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Best Android tablets in 2024
There are some great Android tablets out there, so if you're not sure what to buy, we've rounded up the best ones for you.
Thanks to Google's recent efforts to improve Android on large-screen devices, Android tablets are making a comeback. The company introduced a bunch of interface changes with the latest Android OS to enhance user experience on Android tablets and foldables, and it has since updated several first-party apps to make better use of the extra screen real estate. Furthermore, it has laid down new guidelines to help developers build scalable apps that work well on Android tablets, resulting in the Play Store now having more apps that support native scaling on Android tablets than it has ever had before.
These Prime Day deals shave up to 50% off Amazon Fire tablets
Amazon Fire tablets give you all the essentials at an ultra-low price, and they're even cheaper during Prime Big Deal Days.
If you're looking for a cheap but functional tablet, chances are you've stumbled across Amazon's Fire lineup. Originally stemming from its Kindle family of e-readers, Fire tablets won't be at the top of the spec sheets with the best tablets. However, they're great for light browsing, casual mobile gaming, and content consumption. Since they're easy to use and durable, Amazon Fire tablets are easy to recommend for kids, grandparents, or anyone else who appreciates simple technology. Perhaps the biggest selling point of Amazon Fire tablets is their price, which drops to all-time low costs for select models. You can get an Amazon Fire tablet for as much a 50% off during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, and that's a proposition hard to beat.
Here are all the new Fire TV, Echo, and other products announced during today's Amazon devices event
Amazon launched a new series of products during an event today, covering its Echo, Fire TV range, and more
Amazon hosted its fall devices and Services event today in Virginia, and it took the wraps off a series of new products. That means coming later this year are tons of new Fire TV products, new Echo devices, and even new smart home products like Ring cameras. The event was invite-only, but the company has since shared details on X (formerly known as Twitter), and a dedicated microsite, so if you're preparing your wallet for new smart devices, we have a look at every single product that was announced.
Fire Max 11 is Amazon's largest and most powerful tablet yet
Amazon is going big with a new 11-inch tablet.
Amazon's finally taking its Fire tablet lineup to the next level with the introduction of the Fire Max 11. The Fire Max 11 not only comes with a larger display compared to previous tablets, but you're also getting a slim and lightweight build, higher resolution screen, all backed by a powerful processor. Amazon's also quoting 14 hours of battery life, and offering a magnetic keyboard attachment and stylus for increased productivity.
How to use the Amazon Fire tablet as an Echo Show
By using Show Mode on your Fire tablet, you can turn it into a smart home hub with full-fledged Alexa voice controls. Here's how to use it.
Amazon’s Fire tablets are solid entry-level devices for doing things like watching movies, reading books, and playing games. But did you know they can also double as an Echo Show?
Amazon Fire OS 8 adds updates from Android 10 and Android 11
Amazon's latest Fire 7 tablets will make us of updates found in Android 10 and Android 11. The tablet arrives on June 29.
Amazon recently announced its latest tablets, the Amazon Fire 7 and Amazon Fire 7 Kids. The Fire 7 tablet is the best bang for the buck in Amazon's tablet line, with the latest editions offering an updated SoC, more RAM, better battery life, and Fire OS 8. According to Amazon, Fire OS 8 will incorporate updates from Android 10 and Android 11. What you need to know most about Fire OS 8 is that it will arrive first on the latest Fire 7 tablets when they go on sale in June.
Amazon refreshes its Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets, bringing hands-free Alexa and more
Amazon has refreshed its Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets, bringing hands-free Alexa support, longer battery lives, and more.
Amazon's Fire 7 tablets are great picks for entertainment, learning, and more. These versatile devices also come with affordable price tags -- making them perfect for those who don't want to spend a fortune on a tablet. Until now, the company hadn't refreshed them since 2019. Fortunately for the Fire fans, Amazon is now back with revamped models of the Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets. The 2022 editions bring hands-free Alexa support, more RAM, longer battery lives, and other upgrades.
Latest Fire TV software update reportedly blocks custom launchers
The latest Fire TV software update reportedly blocks custom launchers, nearly two years after the last workaround was found.
Amazon Fire TV Sticks are some of the most popular streaming dongles on the market, and there are a few to choose from on Amazon. The 4K streaming dongle, in particular, brings support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Developers have also had a great time with them, figuring out how to unlock the bootloader and install custom software that brings them closer to the stock Android TV experience. However, over the last couple of years, it became possible to switch to a custom launcher with a bit of work. Now, Amazon has begun blocking that method in a Fire TV software update.
Microsoft Office and OneNote now available for Amazon Fire OS
Microsoft has announced that its unified Office app and OneNote are now available for Amazon's Fire tablets in the Appstore.
Today, Microsoft announced that it's bringing new Microsoft 365 apps to Amazon's Fire tablets. Specifically, the unified Microsoft Office app and OneNote are making their way to the Appstore.
Amazon Fire tablets get a Smart Home Device Dashboard to control Alexa devices
Amazon is adding a Device Dashboard feature to select Fire tablets that makes controlling your many smart home devices much easier.
Amazon is rolling out an update to select Fire tablets that will turn them into Alexa-compatible smart home devices (via ZDNet).
Today's Top Tech Deals: Alienware Gaming Laptop 33% Off, $100 Off the Fire TV Recast, and More!
What are the best tech deals for the last day of September? We have 33% off a powerful Alienware laptop, $100 off a Fire TV Recast, and more!
Ah, the end of September. The month really went by fast! I, of course, am excited for October – it's when things finally start to cool down where I live in Florida, and Halloween is just around the corner. With both Amazon Prime Day and Target Deal Days announced (both October 13th and 14th), the big days of deals and holiday shopping are starting early, too. That's probably a good thing, considering what 2020 has been!
