too. Performance isn’t as good as either of the tablets above, and the screen feels cramped when you’re watching movies. It is hard to argue with the price during Prime Day, though—the fact that you can buy any functioning screen for $65 is, well, don’t think too much about how Amazon got the price that low.
The Fire HD 8 is a slightly more travel-friendly size, and you can hold it with one hand much more easily than the HD 10. What you’re really sacrificing here is the screen, which isn’t nearly as nice as the Fire 10 HD screen. On this smaller model, pixels are often still visible and movies often feel flat and tiny. Still, the HD 8 has most of the benefits of the HD 10—hands-free Alexa, stereo sound, USB-C, and nearly 12 hours of battery life. I recommend picking up Amazon’s magnetic stand-up case if you plan on watching movies or TV.
Specs Processor Hexa-core (MT8169A) RAM 3 GB Storage 64 GB or 128 GB Screen 8 inch, 1280 x 800 (189 ppi) Battery 7500 mAh (about 13 hours) WIRED/TIRED
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- Very affordable way to consume Amazon Prime content
- Screen size is perfect for travel
- Longer battery life
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- Lackluster screen
- 8-inch size can feel cramped watching a movie
- App selection is limited (no Google Play store)
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Best Fire Tablet for Kids
Courtesy of Amazon
to wishlist Amazon
Fire HD 8 Kids Edition (2024)
Amazon
Amazon (Pro)
Recognizing that “kids” covers a wide range of hand sizes and other factors, Amazon has two different Kids Edition Fire tablets. There’s the regular Kids Edition and a “Pro” model. The latter, aimed at older kids, has a streamlined case with a little less padding.
We think the 2024 Fire HD 8 Kids ($150) is the best kids tablet for younger children, while the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro ($190), which is really big in little-kid hands, is better for older children. The latter was refreshed in October 2023 and includes some new features Music Maker, a kid-friendly music-editing app (think GarageBand, but simpler).
The Fire 7 Kids ($110) is an even cheaper option for young children, though mine have always found the 7-inch screen size more challenging to use.
The Kids Edition versions are exactly the same as the regular Fire tablets, except they come with a rugged case and a two-year worry-free guarantee, which means Amazon will replace the tablet for free if your kids break it. It also comes with one year of Amazon Kids+, offering access to kid-friendly movies, books, games, and apps. It costs $6 per month after the first year (for Prime subscribers, $9 if you don’t have Prime). The parental controls aren’t the most robust though, so be sure to see our guide to managing Amazon Kids+ content.
Specs Processor HD 8 uses the Hexa-core, HD 10 the Octa-core chip RAM 3 GB Storage 64 GB or 128 GB Screen 8 inch, 1280 x 800 (189 ppi) or 10.1 inch, 1920 x 1200 (224 ppi) Battery between 10 and 13 hours, depending on model WIRED/TIRED
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- Excellent warranty and case
- Comes with a few months of Amazon Kids+
- Great selection of kids content
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- Apps are limited by lack of Play Store
- Parental controls aren’t the most robust
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Best Budget Fire Tablet
Courtesy of Amazon
to wishlist Amazon
Fire 7 (2022)
Amazon
The 7-inch Fire 7 is tough to recommend. The processor is underpowered, the largest storage option is 32 GB (though you can add up to 1 TB of SD storage), and there’s only 2 GB of RAM. The screen is also cramped and the resolution low. With only 1024 by 600 pixels at a density of 171 ppi, it’s hard to miss the pixels in this one.
Performance is sluggish. Open more than 10 tabs in the Silk browser and it will grind you down to a standstill. The quad-core MediaTek processor is the slowest of the Fire lineup and is badly showing its age (this model was last updated in 2022, and wasn’t speedy then).
If all you want to do is browse the web and read in the Kindle app, this might fit the bill, but the video experience is subpar. We strongly recommend the Fire HD 8 instead, but if that’s out of your budget, the Fire 7 might work.
