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Fire 7 Tablet (7" display, 8 GB) - Blue - (Previous Generation - 7th)

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 72,141 ratings

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8 GB
Marine Blue
With Special Offers
The ad-supported option (also known as Special Offers or Lockscreen Ads) displays sponsored screensavers on your device's lockscreen. Learn more
  • 7" IPS display; 8 or 16 GB of internal storage (up to 256 GB with microSD)
  • 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
  • Up to 8 hours of battery life
  • Alexa enabled
  • 1 GB of RAM
  • VGA front-facing camera + 2 MP rear-facing camera with 720p HD video recording
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi

Top Brand: Amazon

Highly Rated
4.7/5 star rating from 100K+ customer ratings
Trending
100K+ orders for this brand in past 3 months
Low Returns
Customers usually keep items from this brand
Tiny price. Big fun.

Fast and responsive

The fast quad-core processor consists of four high-performance 1.3 GHz cores for quick app launches, smooth games and videos, and great overall performance. Plus, Fire 7 now offers dual-band Wi-Fi with support for more Wi-Fi networks and better network performance.

No more worrying about storage space

Expand your tablet’s storage by up to 256 GB using a microSD card to keep your photos, movies, and compatible apps and games with you. Plus enjoy free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content and photos taken with your Fire tablet.

Capture life's moments

Fire 7 features a 2 MP rear-facing camera for taking photos or recording 720p HD video. The front-facing VGA camera is perfect for Skype calls with friends and family.

Crisp and vivid 7” IPS display

Fire 7 features a 1024 x 600 IPS display with 171 ppi for a bright display with vivid colors and whiter whites for a great viewing experience from all angles. Compared to the previous generation, Fire 7 features an improved display that provides higher contrast and sharper text.

Power when you need it

With up to 8 hours of mixed use battery life, Fire tablet gives you the flexibility to go wherever the day takes you.

Stands up to everyday life

Amazon engineers Fire tablets to hold up against everyday life. As measured in tumble tests, Fire 7 is 2x more durable than iPad mini 4 (and costs a lot less too).

Designed for entertainment
Designed for entertainment

Enjoy millions of movies, TV episodes, songs, books, apps, and games''

Blue Shade''

Adjust the backlight for nighttime reading with Blue Shade.

Read

Choose from millions of Kindle eBook and magazine titles that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Over 1 million titles are priced at $2.99 or less. Or read as much as you want with a Kindle Unlimited subscription for just $9.99 a month. Connect with the largest online community of book lovers on Goodreads.

Read comfortably at night with Blue Shade, an exclusive Fire OS feature that automatically adjusts and optimizes the backlight for a more comfortable nighttime reading experience.

Listen

With millions of songs from thousands of artists, the Amazon Digital Music Store brings all your favorite music to your fingertips. Music you buy on your Fire tablet is saved to Your Music Library for free, and you can play or download it anytime.

Unlock more music with Amazon Music Unlimited, just $7.99 per month for Prime members ($9.99 per month for non-Prime members).

Audible offers more than 180,000 titles in audiobooks, including best sellers, romances, thrillers, and much more.

Watch

Enjoy all your favorite movies and TV shows on Amazon Video, Netflix, HBO NOW, Sling TV, and more. Discover hundreds of thousands of TV episodes and movies, plus fling Amazon Video content to your TV using Second Screen. Enhance your video experience with features you only get from Amazon, including On Deck for watching videos anywhere, ASAP for fast video streaming, and X-Ray to go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows while you watch.

Watch downloaded videos anywhere with a Prime membership, Netflix plan, or Showtime subscription—on a plane, on vacation, in the car, or wherever you don't have a wireless connection.

Play

Fire tablets feature instant access to over 600,000 of the most popular free and best-selling games, social media, premium TV and movie provider apps, and so much more.

Choose from top titles including Candy Crush Saga, Township, Mobile Strike, and more.

Meet Alexa

Alexa on Fire tablets

Alexa provides quick access to the entertainment you want, including music, games, audiobooks, and more. You can also ask Alexa questions, check your calendar, get news, find sports scores, and even control your smart home. Alexa hands-free is available when your tablet’s screen is on or the device is connected to power. Enabling Alexa hands-free may reduce battery life.

Everyday made easier

Alexa on Fire tablets helps make every day easier. Just ask to set alarms and timers, check traffic, your calendar, to-do or shopping lists, and more. You can order millions of items with your voice, such as household and personal care products.

