Amazon's Fire tablets are possibly the most affordable tablets you can buy in 2022. They bring a lot of value to the table and are perfect for those who simply want a reliable slate for consuming media and accessing the web. The Fire tablets run on Amazon's Fire OS and rely on the company's app store instead of the Google Play Store. They may not be a great alternative to the best iPads or the best Android tablets out there, but budget shoppers will find plenty of value in one of these.

The real question, however, is which Amazon Fire tablet to buy? In this article, we'll look at the Amazon Fire 7 vs Fire HD 8 vs Fire HD 10 comparison to find out which one's better to buy in 2022. You'll come across more Fire tablet models while shopping on Amazon, but these are your primary options while others are slightly upgraded versions with some additional features. Let's jump into the comparison to find out which Fire tablet offers the best value for your money.

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Amazon Fire 7 vs Fire HD 8 vs Fire HD 10: Specifications

Before we begin the comparison, let's take a quick look at the specifications of each Fire tablet:

Specification

Fire 7

Fire HD 8

Fire HD 10

Display

7-inch IPS LCD (1024 x 600)

8-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 800)

10.1-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 800)

Processor

  • MediaTek MT8168 quad-core chipset
  • Mali-G52 3EE MC1
  • MediaTek MT8168 quad-core chipset
  • Mali-G52 3EE MC1
  • MediaTek MT8183 octa-core chipset
  • Mali-G72 MP3

Memory

2GB RAM

Up to 3GB RAM

Up to 4GB RAM

Storage

16/32GB (microSD card up to 1TB)

32/64GB (microSD card up to 1TB)

32/64GB (microSD card up to 1TB)

Audio

Mono speaker

Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos

Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos

Rear camera

2MP

2MP

5MP

Front camera

2MP

2MP

2MP

Battery

  • Up to 10 hours
  • 5W charger included
  • Up to 12 hours
  • 5W charger included
  • Up to 12 hours
  • 9W charger included

Ports

  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Colors

  • Black
  • Denim
  • Rose
  • White
  • Black
  • Twilight Blue
  • Plum
  • Black
  • Denim
  • Olive
  • Lavender

Looking at the specs table, it's safe to say that the Fire HD 10 comes with a lot more bells and whistles compared to the other two tablets in the lineup. The Fire 7 is the most budget-friendly option whereas the Fire HD 8 meets in the middle as far as the specs are concerned.

Design & Display

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None of the Amazon Fire tablets are crowd-pleasers when it comes to the design and build quality. The Fire 7, Fire HD 8, and Fire HD 10 are all plastic-clad tablets that are built to reflect their price tags. This is true for even the Plus variants of both the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10, as they're physically the same devices with just a couple of additional features. The Kids variant of each tablet comes with what Amazon calls a kid-proof case that's designed to protect against drops and bumps. The Fire HD 10 tablet is the one that looks a bit modern thanks to uniform bezels around the screen.

"Amazon

The front is where you'll see most of the differences as all three tablets have different-sized displays. The Fire 7 sports a 7-inch panel on the front, meaning it's the smallest of the bunch. The Fire HD 10 sports a 10.1-inch panel whereas the Fire HD 8 sits in the middle with an 8-inch display. The Fire 7's display also has the lowest resolution out of the three coming in at 1024 x 600 which equates to around 171 pixels per inch. The Fire HD 8 supports a maximum resolution of up to 1280 x 800 (189 PPI) and the Fire HD 10 supports a maximum resolution of up to 1920 x 1200 (224 PPI).

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Not only is the Fire HD 10's display bigger than the other two tablets in this comparison, but it's also the sharpest one in the lot for some crisp visuals. You are better off buying the Fire HD 8 or the Fire HD 10 tablet for media consumption as they both have a dual speaker setup with support for Dolby Atmos. The Fire 7 being the smallest and the most affordable tablet, only gets a mono speaker. If the display size and sharpness, or just the general media consumption experience matters to you, you'd be better off buying the Fire HD 10 or Fire HD 8 tablet at best. You do get a USB Type-C (2.0) port and a 3.5mm headphone jack on all three tablets, so that's good.

Hardware and Performance

All three tablets in this comparison are powered by a MediaTek chipset. The Amazon Fire HD 10 gets the octa-core MediaTek MT8183 chipset with ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. The Fire HD 8 and the Fire 7 tablets both come with a quad-core MediaTek MT8168 chipset with an ARM Mali-G52 3EE MC1 GPU. The Fire HD 10 is the better performing tablet in this comparison, but the Fire HD 8 and the Fire 7 are equally capable when it comes to day-to-day tasks. The Fire HD 10 also has a small advantage in the memory department as it can be purchased with up to 4GB of RAM. The Fire HD 8 tops out at 3GB (for the plus variant) while the Fire 7 only comes with 2GB of RAM.

It's nice to have more memory at your disposal but even the Fire 7 and the standard variant of the Fire HD 8 with 2GB RAM can handle almost all the tasks without a hitch. 2GB RAM should be enough for all your day-to-day usage, be it watching videos on Prime Video or reading e-books using the Kindle app. The additional memory will allow you to keep more apps open in the background. The more affordable Fire 7, however, lacks in the storage department.

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While the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10 tablets both come with up to 64GB of internal storage, the Fire 7 tops out at 32GB. In fact, the base variant of the Fire 7 only gets 16GB of storage, out of which only about 10GB is user-accessible. Yes, you can add a microSD card with up to 1TB storage on all three tablets, but that's just asking you to spend more money if you intend to keep these tablets around for a long time. Both the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10 get 32GB as base storage, which we think is ideal for most users.

