The best Amazon Fire tablet

If you're planning to buy one of the best Amazon Fire tablets soon, you'll have quite a few options to choose from. Although it's true that these devices can't compete with the best Android tablets in terms of hardware specifications and overall performance, but that's because they're not meant to. Instead, these are affordable products meant for casual tasks such as lightweight gaming, web browsing, and perhaps keeping your kids entertained during long road trips.

From the super affordable Fire 7 to the premium Fire Max 11, Amazon's Fire line-up has a tablet for just about everyone's needs. Plus, there are also special Kids editions that come with bright colors and soft shells for added protection. Among the currently available devices, we believe the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) is the best overall option. Priced at just $99 for the 64GB storage version, it sports a pleasing 8-inch screen, all-day battery, and three color options. Then you have the top-of-the-line Fire Max 11, which comes with a big 11-inch display with stylus support, solid everyday performance, and can even be used for productivity tasks. There are many other choices, so read on to know about them all!

Andrew Myrick

Andrew Myrick is a senior editor at Android Central. In between figuring out ways to put retro emulators on everything, Andrew thoroughly enjoys exploring what's possible with Android tablets. He's constantly looking for new and different ways to use tablets, such as replacing his laptop or turning tablets into smart home dashboards.

At a glance

Best overall

The Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) is physically identical to the previous-gen Fire HD 8 but now packs better internals. It features 3GB or 4GB of RAM depending on the storage, a 5MP rear camera, and newer colors. You still get the same lightweight design and compact dimensions that made the previous model a winner, so that is a good thing.

It's the lowest-priced Fire device you can get with an 8-inch panel, which comes with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The base model comes with 32GB of storage, but you can quickly and affordably add to that with a microSD card and expand it to 1TB. With up to 13 hours of battery life, you have plenty of juice to binge-watch several movies or play games on the go.

The device features Dolby Atmos support through its dual stereo speakers, and there's also a 3.5mm audio port to enjoy your music or videos. Unfortunately, you won't get access to Google apps, but Amazon's own app store now sports better offerings than it used to.

What sets this new model apart is the GenAI features that come built-in. Writing Assist helps you draft a complex email with the right tone that you require, while Webpage Summaries does exactly what it says it does. There's even a Wallpaper Creator which lets you generate new images based on the text prompts that you input. It's worth noting that these AI features will eventually be rolled out to older Fire tablets too that are compatible.

Best for work and play

With Android tablets catching up to Apple's iPad series lately, it appears Amazon too wants a slice of the piece, so say hello to the Fire Max 11. As the name implies, this thing sports an 11-inch display with a crisp resolution of 2000x1200 pixels.

Powering the device is the MediaTek MTK8188J octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage. You get an 8MP camera each on the front and the rear, On the front as well as back, you'll find an 8MP camera, and these are more thana adequate for participating in video calls, as well as snapping a picture or two.

Where the Amazon Fire Max 11 really stands out is in the plethora of productivity-focused accessories. Alongside the tablet, Amazon has also released a detachable keyboard case and a USI 2.0 stylus. The former lets you prop up the Fire Max 11 anywhere, while the latter lets you jot down notes and even works with many of the best Chromebooks out there.

Unfortunately for some, at least, there's still no Play Store or Google Play Services installed, so the Amazon App Store is the way to go. On the bright side, it's pretty easy to sideload the Play Store onto the Amazon Fire Max 11, so you won't have a lot of trouble doing that.

Something that's not as good is the display, which only comes with a refresh rate of 60Hz. We would have liked to see at least a 90Hz panel if not 120Hz, but maybe the successor (when and if Amazon decides to launch one) will get that.

Best tablet for sharing

If you want the most immersive video and gaming experience on a Fire Tablet, the Fire HD 10 is our easy recommendation. While a bit expensive than we would like, it's still pretty darn affordable and can be had for even cheaper during sales and other limited-time promotion. Try finding another Android tablet or iPad of this size at anywhere close to this price.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) is a large tablet with a Full HD display that features a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. It has up to 13 hours of battery life, which includes video watching, web browsing, and music listening — which we discovered was accurate through our hands-on with the device. The Fire HD 10 also get support for Dolby Atmos, dual stereo speakers, and a 3.5mm audio port. For photos and video calls, there's a 5MP camera each on the front and the back.

