A parent's guide to buying an Amazon Fire Kids tablet
With so many Fire Kids tablets available from Amazon these days, filtering through it all can be tough.
If you search for the best Android tablet for kids, you will inevitably find an option from Amazon at the top of many lists. This is because Amazon has worked extremely hard to offer good quality hardware and software and do so at an affordable price. With up to six different tablet options for kids, it can be difficult to sort through which is the best Amazon Fire kids tablets to buy for your child.
Just right
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2020)
Best option for most kids
The Fire HD 8 Kids tablet offers a great 8" HD display that is big enough to enjoy content on but not so big that it's hard to hold for smaller hands. With dual speakers, a durable case with a built-in kickstand, and excellent parental features, your child is sure to love this tablet.
Amazon Fire Kids tablet: What is it?
An Amazon Fire Kids tablet takes the company's already great hardware at its core, like an Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus and make it perfect for kids and parents by adding software specifically designed for children. This software feature is called Amazon Kids and Kids+, making these tablets not only easier to navigate for kids but also filling it with age-appropriate content that puts you in control of what your child sees. That's a very basic explanation of what you get when you purchase an Amazon Fire Kids tablet, so let's get into the details in the different layers of what makes these tablets such a great buy for kids and parents alike.
Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Pricing
Amazon Fire Kids tablets cover a range of prices in an attempt to be accessible to everyone. Starting with the Fire 7 Kids or Fire 7 Kids Pro, you can pick up either option tablet for $99.99. If you want to move into a more powerful, larger tablet, the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro runs $139.99. Moving up to the biggest offering from Amazon, the Fire HD 10 Kids or Fire HD 10 Kids Pro costs $199.99.
Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Differences
Amazon offers three different sizes of tablets for its kids tablets. You may recall that I said previously that there are six choices of Amazon Fire Kids tablets, well that is because each size of the tablet comes in two different configurations. It sounds a bit confusing, I know, but let's break it down a bit so we can sort it out.
| Fire 7 Kids | Fire HD 8 Kids | Fire HD 10 Kids | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 16.1 oz | 19.4 oz | 25.2 oz |
| Display | 7" | 8" HD | 10.1" HD |
| Dimensions | 8.7" x 6.3" x 1.0" | 9.2" x 7.2" x 1.0" | 8.2" x 10.6" x 1.1" |
| Storage | 16GB | 32GB | 32GB |
| Expandable Storage | Up to 512GB | Up to 1TB | Up to 1TB |
| Screen Resolution | 1024x600 (171 PPI) | 1280 x 800 (189 PPI) | (1920 x 1200) (224 PPI) |
| Battery life | Up to 7 hours of multimedia | Up to 12 hours of multimedia | Up to 12 hours of multimedia |
| Camera | 2MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p video recording | 2MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p video recording | 2 MP front-facing and 5 MP rear-facing with 720p video recording |
| Alexa enabled | Off by default | Off by default | Off by default |
| Colors | Pink, Blue, Purple | Pink, Blue, Purple | Aquamarine, Lavender, Sky Blue |
| Audio | Mono speaker | Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos | Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos |
| Case | Kid-safe case included | Kid-safe case included | Kid-safe case included |
| Parental Controls | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amazon Kids+ | One year included | One year included | One year included |
| Ports | Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | USB C, 3.5mm headphone jack | USB C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Warranty | 2-year | 2-year | 2-year |
The table above shows you the hardware specs of each of the three available tablet sizes — these are all what you'd get from a standard Amazon Fire Kids tablet target towards kids aged 3-7 years old. The other three choices of tablets to choose from using the exact same hardware as the standard but have a few changes for kids between 6-12 years old. Amazon calls these Amazon Fire Kids Pro tablets.
These tablets get a slimmer kid-proof case with different color choices — Black, Doodle, Intergalactic, and Sky Blue. The other difference between the Pro and standard models is in some of the software features in Kids+. The differentiation between the two categories allows older kids to have an experience that feels less "kid-like," all while making sure that parents still feel safe letting their child use the device.
When deciding between the base devices — Fire Kids 7, Fire Kids HD 8, or Fire Kids HD 10 — it comes down to budget and your child. The Fire Kids 7 is a good value and excellent entry-level choice. For a great price, you will get all the same wonderful software and warranty that the more expensive options do, but in a smaller, less powerful package.
