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 (2022) is the best overall value thanks to its size, improved processor, charging, storage capabilities, and ability to hit an affordable price point still.
Below you’ll find detailed write-ups for each tablet so you can find the one that best fits your needs.
At a glance
1. Fire HD 8 Tablet (2022)
Best overall
The Fire HD 8 sits between the Fire 7 and HD 10 when it comes to screen size, but it’s still decently powerful with a hexa-core 2.0GHz CPU and 2GB of RAM. With up to 13 hours of battery life, it’s excellent for road trips.
Best for work and play
The Fire Max 11’s jumbo screen makes it perfect for taking notes with the stylus or even some drawing. The octa-core CPU paired with 4GB of RAM makes it one of the most powerful Fire tablets.
3. Fire HD 10 Tablet (2023)
Best tablet for sharing
The Amazon Fire HD 10 sits right in the middle of Amazon’s tablet range with a decently pagre screen and plenty of power for most apps. This 2023 model is upgraded with 3GB of RAM and an octa-core CPU.
4. Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus (2021)
Best upgraded Fire tablet
The HD 10 Plus has a beefed up 4GB of RAM with its quad-core 2.0GHz CPU to help improve multitasking and performance on this tablet. With up to 12 hours of battery life, it should last your full work day without needing to plug in.
Best value tablet
The Fire 7 tablet is the cheapest Fire tablet you can get with a 7-inch display and a quad-core 2.0GHz CPU. It has decent battery life at up to 10 hours. If you can put up with the small screen, this is a very versatile tablet.
6. Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet
Best large tablet for kids
Kids drop their toys all the time and tablets are not immune. This Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet has enough power for your kid’s favorite games with a large case that can stand up to a drop or two.
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7. Fire HD 8 Kids Pro Tablet
Best tablet for kids
The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro, like the large model, has a thick case to protect it from drops, but comes in a much smaller size that should be easier to carry around. It’s reasonably powerful with a hexa-core CPU running at 2.0GHz and 3GB of RAM.
8. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022)
Best hands-free Alexa
The Fire HD 8 Plus comes with wireless charging making it a perfect fit for use with a charging dock that keeps it upright and visible at all times. This makes it perfect for checking on the status of your smart home tech or asking Alexa a question.
Best overall
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 1280×800 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 13 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.
When we tested this product, our favorite feature was 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 best smart 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.
Best for work and play
In a world where Android tablets are largely considered inferior to the iPad, Amazon decided to shake things up a bit with the release of the Fire Max 11. As the name implies, this Fire Tablet sports an 11-inch display with a 2000×1200 resolution, making for the best and biggest display ever found in an Amazon tablet.
Powering the device is the MediaTek MTK8188J octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of expandable storage. On the front and back, you’ll find 8MP cameras, which will be just fine for participating in video calls or snapping quick pictures.
Where the Fire Max 11 really stands out is in the plethora of productivity-focused accessories. Alongside this new tablet, Amazon also released a detachable keyboard case and a USI 2.0 stylus pen. The former lets you prop up the Fire Max 11 anywhere, while the latter lets you jot down some notes and even works with many of the best Chromebooks.
Unfortunately for some, at least, you’re still stuck without the Play Store or Google Play Services, instead needing to rely on the Amazon App Store. On the bright side, it’s pretty easy to sideload the Play Store onto the Fire Max 11, so that can be remedied fairly quickly.
Something that can’t be remedied is the display, which only comes in with a 60Hz refresh rate. We would have liked to see at least a 90Hz panel if not 120Hz, but that just gives Amazon some room for improvement if it ends up releasing a successor.
Best tablet for sharing
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 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 is the largest Amazon tablet with a full HD 1080p display, coming in at 1920×1200 resolution. It offers up to 13 hours of battery life, including video watching, web browsing, and music listening — which we discovered through our hands-on testing. The Fire HD 10 also comes with Dolby Atmos, dual stereo speakers, and a headphone jack. You get a 5MP front and rear camera with 1080p video recording.
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 in 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 2021 edition of the Fire HD 10 was a bit heavy for some at just over a pound (16.4ounces), the latest version is a bit lighter at 15.29 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.
Best upgraded Amazon Fire tablet
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 memory 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.
Best value tablet
Every excellent product line has its entry point, and for the Fire Tablets, that’s the Fire 7, which we loved when we reviewed it. 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’re looking to 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.
Best large tablet for kids
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, as we found through our hands-on testing.
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 with a Happy Days, Nebula, or Mint finish. 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 13 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. It’s really one of the best Amazon Fire tablets for kids.
Best tablet for kids
While the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is our pick for best Fire Tablet for kids, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is a close runner-up. It’s definitely a better option if you’re worried about portability. As you would expect, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro still includes Amazon’s Kid-Friendly Case, along with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and more. Amazon also includes a “two-year worry-free guarantee,” so if disaster strikes, the company will replace the tablet for free.
Battery life is also improved over the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, as the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro lasts for up to 13 hours on a single charge. With access to all the different content offered by Amazon Kids+, you’ll enjoy the 32GB of base storage and the included microSD card slot. Plus, this tablet supports offers the ability to use up to a 1TB microSD card, giving you more than enough space for all the movies and TV shows you can think of.
