Amazon's 2022 Fire 7 Tablet Adds To Power, Battery, And Price Tag

Amazon has taken the wraps off its next-generation Kindle Fire tablet, including a Kids Edition variant that is designed to withstand the bumps and drops common among children. The Amazon Fire 7 tablet features the same Fire OS platform users are familiar with, but alongside upgraded hardware set to meet present-day entertainment needs. Among other things, Amazon says consumers can expect 30% faster processor speeds compared to the previous generation, as well as support for USB-C charging, up to 40% longer battery life at up to 10 hours, and double the RAM capacity.

As the name indicates, the Fire 7 has a 7-inch touchscreen, which pushes it toward the low-end, at least as far as tablet display sizes are concerned — it's quite a bit smaller than its 10-inch counterpart, at least. This may make the tablet more appealing for users who intend to primarily read books and watch videos on the device. The features ultimately remain modest and tightly focused on entertainment as the primary use case — the tablet only has a 2MP front-facing selfie camera, for example, which makes it adequate for a quick snap, but not something poised to replace your smartphone. The Kids Edition tablet, meanwhile, includes the protective foam-like case, as well as a bundled Amazon Kids+ subscription for one year.

The Amazon Fire 7 may be small and have modest specs, but there's a reason the tiny tablet remains popular: it's very inexpensive. This year's model is priced starting at $59.99 (a $10 increase over the previous-gen model), though the Kids version is more expensive with a starting price of $109.99. Amazon says the new model is built using 35% recycled plastics, while the packaging in which it is sold features 95% materials made from wood fibers that were responsibly sourced. The tablet includes a bundled 5-watt charger, and the use of USB-C means you probably have other cables lying around that could be used if needed.

As with previous generations, the Fire 7 tablet supports the major streaming apps, including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max, according to Amazon. There's also support for Zoom for use with a remote working arrangement, plus users can download apps for other popular platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Likewise, Alexa is integrated so that users can control their smart home gear using their voice, among other things.

Amazon

The aforementioned Amazon Kids+ subscription is ordinarily priced at $2.99 per month for Prime users; it offers young children access to age-appropriate content, including educational games and apps, movies, and books. Amazon takes a quick jab at Apple with the claim that its new Kids Edition tablet is twice as durable as the iPad Mini, at least when evaluated in "tumble tests." In addition to the lengthy Kids+ subscription, the Fire 7 also includes three months' access to Kindle Unlimited, which provides older kids and adults with access to an unlimited number of ebooks on the Kindle platform. The new Amazon Fire tablet is available to preorder now, but isn't set to start shipping until June 29.