Specs Processor Quad-core RAM 2-GB Storage 16-GB or 32-GB Screen 7-inch, 1024 x 600 IPS (171 ppi) Battery About 9 hours WIRED/TIRED
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- Small and light
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- Underpowered processor
- Cramped, low resolution screen
- Performance is sluggish at best
- App selection is limited (no Google Play store)
The Best Fire Tablets Compared
| Chipset | RAM | Storage | Resolution | Case Included | Keyboard Available | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire 11 Max | MediaTek MT8188J | 4 GB | 64 GB, 128 GB | 2000 x 1200 IPS | no | yes |
| Fire HD 10 | MediaTek MT8186A | 3 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB | 1920 x 1200 | no | yes |
| Fire HD 8 | MediaTek MT8169A | 3 GB, 4 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB | 1280 x 800 | no | no |
| Fire HD 10 Kids | MediaTek MT8186A | 3 GB | 32 GB | 1920 x 1200 | yes | no |
| Fire HD 10 Kids Pro | MediaTek MT8186A | 3 GB | 32 GB | 1920 x 1200 | yes | no |
| Fire HD 8 Kids | MediaTek MT8169A | 3 GB, 4 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB | 1280 x 800 | yes | no |
| Fire HD 8 Kids Pro | MediaTek MT8169A | 3 GB, 4 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB | 1280 x 800 | yes | no |
| Fire HD 7 | MediaTek MT8127 | 2 GB | 16 GB, 32 GB | 1024 x 600 | no | no |
Best Fire Accessories
Courtesy of Amazon
Get a cover. Fire tablets are sturdy enough, but I’ve found the screens do crack quite easily. In fact, I don’t have a single one that hasn’t cracked. Don’t be me—protect your investment with a cover. Amazon’s covers are nice–they’re not too bulky and provide good protection–but they are expensive. At $40, Fintie’s Folio Cases aren’t much cheaper, but they are frequently on sale for more $15 to $20; if you can grab one at that price, they’re well worth it.
Get a keyboard for work. I won’t go so far as to suggest a Fire Tablet can replace your laptop, but I have found that I can get a good bit of work done on my 2021 Fire HD 10 when I pair it with Finitie’s Bluetooth Keyboard ($55). It lacks a trackpad, and the keys are a little smaller, but it’s otherwise quite nice to type on.
I find the Fire 10 with a keyboard to be a better value than the Fire Max 11, which also comes in a productivity bundle that includes a keyboard with a trackpad. But the keyboard stand is not free-standing, so it’s awkward to hold in your lap and it’s more than double the price of the Fire HD 10 keyboard combo when it’s on sale.
Get a stylus. Both the Fire 10 and the Fire 11 support the Made for Amazon stylus pen. If your job involves a lot of document review or graphics, this might be a good accessory for you.
Should You Buy an Amazon Fire Tablet?
The most important question you need to ask yourself if you’re shopping for an Amazon Fire Tablet: Is it Prime Day? If so, then yes, it’s a good time to buy. If not, then no. The exception is Black Friday when they are usually on sale for upward of 35 percent off; in that case, go for it.
Seriously, Fire Tablets are loss leaders for Amazon Prime. Unless you reeeeally need it right now, there’s no reason to pay full price. Fire HD tablets go on sale multiple times a year for at least 30 percent off, and they are 50 percent off during Prime Day sales (which, remember, isn’t a single day anymore). Do the math here and you’re basically never more than two months from getting one for at least 30 percent off. Do yourself a favor and wait for the sale. It’ll make your Fire HD tablet that much better.
Amazon Sells Older Fire Tablets. Don’t Buy Them
Only buy one of the 13th-generation Fire tablets. We suggest sticking to the models we talk about in this article (also listed here). Older-model Fire tablets won’t get software updates for as long as the current generation will. You’ll also miss out on the faster processor and more RAM in the newer models. A far better idea is to wait for Prime Day or another sale when you can get the new models at 30 to 50 percent off.