Calling and Messaging

Ask Alexa to call almost any local number, message your contacts, or video call friends and family who have a Fire Tablet, Echo Spot, Echo Show, or have installed the iOS or Android Alexa App. You can also instantly connect with family and friends by asking Alexa to drop in on enabled Echo devices, or compatible Fire tablets, when the tablet is in Show Mode. For example, you can drop in to ask what time dinner will be ready, see the baby's nursery, or check in with a close relative. Learn more

Voice control your smart home

Alexa works with devices such as smart cameras, lights, switches, thermostats and cooking tools from Arlo, WeMo, LIFX, Rachio, Chef Step and more. Switch on the lamp before getting out of bed, turn on the fan or change the temperature on your thermostat while reading in your favorite chair, or dim the lights from the couch to watch a movie—just ask.

Stay informed

Now you can ask Alexa a question and get an immediate voice response. When you ask, Alexa can pull up your Flash Briefing, Wikipedia articles, news, sports scores, and more.

Be entertained

Whether you’re looking for your favorite playlist or need a quick joke, you can ask Alexa. Just ask for a song, artist or genre, and stream directly over Wi-Fi. Alexa also provides voice control for Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more.

Exclusive features on Fire tablets
Exclusive features on Fire tablets

Introducing For You

Fire OS includes For You, a dynamic and personalized page on the tablet home screen that makes it easy for customers to get back to reading, watching, listening, or playing—and to quickly find what's next. For You learns what you love to do on your tablet and then presents personalized recommendations across books, videos, songs, apps, and more. Get your weather, Prime photos, and more right from the For You home screen.

Find the things you love easier

Fire OS is the best entertainment experience on a tablet with quick access to the things you do most. The home screen includes dedicated content pages for books, games, and apps, video, music, audiobooks, and Newsstand. Powered by Amazon’s recommendations engine, you can quickly browse new books, movies, TV shows, music, apps, and games.

Share content with Family Library

Family Library links your Amazon account to that of your spouse or partner so you can easily share apps, games, audiobooks, and books, and it now allows Prime members to share their Prime Video content. Access your family's content across devices—both Amazon devices and free Amazon apps for other platforms, including iOS and Android.

Enhance your viewing experience

With ASAP (Advanced Streaming and Prediction), Amazon movies and TV episodes are ready for you to watch instantly. ASAP dynamically adapts to your viewing habits.

On Deck automatically downloads Prime Video (for Prime members) and the first episodes of Amazon Original Series while your device isn’t in use, ensuring that there is always something new to enjoy instantly, even when offline.

Integrated on-device tech support

Screen Sharing brings Mayday-powered customer service to Fire tablets. Simply call customer service and Amazon experts can connect to your Fire tablet to co-pilot through features by drawing on your screen, walking you through how to do something yourself, or doing it for you—whatever works best.

Access your entertainment across all devices

Whispersync remembers how much you've watched, read, or listened to so you can pick up right where you left off, no matter which device you are using. Plus, with every Fire tablet, you get free, unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content including unlimited storage on photos you've taken with your Fire tablet.

The best of Prime

Try Prime free for a month

If you haven't tried Amazon Prime in the past, we'll give you a 30-day free trial. Experience what millions of members already enjoy—unlimited streaming of thousands of hit movies and TV episodes, ad-free access to over two million songs, over a thousand Kindle books, and Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items. Learn more

Unlimited reading on any device

Prime Reading gives you unlimited access to over a thousand books, current magazines, comics, Kindle Singles, and more. With any device – including your phone, tablet, or Kindle – you can read however you want, whenever you want.

Prime''

Best of Prime''

Stream thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video

With Amazon Prime, members enjoy unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes at no additional cost, including award-winning Amazon Original series like Jack Ryan and Sneaky Pete, and top HBO shows like True Blood, Girls, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

No Wi-Fi, no problem—Prime Video downloads

Exclusive to Prime members, download thousands of Prime Video movies and TV episodes. Watch downloaded videos anywhere—on a plane, on vacation, in the car, or wherever you don't have a wireless connection. Prime Video offers offline viewing at no additional cost.

The best of Prime''

Over 2 million songs free with Prime Music

Prime Music is a benefit of your Amazon Prime Membership, featuring a growing selection of over two million songs, always ad-free and on-demand. Unlock more music with Amazon Music Unlimited, just $7.99 per month for Prime members. Learn more about Unlimited

Add HBO, SHOWTIME and more to Prime

With Prime Video Channels, Prime members can also subscribe to over 100 premium and specialty channels like HBO and SHOWTIME to add and stream—no cable or satellite subscription necessary. Prime members can subscribe to any or all of these channels with a free trial.

