Your 2019 Guide to Amazon Fire Tablets

A popular alternative to more costly iPads, the Amazon Fire Tablets Amazon’s family of Android-powered Fire tablets present the best value you can get for budget and mid-range tablets. With different variations, we wanted to find out what the difference between the various versions was.

We’re based in Southeast Asia, where Amazon does not ship their flagship products to). Thus, we got our Fire Tablets shipped to our sunny shores via our cross-border buying concierge service, AORA.

Here is our all-you-need-to-know guide to Amazon’s Fire Tablets:

Amazon Fire 7 Tablet with Alexa, 7″ Display at USD 49.99

The Fire 7 Tablet features a great 7″ display with an affordable price point Fire 8 HD Tablet

Pros:

Super affordable
Lightweight

Cons:

Alexa is only available when the device is switched on, is not voice activated
Not good for multi-tasking with its limited 1GB of RAM
Speakers have poor sound quality – audio best when plugged into headphones

Get this if:

You’re looking for a birthday present for your kid. This tablet is the gift that won’t break the bank and still let you earn brownie points. Don’t expect the Fire 7 to have the capacity to load up games in lightning fast speed, or screen movies in high quality.

That said, the Fire 7 Tablet makes for a good starter tablet to read a book or watch a show.View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

Amazon Fire 8 HD Tablet, 8″ HD Display, from USD 79.99

Pros:

Delivers your visuals in stunning high definition, which makes a world of difference as compared to its predecessor
Better sound and video quality
1.5GB of RAM makes starting up of games and loading of videos a breeze. It will still experience lag, but it’s nothing that will make you pull your hair out. Because let’s face it, developers can make the loading icon as cute as a button, but we still hate it.

Cons:

There is no GPS in the tablet, and the location is determined via WiFi or Bluetooth. This may cause apps that have location components integrated such as the weather and maps may not work as well
Hard to access the Google Play Store

Get this if:

You’re a working professional looking for a no-nonsense tablet for entertainment purposes on long-haul flights and commutes. The improved speed and video quality make watching your shows on-the-go a breeze – perfect for the busy adult trying to catch a breather.

Also, the voice-enabled Alexa is really a quality-of-life enhancement that you never knew you needed. Because who has the hands to type ‘what’s 0.5 pounds in kg’ when they’re chopping the onions for dinner?

View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

Amazon Fire 10 HD Tablet with Alexa hands-free, from USD 149.99

Pros:

With a large 10.1″ screen with 1080p Full HD, you’ll never have to squint at the screen. Though it may be the heaviest of the lot, the additional 150g weighs up to basically nothing when you’re enjoying your favorite flick in glorious high definition.
1.8GHz and 2GB of RAM means that this tablet runs lightning fast.

Cons:

The 10.1″ screen may not be the most convenient to hold when you’re on-the-go *cues finger cramps*
Customers have reviewed that they experience glitches on the tablet but issues are often resolved with Amazon customer support.

Get this if:

You’re looking for a more affordable alternative to an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. There may be some downsides, e.g. its inability to work well with Google Play Store, there’s nothing that a quick YouTube tutorial can’t fix.

View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

For Your Little Ones | Amazon Fire Tablets Kids Editions, from USD 99.99

The Amazon Fire HD Tablets serve as great on-the-go entertainment for your kids.

Amazon is breaking into the parents’ market, with their iconic Fire Tablets catered just for the little ones. The Kids Editions are available in Fire 7, 8 HD and 10 HD, with features similar to its adult counterparts. However, there are some nifty little complementary features and add-ons that we feel that parents would appreciate.

Pros:

Comes with a free kid-proof protective case designed to power through the sudden drops, hard knocks and anything else your active little one throws at it
A 2-year worry-free guarantee. For the days where your kid suddenly thinks that breaking a nice electronic tablet is a fun thing to do. (because of who knows what’s going on in those little minds)
1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited with over 20,000 books, movies, TV shows and more!
Parental controls ensure that your child has a safe browsing experience, away from the noise on the web

Cons:

Many parents have griped that Amazon FreeTime contains non-kid-friendly content, and is hard to navigate
If you foresee your kid outgrowing a kids’ tablet, it might be worth it to invest in the regular Fire tablets.

Get this if:

You are only just introducing media devices to your little ones. The protective case and 2-year warranty give you peace of mind that you’re not wasting your money passing a fidgety, active toddler expensive, breakable tech. Also, parental controls mean that you’re able to slowly ease them into media content beneficial for young minds.

Amazon Fire 7 Tablet (Kids Edition)

View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

Amazon Fire 8 HD Tablet (Kids Edition)

View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

Amazon Fire 10 HD Tablet (Kids Edition)

View on Amazon.com Buy Now via AORA

Pro Tip!

The Amazon tablets come with its own app store, but we recommend installing the Google Play Store so that you can have access to your favorite apps. To do so, check out this tutorial here:

Do you have an Amazon Fire Tablet, or do you want to get one for yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!