Much of the Amazon news lately has been focused on new Echo hardware, but today the company is switching things up and focusing on tablets.
Amazon today introduced four new Android-powered Fire tablets. The new Fire 7 tablet is thinner than its predecessor (9.6mm vs 10.6mm) and offers dual-band Wi-Fi whereas the previous model only offered single-band Wi-Fi. Also included is longer battery life, with Amazon saying that it gets 8 hours of use on a single charge rather than 7 like the previous model.
Other features of the new Fire 7 include 8GB or 16GB of storage, 2-megapixel rear and VGA front cameras, a quad-core processor, and a 7-inch 1024x600 display. The new Fire 7 starts at $49.99 for the 8GB model with special offers on the lock screen, while the 16GB model is $69.99.
The new Fire HD 8 features mostly the same specs as its predecessor, like an 8-inch 1280x800 display, quad-core processor, 2-megapixel rear and VGA front cameras, and 16GB or 32GB of storage. The difference here is that the new model is $10 cheaper, starting at $79.99 for the 16GB model with special offers and $109.99 for the 32GB version.
Amazon today also updated its kids tablet offerings. The new Fire 7 Kids Edition features the same dual-band Wi-Fi and longer battery life as the standard Fire 7, and it comes with 16GB of storage, front and rear cameras, and a kid-proof case. Once again, Amazon is also offering to replace the Fire 7 Kids Edition if your kid breaks it within two years of your purchase.
The Fire 7 Kids Edition comes with 16GB of storage and is priced at $99.99.
Finally, there’s an all-new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. Like the regular Fire HD 8, this Kids Edition model has an 8-inch 1280x800 display, dual stereo speakers, front and rear cameras, a quad-core processor, and up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge. And because it’s a kid-focused device, Amazon says that it’ll replace the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition if it breaks for two years after your purchase.
All four of these new tablets are now available to pre-order ahead of their June 7 launch date.
While these four new tablets aren’t major revisions over their predecessors, they do offer smaller changes that are still welcome, like longer battery life in the Fire 7 and a cheaper price on the Fire HD 8. It’s also good to have a larger screen option on the Kids Edition tablets for the parents that want it.
You can get a closer look at all four of the new tablets at the links below.