Share with your kids

Designed with kids in mind

When kids use Amazon FreeTime, it's like they have their very own personalized tablet. The background color and fonts change to a kid-friendly design and they only see the titles that you give them access to.

Over 20,000 kid-friendly titles with FreeTime Unlimited

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited is the first-ever an all-in-one subscription that brings together books, games, educational apps, movies, and TV shows—all the types of content that kids and parents love. From just $2.99 per month, enjoy unlimited access to content including titles from Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, PBS, and more.

Perfect for parents

Amazon FreeTime is built from the ground up to help give parents peace of mind when it comes to tablet use. Parents can create a profile for each of their children and choose which books, apps, games, and videos they want to give their kids access to. Amazon FreeTime is free on every Fire tablet.

Fire Kids Edition tablets also available

The Fire 7 Kids Edition and Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablets include the Fire tablet, 1-year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a Kid-Proof Case, plus a 2-year worry-free guarantee. Kids get access to 20,000 popular apps and games, videos, books and educational content from PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney, and more with one year of FreeTime Unlimited. Best-in-class parental controls allow you to manage usage limits, content access, and educational goals.

Learn more

Limit screen time, so they don’t just play

With Amazon FreeTime, parents can set daily limits for tablet use, or restrict certain categories—like games and video—while leaving unlimited time for reading.

Make it personal
Make it personal
Make it personal

Made with premium fabric, our slim, form-fitting case designed by Amazon conveniently allows your Fire tablet to rest in either landscape or portrait orientation so you can enjoy your content hands-free.

Easy to attach and remove, the cases are integrated with a magnetic closure to ensure your cover stays shut while on the go, and automatically puts your Fire tablet to sleep when it is closed and wakes it upon opening.

Explore beyond our cases, and accessorize your device with a wide selection of memory cards, screen protectors, extended warranty services, and more. Learn more

Technical Details

Fire 7

Fire 7

Display

7” touchscreen, 1024 x 600 resolution at 171 ppi, SD video playback, with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and advanced polarizing filter

Size

7.6” x 4.5” x 0.4” (192 x 115 x 9.6 mm)

Weight

10.4 ounces (295 grams) Actual size and weight may vary by configuration and manufacturing process.

CPU & RAM

Quad-Core 1.3 GHz with 1 GB of RAM

Storage

8 GB (4.5 GB available to user) or 16 GB (11.6 GB available to user) of internal storage. Add microSD card for up to 256 GB of additional storage for even more movies, TV shows, music, photos, personal videos, and apps. Some apps may require that they are installed on internal storage.

Battery Life

Up to 8 hours of reading, surfing the web, watching video, and listening to music. Battery life will vary based on device settings, usage, and other factors such as web browsing and downloading content. Actual results may vary. Certain software features or apps may reduce battery life.

Charge Time

Fully charges in under 6 hours using the micro-USB power adapter included in the box, or slightly longer with other micro-USB power adapters that you may already have

Wi-Fi Connectivity

Single-antenna dual-band Wi-Fi. Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n standard with support for WEP, WPA, and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.

4G Connectivity

N/A

Ports

USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) to connect to a PC/Macintosh computer, or to charge your device with the included power adapter; microSD slot for external storage

Audio

3.5 mm stereo jack and integrated speaker

Content Formats Supported

Kindle (AZW), KF8, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible Enhanced format (AAX), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, PCM/WAVE, OGG, WAV, M4V, MP4, AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1, HE-AACv2, MKV, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, HTML5, CSS3, 3GP, VP8 (WEBM)

Sensors

Accelerometer

Camera Specs

VGA front-facing camera. 2 MP rear-facing HD camera

Location Services

Location-based services via Wi-Fi

Available Colors

Black, Marine Blue, Punch Red, Canary Yellow

Additional Features

External volume controls, built-in Bluetooth with support for A2DP compatible stereo headphones, speakers, microphone, and LE accessories support

Accessibility Features

VoiceView and Screen Magnifier enable access to the vast majority of Fire tablet features. VoiceView features IVONA's award-winning natural language text-to-speech voice. Fire OS 5 also includes system wide closed caption settings, adjustable font sizes up to 50% larger, and a variety of book reading text adjustments such as adjustable colors and text spacing. Also includes adjustable font sizes/color, and built-in Oxford dictionary.

System Requirements

Fire 7 is ready to use right out of the box—no setup, no software to install, no computer required to download content

Warranty and Service

90-day Limited Warranty and service included. Optional 1-Year, 2-Year and 3-Year Extended Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Fire 7 tablet is subject to the terms found here.