If you won’t be deterred from buying an older Fire tablet right now, be sure to cross-reference the latest update available for the tablet you’re going to buy (find it on this sheet) with the latest version of Fire OS to see how up-to-date your software will be. And bear in mind that Amazon does cut off old devices from accessing its content.
Amazon Improves Fire OS
Amazon added generative AI features to Fire OS at the end of 2024. Fire OS now has three AI assistants: Writing Assist, Wallpaper Creator, and a webpage summary tool. The first is designed to help with sending messages, emails, and other text content. It consists of automated spelling correction, grammar fixes, and more predictive features an option to make your message more “casual,” which appears to consist of adding words “stoked” to your messages. Wallpaper creator lets you generate images based on your prompts, and the webpage summary tool offers quick, reasonably accurate bullet points summarizing the webpage you’re reading.
What’s WIRED and TIRED About Fire Tablets
WIRED
A faucet for Amazon content: If you subscribe to Amazon’s Prime service, you can consume all the included movies, music, TV, and books; shop for all the items you can get with its free two-day shipping; and browse your free Amazon photo storage. You can do most of the same things from an Android tablet or iPad, but the Fire OS interface is crafted specifically to deliver Amazon goods, with swipeable pages for each type of media Amazon sells.
Built “good enough”: Physically, Amazon’s Fire tablets are made of cheap-ish plastic, but they’re designed with enough care that the build quality won’t bother you too much. Wi-Fi reception is excellent, and the front-facing cameras have improved considerably in the past couple releases. The Kids Editions are also some of the best-quality tablets for kids, encased in a rugged bumper, and all have microSD slots so you can add extra storage. (We recommend this 128-GB microSD card for $33.) It used to be that you could improve things by hacking Amazon’s tablets to install the Google Play Store on your Fire device. Unfortunately, installing the Play Store has become increasingly difficult and is something I no longer recommend for most people. It’s not worth the hassle when there are other reasonable cheap Android tablets available.
Cheap: Did we mention the price? They all cost $200 or less, the new Max 11. If you stick to the cheaper models though, they’re a great value. You can also get them with Amazon lock-screen ads, which will lower your price by $15.
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Non-Amazon content is lacking: The greatest strength of these tablets is also their greatest weakness. If you aren’t an Amazon Prime subscriber and don’t plan to get your video, audio, or books from Amazon, the Fire tablet line is far less compelling. They do have Alexa, so that could be a plus, but again, that’s tied deeply into Amazon’s content library. You can download third-party apps Netflix on Amazon’s Appstore, but the selection is far more limited than what’s available on Apple’s iPad or the Google Play Store on standard Android tablets. Rumor has it this will be changing this year as Amazon improves Fire OS, but so far, that’s just a rumor.
Old tech: The tech inside these tablets is old. The processors aren’t the fastest, and you’ll ly notice small fits of lag and a general lack of power compared to more expensive Android tablets. The touchscreens aren’t as responsive or sensitive as more expensive tablets. Since many of the apps for Fire OS are built with weak processing power in mind, you don’t notice it too much. The operating system is also dated (depending on which Fire tablet you’re buying), which could hide some of the weaknesses. Amazon’s latest Fire OS is a modified version of Android 11, which came out in 2020. Amazon keeps updating its tablets to some degree, but not nearly as often as it should.
Short warranties: Aside from the Amazon Kids two-year, no-questions warranty, Fire tablets don’t have great backing from Amazon. Only the Fire HD 10 comes with a full one-year warranty. The smaller devices have 90-day warranties.
Special offers: Over time, Amazon’s Special Offers ads have gotten more overt and annoying. We recommend you pay the extra cash to buy a Fire tablet without them.
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Scott Gilbertson is Operations Manager for the WIRED Reviews Team. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. You can reach him at luxagraf.net. … Read More
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TopicsShoppingFire tabletsAmazonbuying guidestablets
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