The Fire Kids HD 8 will suit most kids very well as it has more powerful hardware and a larger, higher-quality display. The Fire Kids HD 10 is the largest and most powerful option from Amazon and is best for gaming and heavy media consumption.
Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Features
Let's take a look are what both versions share in features. When you purchase any Amazon Fire Kids tablet, it comes with an excellent case to keep it safe, and should something happen to damage the device, or it stops working for any reason — Amazon has your back. With a two-year worry-free warranty, should your child's tablet need to be replaced — Amazon will send you a new one for free so long as it is in the two-year warranty period.
While the case and warranty are great, what really makes these devices so wonderful is the Amazon Kids and Kids+ software. It offers over 20,000 curated movies, books, games, shows, and so much more, all broken down by age groups. When you set up your child's tablet, you will enter their age and choose an age range of content you want to be accessible by your child. Then, displayed in a colorful, easy-to-use setup, your child will be able to explore an appropriate library of content safely.
From the parent's side, you will be able to go in at any time and make adjustments to your child's content setting. Part of the parental control feature is the ability to set screentime limits, educational goals and to be able to see what content your child spends their time on.
If you want to require your child reads for 30 minutes before the entertainment content is unlocked, you can. From the parent dashboard, you have complete control over your child's device — even the ability to pause it.
The combination of parental controls and curated content for children is what puts Amazon Fire Kids tablets leaps and bounds ahead of other options.
For times when Wi-Fi isn't available, you can download content for offline usage. Your child's device will be ready for long road trips by downloading games, movies, and books. However, keep in mind that some games may require an internet connection to work. Also, don't forget to pick up a pair of excellent headphones for kids for those car rides.
Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Pro models
Now that we've covered what features all of the Amazon Kids Fire tablets share, here's what is different with the Pro models. As mentioned before, there are no distinctions in the hardware for a Kids Pro tablet, aside from the style of case. Amazon has made a more mature, less bubbly case design for older kids. There's still the useful kickstand that's built-in for propping the device up when watching something.
The less adolescent styling continues in the way that the software looks too. The home screen of the Kids Pro tablet will more resemble the look of what you would see if you were logged into your profile — however, don't worry, the content is still age-appropriate. Although, if you choose, your child can have access to more apps if you want to approve them.
Amazon Fire Kids Pro tablets will have access to a digital store and a filtered web browser — all filtered and with parental controls attached.
There is a digital store with apps that aren't available to younger kids using a standard version tablet. The apps shown in the store are still filtered to avoid your child seeing an inappropriate option. What is accessible are options like Netflix, Disney+, The Washington Post, and others, but none can be downloaded without your permission. When choosing an app from the store, you will be notified that your child has requested to download it — you decide to approve or deny that request.
There is also a web browser available to Kids Pro tablet users. While it may sound scary thinking your child will have access to the internet, it's not a full web browser. Instead, it is a filtered service that links to specific websites like San Diego Zoo live cams, PBS, and other kid-safe sites. If you don't want your child going to any of the pre-chosen web pages, you can block certain ones or disable the web browser entirely.
As mentioned before, Amazon has created the Pro version of its Fire Kids tablets to let older kids feel like they are using a "big kid" tablet rather than one meant for a younger child. They get to explore a bit more in a safe environment on their device, while you get to maintain the parameters of that exploration with excellent parental controls.
Amazon continues to improve on its line of Fire Kids tablets by offering solid hardware capable of keeping even the most demanding child entertained and differentiating devices for older kids with the Kids Pro tablets. Parents have plenty of options when it comes to choosing one of Amazon's Fire Kids tablets. Hopefully, you now have the information to make that choice a bit easier.
Getting started
Amazon Fire 7 Kids
$100 at Amazon $100 at Best Buy
A great place to start
Whether you are on a budget or have a child just getting started with technology, the Fire 7 Kids is a great device to go with. It comes with all the wonderful features you and your child would want. From the massive library of content to the excellent parental controls, your child will get a lot from this device while saving some cash.
Goldilocks
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids
This one is just right
With the Fire HD 8 Kids, you get a great-looking 8" HD display, dual speakers, and a processor that can handle almost anything your child can ask of it. Of course, it also has Amazon's excellent content library for kids and solid parental controls for you.
Big time
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro
Stepping it up
If your big kid is ready to take the next step in their digital exploration and you want to ensure they have the device that can handle it, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is the one for you. Featuring the most powerful hardware with the largest display, the expanded parental controls go hand in hand with this big screen tablet.
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