Included in the Box

Fire 7 tablet, USB 2.0 cable, 5W power adapter, and Quick Start Guide

Generation

7th generation - 2017 release

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
72,141 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the ease of use of the Amazon tablet. They say it's intuitive and easy to set up. They like the value for money, saying it' s well worth the price tag. Customers also like the quality. However, some customers have reported issues with speed and charging. They mention that it' is a bit slow and takes about 10 seconds to open apps. They also have issues with connectivity. Customers disagree on battery life, and performance.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

8,027 customers mention5,979 positive2,048 negative

Customers like the quality of the tablet. For example, they say it's well-built, sturdy, and solid for the price. Some say that there are no issues or warnings signs of failure, and that it' a great middle of the road tablet.

"...it is a great middle of the road tablet and the price it can't be beat...." Read more

"...It seems very well built, works with the other phones and tablets I have (both Apple and Android), and the cable (detachable) that comes with it..." Read more

"...They make great Kids tablets, too, particularly the ‘Kids Edition’ models that come with the more protective case and 2-year replacement guarantee,..." Read more

"...a decent bit of flex in the casing where they attach, and they are not high end enough to handle much of the stress that little hands will put on..." Read more

7,645 customers mention5,826 positive1,819 negative

Customers like the value of the tablet. For example they say it's well worth the price tag, dirt cheap, and an economically-priced reading resource.

"...The price is on point for the features it has provided thus far and I am happy with my purchase...." Read more

"...The prices are now so low that they can be a casual purchase for many people, not quite disposable but something easy to pass on when the next new..." Read more

"...Fire 7 (7th Gen) is just getting better and yet stay the same very inexpensive price, which is a huge plus.•BN rarely discounts their devices...." Read more

"Okay first off, the special offers are kinda annoying when I notice them, but I don't even notice them that often...." Read more

5,465 customers mention4,192 positive1,273 negative

Customers find the tablet intuitive to use, and set up was a breeze. They appreciate the keyboard and the fact that it works with no configuration steps. They also mention that the tablet is easy to set on a table to read or watch videos, and that turning pages is easy. They say that it is perfect as a start off tablet for grade school kids as well as toddlers.

"I got my Fire HD 8 on release day and set up was a breeze...." Read more

"...KUDOS: really compact, useful, and safe charger (it's Amazon, not mystery-sourced)...." Read more

"...in either landscape or portrait orientation to make it easy to set it on a table to read or watch videos...." Read more

"...She never responded. Not once. We each tried her. We each checked all the on and off and use buttons, switches, and options...." Read more

6,891 customers mention4,212 positive2,679 negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the Amazon tablet. Some mention that it works well for average use, the card is working, and it is very versatile and functional. Others say that it stopped working with their yahoo email, the two features don't work together, and the card to expand capacity will only work for Amazon downloads.

"...If you are looking for a nice reliable multimedia hub, look no further than this tablet...." Read more

"...Fingerprints are horrendous, which is why I use a syulus- Web browser is sub-par and watching YT is pretty bad-..." Read more

"...can now be purchased for just fifty bucks, and it’s such a good all-around performer (for the most part)!..." Read more

"...Great simple and cost effective, yet powerful for entertainment and downtime. Great with the kids...." Read more

2,890 customers mention1,015 positive1,875 negative

Customers are mixed about the battery life of the tablet. Some mention it has great battery life, while others say that it is really bad and loses charge quickly. They say it has a battery backup when the electric goes out so their alarm will go off.

"...you will need to get a new device because the battery just would not hold a useful charge and you can't replace only the battery...." Read more

"...Battery life is also pretty decent, I am able to be on the internet (or at least have the WiFi connection open to connect) for hours before needing..." Read more

"...I also read that the battery life isn't the greatest but to be honest I don't agree with that either...." Read more

"...A couple of the units were replaced due to the battery failing and reporting a higher charge, and then discharging completely in a matter of minutes...." Read more

4,882 customers mention1,335 positive3,547 negative

Customers are not satisfied with the speed of the tablet. They mention that it is a bit slow, takes about 10 seconds to open apps, and keeps timing out. The installed soft-keyboard is slow to type with, and it takes so long to switch screens. The 1.3 GHz quad-core is also a potato, and the APK fails to load on the Kindle.

