Amazon's Fire Tablets did not get a refresh at the megacorp's recent hardware event, which means that these deals are for the latest and greatest models. If these prices seem too good to be true, well, they might be. Fire Tablets are a great way to browse the web and consume Amazon Prime content. Beyond that they're a bit lacking. But. The best one is only $70 right now during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days. The fact that you can actually get a functioning tablet for a mere $70 is a minor miracle.
If you're unsure which tablet is best for you, check out our guide to the best Fire Tablets, and be sure to have a gander at the rest of our Prime Day coverage, including our liveblog of deals.
WIRED Featured Deals
The Fire HD 10 Is On Sale
Prime Day Pick Courtesy of Best Buy Amazon Fire HD 10 $140 $70 (50% off) Amazon
This is the time to buy a Fire HD 10. For $70 you really can't lose. If nothing else, you'll have something decent to watch movies on the next time you're stuck on a plane. The Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s best tablet in terms of value. The Octa-core processor is plenty fast enough for everyday tasks like web browsing and checking email, and the 3-GB of RAM helps if you're the type to have ten tabs open at once (after that, the Fire HD 10 will slow to crawl). This model also has a full HD (1080p) screen, making it better for watching those Prime videos.
So long as you understand that this is not an iPad, and does not perform like one, you'll likely enjoy the Fire HD 10. It is primarily for delivering Amazon content to you, sitting on your couch. It can work like an Echo speaker too. Turn on Show Mode (swipe down on the notification overlay and check the Show Mode box) and you can query Alexa til your heart's content.
There are 32-GB and 64-GB models, with a microSD slot on both so you can store up to 1-TB of data.
The Travel Fire Tablet
The Fire HD 8's 8-inch screen is a more convenient size for travel. Hold it vertically to read, switch it over to landscape when you're catching up on your YouTube backlog. Just kidding, the YouTube app doesn't work on a Fire tablet (you can watch in the Silk browser), but you can watch movie and TV shows through Prime Video.
The big difference between the HD 10 and this is the screen, which isn't nearly as nice as the Fire 10 HD screen. On this smaller model, pixels are often still visible and movies often feel flat. Still, the HD 8 has most of the benefits of the HD 10, and supports hands-free Alexa, stereo sound, USB-C, and nearly 12 hours of battery life.
I recommend picking up Amazon’s magnetic stand-up case if you plan on watching movies or TV, or, if you opt for the Plus model, the Wireless Charging Dock, which turns your tablet into an Echo Show speaker.
The Almost-a-Real-Tablet Fire Tablet
The Max 11, the little Fire Tablet that could. Almost. This is unquestionably Amazon's best tablet, and at this price I think it's a good buy, but don't expect an iPad. The hardware here is pretty good, the octa-core processor is the fastest in the Fire lineup, the 4-GB of RAM is enough to keep things reasonably snappy, and the 11-inch, 2000 x 1200 IPS (213 ppi) display is again, the best in the Fire lineup. Our main grip with the Max 11 is that full retail price approaches the base model iPad and this just can't compete. But for $140 it's a much more compelling proposition. If the limitations of Fire OS don't bother you, and you love Amazon Prime video, then this the tablet to get.
Think of the Children
Amazon's various Kids model tablets are identical to the regular versions, they just have a padded case, and a two-year worry-free guarantee, which means Amazon will replace the tablet for free if your kids break it. They also come with either six months or one full year of Amazon Kids+, offering access to kid-friendly movies, books, games, and apps. It costs $6 per month after the first year (for Prime subscribers, $9/month if you don't have Prime). The parental controls aren't the most robust though so be sure to see our guide to managing Amazon Kids+ content.
We think the 2024 Fire HD 8 Kids ($75) is the best kids tablet for younger children, while the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro ($154), which is really big in little-kid hands, is better for older children. The latter was refreshed in October 2023 and includes some new features like Music Maker, a kid-friendly music editing app (think GarageBand, but simpler).
What's WIRED about Fire Tablets AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron They cheap. Insanely cheap. Especially right now when they're on sale. There is almost no other 10-inch tablet you can buy for $70. And they're plenty powerful enough for browsing the web and watching movies. I've even been known to do some actual work on one (though I don't anymore). What's TIRED about Fire Tablets AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Fire tablets aren't the most powerful devices around, but they get the job done, their fatal flaw is not hardware, but software, namely, Fire OS. The limitations of Fire OS, which has its own very limited app store rather than the Google Play store, mean that Fire Tablets are really limited to browsing the web and consuming Amazon Prime content. There are a rumors that Fire tablets are moving to pure Android next year, but we expect that, if that happens, the updated versions will likely be considerably more expensive.
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