Under the hood you get a hexa-core 2.0GHz CPU paired with 3GB of RAM for solid performance overall. It’s smaller display has a 1280×800 resolution allowing the tablet to easily make it to the end of the day on a single charge. And despite the upgraded USB-C port, you’ll still be waiting for a few hours before it will be juiced back up to 100%.
Best hands-free Alexa
Much like the difference between Amazon’s 10-inch Fire tablets, the Fire HD 8 Plus offers a few key improvements over the non-Plus version. The first of which is providing an additional GB of RAM, which will help with multitasking, if you find yourself needing to switch between apps. Additionally, charging speeds are greatly improved, as the Fire HD 8 Plus can go from 0-100% in about three hours, compared to five hours of the standard Fire HD 8.
But the real value in the Fire HD 8 Plus over the Fire HD 8 is the wireless charging, making it compatible with Amazon’s wireless charging stand. This, paired with Show Mode can transform your Fire tablet into a portable Amazon Echo speaker, as the Fire HD 8 also supports hands-free Alexa.
There are a couple of downsides with the Fire HD 8 Plus, as you’ll need to shell out a few extra sheckles to take full advantage. For one, this tablet is a bit more expensive than the non-Plus version, and the wireless charging dock is sold separately. On the bright side, you can try to use a wireless charger that you already have, but you’ll have to make sure the coils line up properly.
The best Fire Tablets depends on your needs
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The 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 access to Alexa and Amazon’s connected home ecosystem, at a fantastic value. Aside from maybe the best iPad, no other tablet series can compete.
When looking at the Fire tablets, we feel that the Fire HD 8 (2022) 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 them with your family members if you choose.
What is Amazon Fire Tablet?
When you’re comparing the best Fire tablets to the best Android tablets, you might be wondering what the real difference is between the two. While all of the tablets on this list are technically running a version of Android, it’s not the same flavor or experience that you’ll find on something like the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro or the beefier Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
That’s because Amazon Fire Tablets use a modified version, or fork, of Android known as Fire OS. Instead of being able to sign in with your Google account and have access to the Play Store, Fire Tablets require you to sign in with your Amazon account. And when it comes to app downloads, you have to use Amazon’s Appstore, not the Google Play Store. There are quite a few apps that are available on both platforms, but if you’ve paid for something like Minecraft on the Play Store, that purchase won’t transfer over to the Amazon Appstore because it’s a separate entity entirely.
As for the interface, there’s nowhere near as much customization as you might expect. This is because Amazon is trying to give you quick and easy access to all of its different services and outlets. It’s why you’ll see a list of Kindle books or Audible audiobooks you’ve purchased, or you’ll see an ad for the latest show to arrive on Prime Video.
There are ways to still access the Play Store on Fire Tablets, making it possible to get rid of Amazon’s convoluted interface with the help of a third-party Android launcher. But for most people, Amazon’s Fire interface is just going to be what the doctor ordered. In some instances, like with the Fire HD 8 Plus and Fire HD 10 Plus, you can transform your tablet into a portable Echo Show of sorts. And if you’re entrenched in the Amazon ecosystem, all of your digital purchases are right at your fingertips.
How to decide which Fire tablet to get
If you’ve already decided to grab an Amazon Fire tablet over one of the best cheap Android tablets, then you’ve already conquered half the battle. The other half comes down to figuring out what it is that you plan to use the tablet for.
Where we come in, is that every one of the tablets that you see listed here has been through a series of tests during our reviews. It’s a similar process to the one that we use for testing the best Android phones and is even more similar to the way that we test Chromebooks.
Different considerations are made, such as things like design and durability, battery life, what features are available, and more. And despite the fact that you won’t find the Play Store out of the box, we still put these tablets through their paces to determine which one is truly deserving of being the best.
Those who are looking at a Kindle-type replacement would be better suited with the Fire 7 or the Fire HD 8 thanks to their lightweight designs and portability. There’s enough storage onboard for most of your books, but both of these tablets also feature expandable storage, allowing you to throw in one of the best microSD cards for even more.
With the Fire HD 8 Plus, this is a “best of both worlds” kind of situation. You could take it with you anywhere, but it also has the ability to double as an Alexa smart display if you opt for the wireless charging dock. With Alexa listening, you could throw this on your desk and ask it questions or check one of your best smart doorbells without reaching for your phone.
Then there’s the Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus, which are the two largest tablets in Amazon’s lineup. The former provides most of the same power under the hood but lacks a few features. Meanwhile, the latter includes a total of 4GB of RAM (vs 3GB) along with supporting wireless charging. This means that just like the Fire HD 8 Plus, you can transform the Fire HD 10 Plus into a smart home dashboard for your Alexa ecosystem of devices.
And as for the best Fire tablet for kids, you get pretty much all of the same benefits as the non-kids counterparts, just with a few extras. These include things like a bundled case and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. But just as a reminder, these sport a different interface compared to the “regular” versions.