"...It's no speed demon but for the price I wasn't looking for cutting edge technology...." Read more

"...Keyboard -- The default standard pre-installed soft-keyboard is slow to type with because you have to tap a separate key to see alternate characters..." Read more

"...there was no lag in ANY app, so long as I wasn't background running another app (like music)...." Read more

"...The app not only takes time to load to open, but when I attempt to load a puzzle (I only use the free ones within the app) it can take more than a..." Read more

3,131 customers mention903 positive2,228 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the connectivity of the tablet. They mention that the apps they want are not available, they have to add each individual app to their kids' account, and it costs a monthly fee. The app store sucks horribly, and there is a dearth of educational apps for 9-12 year olds. The selection of apps is very small, and most are fakes or just don't work right. The tablet won't run classic Google apps or Apple apps, and the home screen is filled with useless apps that they'll never use.

"...CAVEAT: You do know this won't run classic Google apps or Apple apps (like Music), right?..." Read more

"...Not all popular applications are available in the Amazon App Store...." Read more

"...It's a nice companion to have near, lets me use the apps that I like, moderate gaming, lots of reading and now having both Amazon Music and Google..." Read more

"...Now the app store, the app store sucks horribly, I guess it would be ok if I played free to play games, but I do t make enough money to win at those..." Read more

2,999 customers mention117 positive2,882 negative

Customers have issues with the charging of the tablet. For example, they mention that the charging port is wonky, the cable will not charge the device, and the charging ports became loose within six months. Some customers also report that the tablet charges slowly.

"...The device consumes power faster than it can be supplied. You can start with a charged battery and plug it in and continue to use it...." Read more

"...one for each boy, having loose USB connections where the cable will not charge the device unless it is held at a specific angle by something..." Read more

"...My daughter has had 4 of these and they all died suddenly; would not accept a charge...." Read more

"...That said, I noticed it was really (as in "obnoxiously") slow to charge, and despite showing the icon it was charging the orange glow on..." Read more

