Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition vs. Fire 7 Kids Edition: Which is better for your kid?

Comparing the Fire HD 10 and 7 Kids Edition Tablets, they both offer excellent performance, Amazon support, and an ecosystem full of entertainment and parental safety features that aren't found on other products even close to this price range. Amazon's Fire tablet line-up is popular for a variety of reasons, one of those being they have kids-specific options for their low-cost tablets. Thankfully, whether you get the top-of-the-line or the entry-level model, you'll get an excellent kid's tablet — but what makes one the better choice?

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition vs. Fire 7 Kids Edition: Here are the details

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is the best tablet in the line-up of excellent Fire Kids tablets. It's packed with great hardware, from the screen and processor to the speakers and battery life, and that's reflected in the price. Meanwhile, the Fire 7 Kids Edition comes in at a much more palatable cost, and so has hardware more in line with that price. Even though the hardware isn't to the same level as its larger sibling, both the 7- and 10-inch models come with the same great software and kid-friendly features.

While there are a few common traits these devices share, the differences are essential. Both of the tablets will do a fine job of entertaining your child in the car or on a bus, but the larger option offers improved hardware that can make quite a difference in the overall experience and things to keep in mind regardless of what Android kids tablet you are looking at.

Take, for example, the screen. While the size of the Fire HD 10 is obviously larger, it also offers better resolution at 1920x1200. This can make not only the movies and shows your child watches more enjoyable, but it also makes reading text less straining. Depending on your child's age, they may already be reading or just starting to learn. The clearer text will make it that much better for their eyes. The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition also has dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, which is excellent for watching movies. 

Some less upfront but still important hardware differences include increased RAM, a faster processor, and more internal storage with the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition. 

When I gave my son his Fire HD 8 Kids Edition two years ago with its 1.5GB RAM, he was only five years old, and he didn't know what sort of user experience to expect. Now that he's seven years old and has used other more capable devices, I'll hear groans coming from the other room that the tablet doesn't respond to his commands as quickly as he wants. This is the same reason why my oldest uses the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, which has the same hardware as the regular HD 10 Kids. (The differences between the Fire Kids and Fire Kids Pro are with the case and software.)

None of this means Fire 7 Kids Edition isn't a good choice. This tablet is still capable of being a solid platform for safe entertainment and education. Plus, one of the most significant benefits of a smaller tablet is that it is lighter and easier to hold in smaller hands.

Both tablets offer the full suite of Amazon's parental controls along with one year of Amazon Kids+. You can filter the content your child has access to based on their age. With over 20,000 books, movies, TV shows, apps, and games, there's sure to be something great for your child. They can also browse the web on hand-picked sites so they can learn how to use a browser without needing you to hover over their shoulders.

Each tablet also gets a two-year "worry-free" guarantee, meaning if it breaks, Amazon will replace it for free. The included kid's case offers excellent protection and an included, fold-out kickstand to prop up the device.

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition vs. Fire 7 Kids Edition: Which one should you buy?

Your child will likely be happy with either option. If they are like mine, they'll just be excited to have a gadget to call their own. Even though the cost is a fair bit higher, the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition will last your child longer. This isn't just because the battery is rated for 12 hours rather than the 10 hours of the smaller tablet. It's also because the internal hardware is more futureproof.

Having upgraded hardware means that it will do a better job "growing" with your child. As your child ages and their demands for education and entertainment mature, the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition will do a better job of handling it. Not to mention, the frustrations of it not being as fast as your child wants it to be will be lessened — which is quite a win, let me tell you. However, if the price is paramount to you and the smaller size would benefit your child more, perhaps the 7-inch option is the way to go.