Amazon refrains from publicly sharing the battery specs for its Fire tablets. It is, however, safe to assume that the Fire 7 has the smallest battery out of the three given its physical size. Amazon also quotes only up to 10 hours of usage for the Fire 7 versus 12 hours of usage for both the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10.

You get a 9W charger with the Fire HD 10 whereas both the Fire HD 8 and the Fire 7 tablets only get a 5W charger inside the box. Even the 9W charging speed is nothing to write home about, but it'll be slightly faster for what it's worth. Wireless charging is not an option in either of these tablets, so keep that in mind.

Cameras usually don't take the center stage in the case of tablets, and that's true for the Fire tablets in this comparison too. Both the Fire 7 and the Fire HD 8 get a pair of 2MP cameras on the front and back. The Fire HD 10 gets a slightly better 5MP sensor at the back but keeps the same 2MP sensor on the front for selfies and the occasional video calls.

Software

Despite being the most affordable tablet in this comparison, the Fire 7 earns brownie points for running the latest software. It's the only tablet in the lineup (so far) to run Amazon's new Fire OS 8 which is based on Android 11. Both the Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 runs a version of Fire OS 7 which, in case you're wondering, is based on Android 9. It seems likely that both Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 can run Fire OS 8 if Amazon decides to update them, although there's no official word on that just yet.

"Amazon

You're not going to notice a drastic difference between Fire OS 7 and Fire OS 8 as they're both de-Googled versions of Android. The new OS, however, brings a lot of important changes including a system-wide dark mode, the latest security tweaks, and more. We suggest you check out Amazon's developer documentation to learn more about the differences in detail. Rest assured, all the apps downloaded from the Amazon Appstore and the ones that are preinstalled on the tablets will work just fine across all these tablets. You can always look for workarounds to install Google Play Services and the Play Store if you are in the mood to tinker with your Fire tablets.

As for the software experience, you can expect to use all the Amazon services including Amazon Alexa, Music, Books, Video, Movies, and more. The Fire tablets are great for those who are heavily invested in Amazon products and services. You can also use your voice to summon Amazon's digital assistant and navigate the software. Notably, you also get some neat features including the Show mode which puts many of the Alexa features on the screen for you to use. It can show calendar appointments, news reports, smart home device controls, and more. The Fire HD 10, in particular, also takes advantage of the split-screen function for better multi-tasking thanks to its bigger screen.

The Kids version of the tablets comes with one year of Amazon Kids+ subscription with thousands of ad-free books, games, videos, and more. They also get a parent dashboard to filter content based on the child's age, educational goal, and more. These features are in addition to the kids-proof case and the two-year guarantee with which you can replace a broken tablet for free.

Amazon Fire 7 vs Fire HD 8 vs Fire HD 10: Which one should you buy?

Amazon Fire 7

The new Amazon Fire 7 tablet will set you back $59 for the base variant with 16GB of storage. The 32GB model is priced at $79. These Fire 7 tablet prices are for the variant with lock screen ads. The base model without lock screen ads starts at $75. The base variant of the ad-supported Fire HD 8 with 32GB storage is priced at $89, whereas the base model without lock screen ads will cost you $105. The Fire HD 10 is the most expensive tablet in this comparison with a starting price of $205 for the base model without any ads.

So, which Amazon Fire tablet should you buy in 2022? Well, that mostly depends on your budget and the day-to-day usage of the tablet. The Fire 7 is good for those who want to test the waters and get used to this tablet for the first time. One of the main advantages of buying the Fire 7 tablet is that it comes with the latest Fire OS software, something which the other two tablets lack. But if you ignore the software advantage, both the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10 are significantly better options to consider.

Not only do you get bigger and better-looking displays with the Fire HD 8 and the Fire 10 compared to the Fire 7, but you also get more storage in the base models. The $79 price tag for the 32GB variant of the Fire 7 starts to look a little less palatable in comparison to the $89 price tag of the Fire HD 8's base model. You're better off spending the additional $10 to get the Fire HD 8 to take advantage of more storage and better display.

But if you're looking to buy a Fire tablet purely for media consumption, then you're bound to get the best experience with the Fire HD 10. It has a better display and even upgraded internals compared to the HD 8. Long story short, it's better to buy the Fire HD 8 over the Fire 7, even though the latter is better in terms of the software. But if you don't mind spending a good amount of money on a tablet for media consumption, then the Fire HD 10 is the clear winner.

The Fire 7 is Amazon's new entry-level tablet that offers the bare minimum for its $59 price tag.
Amazon Fire 7

The Fire 7 is Amazon's new entry-level tablet that offers the bare minimum for its $59 price tag.

The Fire HD 8 is a slightly better offering than the Fire 7 tablet. It sports a bigger and sharper display but lacks a bit in the software department.
Amazon Fire HD 8

The Fire HD 8 is a slightly better offering than the Fire 7 tablet. It sports a bigger and sharper display but lacks a bit in the software department.

The Fire HD 10 is the best Fire tablet you can from Amazon in 2022. In addition to a bigger and better display, the Fire HD 10 also has updated internals.
Amazon Fire HD 10

The Fire HD 10 is the best Fire tablet you can from Amazon in 2022. In addition to a bigger and better display, the Fire HD 10 also has updated internals.