Amazon's two Bargain Fire Tablets – How good is the 7" model and how do they Compare? (And note sound quality limitations)
4 Stars
Amazon's two Bargain Fire Tablets – How good is the 7" model and how do they Compare? (And note sound quality limitations)
Amazon has just updated their bargain priced Fire tablets. While these latest models are only slightly better than the preceding generation, I believe that they still represent the absolute best value tablet on the market. It’s still hard for me to adjust to the fact that a tablet device can now be purchased for just fifty bucks, and it’s such a good all-around performer (for the most part)!I purchased both the 7" and 8" Fire models because I wanted to see how they compared, and I was curious how they performed. They are both shown in the video attached to this review. I will focus here on the 7" model, to try to help the potential buyer decide whether or not the more expensive 8" Fire tablet is worth the extra money (and if the 7" model is worth purchasing on its own merits).I've given this 7" model a 4-star rating after further consideration and largely because of the very mediocre quality sound output (see detailed comments below). It is still a terrific bargain at the price, but I do want to be clear that it is not ideal for all uses.SUMMARY- These new models represent minimal changes compared to the previous generation Fire tablets:--- Same display specs as before (Amazon says the 7” model has an improved display), same processors (1.3 GHz quad-core but a newer model that is probably slightly faster in operation), same standard and available storage (7” 8 or 16 GB; 8” 16 or 32 GB)--- New colors--- the 8” model is $10 cheaper--- the 7” model now has dual band wi-fi (previously single band wi-fi) for better connectivity--- Kids edition now available for both models (previously only the 7” model). Note that the Kids edition is only sold with the higher storage (7” – 16 GB; 8” – 32 GB)--- both models can use up to 256 GB microSDXC expansion storage (previously max 128 GB for 7”)--- both models offer Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant at the touch of a button--- both models are physically the same size as previously but slightly lighter – the 8” has lost 1 oz of weight, the 7” is 0.6 oz lighter- BOTH 7” and 8” MODELS are suitable for:--- web surfing using Amazon’s Silk browser--- watching streaming movies or TV shows **--- listening to music **--- reading Kindle books (the 7” is roughly the same size as a Kindle)--- playing games and other apps (within the limitation of Amazon's own ecosystem)--- Kid use – both offer the ability to set up child accounts with restricted access--- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model- IN ADDITION, THE 8” FIRE HAS:--- slightly larger and higher quality display (but I found both displays to be essentially equivalent in quality)--- larger standard storage (16 GB vs 8 GB)--- better sound – Dolby audio, stereo (7” has mono speaker) **--- larger battery / longer life between charges (Amazon states up to 12 hours, vs up to 8 hrs for the 7”)--- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model- WHAT DON’T THEY DO AND WHAT ARE THEIR LIMITATIONS?--- Neither model will display 1080p video--- camera specs are poor compared to most current phone and higher priced tablets, so don’t expect high resolution photos--- Sound quality and volume ability is a limitation - see next paragraph--- With limited built in storage, they both rely upon the expansion slot to store larger amounts of photos, videos, or music. Responsiveness using memory from the expansion slot is not quite the same as with a tablet that has greater hard wired storage built-in--- All Fire models are limited to using Amazon’s own Silk web browser, which is less flexible than the regular Chrome or Firefox browsers that can be used on regular Android or Apple tablets- THE SOUND QUALITY AND MAXIMUM VOLUME CAPABILITY IS A WEAK POINT--- Accepting the fact that these are very low cost tablets, they do offer the ability to listen to videos and music and so the built-in speakers will be relied upon by many users. In my opinion the most significant difference between these two Fire models, aside from the screen size, is the difference in sound quality. But I first want to say that neither model has the ability to provide much volume of sound, even at the very highest setting. This is a disappointment.--- The 7" Fire has a single speaker located on the rear of the device, near the bottom. It is weak and produces a very low quality sound. Also, depending on how you are holding the tablet, or if you're using a case to hold it in landscape or portrait mode, the speaker could be covered and even further muffled.--- The 8" HD Fire has better quality sound - two stereo speakers located on the side, positioned so that they will be at the top when the tablet is supported in landscape mode. It also has better sound processing ('Dolby Atmos'), and the sound quality is noticeably better than the 7". Still, the maximum volume capability is modest.--- Bottom line - if you plan to use either model for listening to music or videos, then ear pods or headphones or an external speaker is probably going to be necessary in order to get satisfactory sound. Sound quality is not going to be something owners of these small Fire tablets will be bragging about.- MY IMPRESSIONS OF BOTH MODELS AND HOW THEY COMPAREI purchased both models and illustrate them side by side in my video. They’re obviously very similar in feel and appearance, and the quality is excellent. I also like the matching Amazon cases that protect the screen when not in use and prop the tablet in either landscape or portrait orientation to make it easy to set it on a table to read or watch videos. The cases work exactly the same for both sizes.The display is the most obvious difference – not only size, but the slightly greater display content and resolution. At least that is what the Amazon specs suggest, but to my eyes they are both pretty much the same. I did find that the 7" model seemed to have a slightly brighter display, and the 'whiteness' of the display also seemed to be better.The other difference I wanted to evaluate was the sound quality, since the 7" model has only a single speaker and the 8" model has two (stereo) speakers with Dolby sound processing. For anyone using this tablet for watching videos or listening to music, I thought that would be an important difference.What I found, as also mentioned elsewhere in this review and with respect to the sound quality, was that the limited volume ability of the built-in speakers makes ear pods or headphones or the use of an external speaker almost mandatory. If those considerations are acceptable, then the higher price of the 8" model is probably well worthwhile for users who will use the table very much to listen to music or videos.For reading Kindle books or those who prefer the smaller and lighter size, the 7” model is just great (either model is fine, really).By comparison, the latest small iPad mini has a 7.0” display and is roughly between the 7” and 8” Fire tablets in size (width and height), quite a bit thinner, and about the same weight as the 7” Fire. It’s considerably more powerful and has 128 GB storage standard, but think about it – you can purchase eight 7” Fire tablets for the price of a single iPad mini today! That is really a striking difference.FURTHER THOUGHTSThese two models are the 7th generation Amazon Fire tablet – the first generation was introduced in November, 2011 as the Kindle Fire, offering the same screen size and resolution but a considerably less powerful processor, and selling for $199. Along the way they’ve offered models of various sizes and specifications, and for a short time (generations 3 and 4) their Fire models included the more sophisticated (and expensive) Fire HDX model that may have been intended to be a more direct competitor to Apple’s iPad.Then, in September 2015, Amazon introduced the $49.99 Fire 7, and since that time it seems that they’ve been happy to offer these bargain priced tablets that do everything that most people really need on a day-to-day basis. They make great Kids tablets, too, particularly the ‘Kids Edition’ models that come with the more protective case and 2-year replacement guarantee, just in case your kid drops it in the, ah, swimming pool or some such!WARRANTYThe standard warranty for both Fire models is a short 90-days. Longer warranties - 1, 2 or 3 years - are available at extra cost ($10.99, $14.99, $16.99 respectively). Compared to most devices this is a very short standard warranty.CAMERA QUALITYBoth Fire models have a 2 MP rear-facing 'HD' camera, and a 'VGA' front-facing 0.3 MP camera. These are very mediocre cameras compared to just about any smart phone or tablet currently available and anyone wanting to take photos or videos with their tablet is not going to be satisfied with the quality that can be obtained from these Fire models, but they do suffice if all you want is to take a photo to make a visual note of something for future reference.INCLUDED ACCESSORIESBoth fire models include a 5W wall charger and a VERY SHORT USB cable (just over 3 ft long).As with pretty much all Amazon Fire and Kindle models these days, you can purchase either of these tablets either with or without ‘special offers’. The $15 difference in price eliminates the ads that show when the screen is locked (but disappear when unlocked).For anyone who wants a smaller and lighter weight tablet, these Fire models have become the logical choice. The prices are now so low that they can be a casual purchase for many people, not quite disposable but something easy to pass on when the next new model comes out.I will continue to add more details here as I use these tablets more and have thoughts and comments to share.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2017
Style: 8 GBColor: Punch RedOffer Type: With Special OffersVerified Purchase
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4.0 out of 5 stars Amazon's two Bargain Fire Tablets – How good is the 7" model and how do they Compare? (And note sound quality limitations)
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2017
Amazon has just updated their bargain priced Fire tablets. While these latest models are only slightly better than the preceding generation, I believe that they still represent the absolute best value tablet on the market. It’s still hard for me to adjust to the fact that a tablet device can now be purchased for just fifty bucks, and it’s such a good all-around performer (for the most part)!