As its size would suggest, the Fire HD 10 comes with more storage (up to 64GB) that is expandable up to 1TB, and it has the best processor in the Fire Tablet line. You can use that storage and processing speed to watch hours of movies and TV shows and playing mobile games on that Full HD screen is a delight.

While the 2021 edition of the Amazon Fire HD 10 was a bit heavy for some at just over a pound (16.4oz), the newest 2023 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 much more screen space to view your content.

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. It is the perfect portable companion for anyone who wants a low-cost tablet to watch their favorite shows, play games, read new Kindle books, and even occasionally surf the web or check Facebook. As with the other Fire tablets, this device comes with 2MP front and rear cameras and HD (720p) video recording), so you can still snap decent shots and video chat when you want.

This would be a great option if you're looking to get an affordable family tablet to share with your kids. With the savings 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 the Fire 7 tablet. Even though it's not HD resolution, the screen still 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 Amazon Fire 7 is already cheap, but you can often find it available for an even more affordable price, making it practically an impulse buy.

Best large tablet for kids

Some may object to this pick based on the price alone. The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro (2023) is significantly more expensive than the Fire HD 10 (if we consider the regular pricing), even though they are essentially the same device. So why is this so? It's about all the extras, which add up to a good value, as we discovered in our hands-on testing.

Amazon's Kids Edition Fire tablets all come with a kid-proof case having a built-in stand to protect it from inevitable accidents. In the case (pun intended) of the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, you can get one 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 very easy to configure screen time limits, curfews, or restrict content. Alexa and in-app purchases are also disabled by default. The device comes with one year of Amazon Kids+, which gives 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 a microSD card. Of course, you get unlimited cloud storage for any content purchased through Amazon. The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro (2023) can get up to 13 hours of battery life depending on usage, and it features dual stereo speakers and, blissfully, a 3.5mm audio port. There are also a 2MP front and a 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording for times when you want the kids talking with their grandparents.

Best small tablet for kids

While the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is our pick for best Fire Tablet for kids, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro (2024) is a close runner-up. It’s definitely a better option if you want something a bit more portable. As you would expect, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro still comes with Amazon’s Kid-Friendly case, as well as a six-month or a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a lot more. Amazon also includes a “two-year worry-free guarantee,” so if disaster strikes, the company will replace the tablet for free.

The new refresh gets all the new features of the Fire HD 8 (2024) like more RAM, a 5MP rear camera, and a 64GB storage option. Battery life is also improved over the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, as the Amazon 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 expansion slot that can take up microSD cards of up to 1TB in size, 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 or 4GB of RAM for solid performance. Its smaller panel has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, which allows the tablet to easily make it to the end of the day on a single charge. That's a good thing, because the 5W charging means you'll have to wait a long time for the battery to be juiced up.

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How to choose

The line-up of Amazon's Fire tablets has never been so complete as it's now, and we understand why these are among the best Android tablets out there. Overall, they offer a great entertainment experience with industry-best parental controls and kid-specific content options, with access to Alexa and Amazon's connected home ecosystem, all at a fantastic value.

When looking at Fire tablets, we feel that the Fire HD 8 (2024) is the best choice for most people. It has an impressive HD screen, expandable storage, and hands-free Alexa. For the price, you can even feel comfortable picking up two or three of these for less than the cost of an iPad, and you can share them with your family members if you choose to.

How to decide which Fire tablet to get

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

If you've already decided to grab an Amazon Fire tablet, which count among 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 on using the tablet for.

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, total battery life, what features are available, and more. You won't find Play Store out of the box. But we still put these tablets through their paces and leverage what all is available in the Amazon Appstore.

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 feature expandable storage, so you can throw in one of the best microSD cards for more. The latest Fire HD 8 also gets most of the features from the Plus model like hands-free Alexa, so you can check your smart doorbell without reaching for your phone.

Then there's the Fire HD 10 (2023), which is one of the largest tablets in Amazon's line-up. It's an upgraded version of the original from 2021 with more power and a lighter design. 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 up to a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. But just as a reminder, these sport a different interface compared to the "regular" versions.

What is an Amazon Fire Tablet?

When 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 Google Pixel Tablet or the much more powerful Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

That's because Amazon Fire Tablets use a modified version, or a 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 altogether.

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. If you're entrenched into the Amazon ecosystem, all of your digital purchases are right there at your fingertips.