I purchased both the 7" and 8" Fire models because I wanted to see how they compared, and I was curious how they performed. They are both shown in the video attached to this review. I will focus here on the 7" model, to try to help the potential buyer decide whether or not the more expensive 8" Fire tablet is worth the extra money (and if the 7" model is worth purchasing on its own merits).

I've given this 7" model a 4-star rating after further consideration and largely because of the very mediocre quality sound output (see detailed comments below). It is still a terrific bargain at the price, but I do want to be clear that it is not ideal for all uses.

SUMMARY

- These new models represent minimal changes compared to the previous generation Fire tablets:
--- Same display specs as before (Amazon says the 7” model has an improved display), same processors (1.3 GHz quad-core but a newer model that is probably slightly faster in operation), same standard and available storage (7” 8 or 16 GB; 8” 16 or 32 GB)
--- New colors
--- the 8” model is $10 cheaper
--- the 7” model now has dual band wi-fi (previously single band wi-fi) for better connectivity
--- Kids edition now available for both models (previously only the 7” model). Note that the Kids edition is only sold with the higher storage (7” – 16 GB; 8” – 32 GB)
--- both models can use up to 256 GB microSDXC expansion storage (previously max 128 GB for 7”)
--- both models offer Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant at the touch of a button
--- both models are physically the same size as previously but slightly lighter – the 8” has lost 1 oz of weight, the 7” is 0.6 oz lighter

- BOTH 7” and 8” MODELS are suitable for:
--- web surfing using Amazon’s Silk browser
--- watching streaming movies or TV shows **
--- listening to music **
--- reading Kindle books (the 7” is roughly the same size as a Kindle)
--- playing games and other apps (within the limitation of Amazon's own ecosystem)
--- Kid use – both offer the ability to set up child accounts with restricted access
--- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model

- IN ADDITION, THE 8” FIRE HAS:
--- slightly larger and higher quality display (but I found both displays to be essentially equivalent in quality)
--- larger standard storage (16 GB vs 8 GB)
--- better sound – Dolby audio, stereo (7” has mono speaker) **
--- larger battery / longer life between charges (Amazon states up to 12 hours, vs up to 8 hrs for the 7”)
--- ** note comments below regarding sound quality and volume, particularly for the 7" model

- WHAT DON’T THEY DO AND WHAT ARE THEIR LIMITATIONS?
--- Neither model will display 1080p video
--- camera specs are poor compared to most current phone and higher priced tablets, so don’t expect high resolution photos
--- Sound quality and volume ability is a limitation - see next paragraph
--- With limited built in storage, they both rely upon the expansion slot to store larger amounts of photos, videos, or music. Responsiveness using memory from the expansion slot is not quite the same as with a tablet that has greater hard wired storage built-in
--- All Fire models are limited to using Amazon’s own Silk web browser, which is less flexible than the regular Chrome or Firefox browsers that can be used on regular Android or Apple tablets

- THE SOUND QUALITY AND MAXIMUM VOLUME CAPABILITY IS A WEAK POINT
--- Accepting the fact that these are very low cost tablets, they do offer the ability to listen to videos and music and so the built-in speakers will be relied upon by many users. In my opinion the most significant difference between these two Fire models, aside from the screen size, is the difference in sound quality. But I first want to say that neither model has the ability to provide much volume of sound, even at the very highest setting. This is a disappointment.
--- The 7" Fire has a single speaker located on the rear of the device, near the bottom. It is weak and produces a very low quality sound. Also, depending on how you are holding the tablet, or if you're using a case to hold it in landscape or portrait mode, the speaker could be covered and even further muffled.
--- The 8" HD Fire has better quality sound - two stereo speakers located on the side, positioned so that they will be at the top when the tablet is supported in landscape mode. It also has better sound processing ('Dolby Atmos'), and the sound quality is noticeably better than the 7". Still, the maximum volume capability is modest.
--- Bottom line - if you plan to use either model for listening to music or videos, then ear pods or headphones or an external speaker is probably going to be necessary in order to get satisfactory sound. Sound quality is not going to be something owners of these small Fire tablets will be bragging about.

- MY IMPRESSIONS OF BOTH MODELS AND HOW THEY COMPARE
I purchased both models and illustrate them side by side in my video. They’re obviously very similar in feel and appearance, and the quality is excellent. I also like the matching Amazon cases that protect the screen when not in use and prop the tablet in either landscape or portrait orientation to make it easy to set it on a table to read or watch videos. The cases work exactly the same for both sizes.

The display is the most obvious difference – not only size, but the slightly greater display content and resolution. At least that is what the Amazon specs suggest, but to my eyes they are both pretty much the same. I did find that the 7" model seemed to have a slightly brighter display, and the 'whiteness' of the display also seemed to be better.

The other difference I wanted to evaluate was the sound quality, since the 7" model has only a single speaker and the 8" model has two (stereo) speakers with Dolby sound processing. For anyone using this tablet for watching videos or listening to music, I thought that would be an important difference.

What I found, as also mentioned elsewhere in this review and with respect to the sound quality, was that the limited volume ability of the built-in speakers makes ear pods or headphones or the use of an external speaker almost mandatory. If those considerations are acceptable, then the higher price of the 8" model is probably well worthwhile for users who will use the table very much to listen to music or videos.

For reading Kindle books or those who prefer the smaller and lighter size, the 7” model is just great (either model is fine, really).

By comparison, the latest small iPad mini has a 7.0” display and is roughly between the 7” and 8” Fire tablets in size (width and height), quite a bit thinner, and about the same weight as the 7” Fire. It’s considerably more powerful and has 128 GB storage standard, but think about it – you can purchase eight 7” Fire tablets for the price of a single iPad mini today! That is really a striking difference.

FURTHER THOUGHTS

These two models are the 7th generation Amazon Fire tablet – the first generation was introduced in November, 2011 as the Kindle Fire, offering the same screen size and resolution but a considerably less powerful processor, and selling for $199. Along the way they’ve offered models of various sizes and specifications, and for a short time (generations 3 and 4) their Fire models included the more sophisticated (and expensive) Fire HDX model that may have been intended to be a more direct competitor to Apple’s iPad.

Then, in September 2015, Amazon introduced the $49.99 Fire 7, and since that time it seems that they’ve been happy to offer these bargain priced tablets that do everything that most people really need on a day-to-day basis. They make great Kids tablets, too, particularly the ‘Kids Edition’ models that come with the more protective case and 2-year replacement guarantee, just in case your kid drops it in the, ah, swimming pool or some such!

WARRANTY

The standard warranty for both Fire models is a short 90-days. Longer warranties - 1, 2 or 3 years - are available at extra cost ($10.99, $14.99, $16.99 respectively). Compared to most devices this is a very short standard warranty.

CAMERA QUALITY

Both Fire models have a 2 MP rear-facing 'HD' camera, and a 'VGA' front-facing 0.3 MP camera. These are very mediocre cameras compared to just about any smart phone or tablet currently available and anyone wanting to take photos or videos with their tablet is not going to be satisfied with the quality that can be obtained from these Fire models, but they do suffice if all you want is to take a photo to make a visual note of something for future reference.

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

Both fire models include a 5W wall charger and a VERY SHORT USB cable (just over 3 ft long).

As with pretty much all Amazon Fire and Kindle models these days, you can purchase either of these tablets either with or without ‘special offers’. The $15 difference in price eliminates the ads that show when the screen is locked (but disappear when unlocked).

For anyone who wants a smaller and lighter weight tablet, these Fire models have become the logical choice. The prices are now so low that they can be a casual purchase for many people, not quite disposable but something easy to pass on when the next new model comes out.

I will continue to add more details here as I use these tablets more and have thoughts and comments to share.
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