The Fire TV Stick Lite could be Amazon's next cheap streaming TV dongle
The Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has now leaked, showing us a cheap streaming TV dongle that'll come at a dirt cheap price.
While cutting the cord has become more and more popular over the years, COVID-19 has dramatically boosted how much media people are streaming from the Internet at home. Cheap streaming TV devices like Amazon's Fire TV lineup are the most popular gateways to cutting the cord, as these devices allow you to watch all of your favorite TV shows and movies from your streaming services of choice without any hassles. The Fire TV Stick 4K costs just $50, for example, and it offers basically everything the average consumer could ask for. While that's already pretty cheap, Amazon seems to be preparing an even cheaper model, potentially called the Fire TV Stick Lite, to replace the standard 1080p Fire TV Stick (which is not available anymore at the time of this writing).
Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 brings Android 10 to the 2018 Amazon Fire HD 8
An unofficial build of LineageOS 17.1 based on Android 10 is now available for the 2018 Amazon Fire HD 8, courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer Kaijones23.
Amazon's Fire series of tablets may provide a lot of value, but the company cut a lot of corners to achieve those price tags. Take for example the Amazon Fire HD 8 - the 2018 edition was launched with Fire OS 6 (based on Android Nougat!), but the tablet has yet to receive a single major OS update. While you can sideload Google Play Services as well as Google Play Store onto the device and disable a bunch of software-imposed limitations, Amazon's custom Android software falls short in numerous instances that are simply not possible to patch. Luckily, you can unlock the bootloader of the Fire HD 8 (2018) using an exploit and subsequently install TWRP, which means the Fire OS can be replaced with a close-to-stock version of Android.
Amazon Fire Toolbox helps install Google apps, change launchers, and more on Amazon Fire tablets
Amazon Fire Toolbox is an all-in-one application to perform various mods, such as installing Google apps or changing launchers on Amazon Fire (HD) tablets.
Amazon's Fire tablets might not give you a true Android experience, but they are enough to satisfy users with basic needs, especially kids. Their dirt-cheap pricing comes at the cost of locked bootloaders, no Google Play certification, and a heavily customized skin (Amazon's Fire OS) that is often based on older Android versions. Fortunately, the aftermarket development community has managed to overcome most of these limitations. There are a lot of guides out there on the XDA Forums to teach you how to sideload Google apps, replace the stock launcher, and debloat Fire OS. Now, thanks to XDA Senior Member Datastream33, owners of Amazon Fire/Fire HD tablets can more easily sideload Google Play Store, replace the stock launcher, and remove all Amazon bloatware apps with an easy-to-use application.
[Update: Not Nougat] Amazon updates its 2017 Fire tablets to FireOS 6 based on Android 7.1 Nougat
Amazon Fire devices have been known to launch with old software, but now their 2017 lineup of tablets are now receiving an update to less old software.
Amazon Fire tablets are most popular for their dirt-cheap pricing and accessibility. The software inside them, while based on Android, is a long shot from the Android experience you'll find on other devices. For one, Amazon doesn't bother with Google Play certification, which means that they have greater control over open-source Android without having to follow Google's guidelines. They can ship whatever Android version they want, and their software is heavily customized. Now, Amazon is updating its 2017 lineup of Fire tablets (7th-Gen Fire HD 10, Fire HD 8, and Fire 7) to FireOS 6, which is based on (brace yourselves) Android 7.1 Nougat. Yes, that one.
The Amazon Fire 7 2019 tablet can now be bootloader unlocked and rooted
An updated version of the Amazon Fire 7 was released a month ago. We wondered if it would have a straightforward rooting solution.
Thanks to Android's unfortunate state in the tablet segment, Amazon's Fire 7 is one of the most popular devices on the market. It is aimed at users with basic needs, especially kids. You can read books, watch movies, browse the web, and so on, but the Fire 7 tablet is still restricted when it comes to installing Android apps. Amazon released an updated version of the Fire 7 just over a month ago, and advanced users' main concern was if it would have a straightforward rooting solution. There is already a method to do just that, but it isn't as straightforward as one would expect.
The new Amazon Fire 7 tablet comes with double the storage, a faster processor, and hands-free Alexa for $50
Amazon just updated the Fire 7 tablet with a new system-on-chip, higher storage option, and useful digital assistant features.
Like many Android tablets, Amazon's Fire 7 tablet doesn't exactly offer the best entertainment experience. But, it manages to provide a basic set of features for kids or for those who don't need a very powerful device. Reading a book, watching a movie, or simply browsing the web is absolutely possible, while the Fire 7 tablet will drag its foot in anything more demanding than that. Amazon just updated the device with new system-on-chip, higher storage, and useful digital assistant features.
Amazon Fire 7 (5th and 7th gen) can now be unlocked and rooted
Both the 5th generation and 7th generation of the Amazon Fire 7 tablets can now be unlocked and rooted, thanks to hard work from the community.
Unlike some OEMs out there, Amazon isn't a fan of letting their owners unlock the bootloader of their devices. Still, this limitation hasn't stopped the Amazon Fire tablet series from becoming huge sellers for the company. This also doesn't stop our enthusiast user base from hacking into these devices either. A couple of months ago the Amazon Fire HD 8 had been unlocked and rooted and now the same thing is possible on both the 5th generation and 7th generation of the Amazon Fire 7 tablets.
The 2018 Amazon Fire HD 8 has been unlocked and rooted
The Fire HD 8 tablet has been unlocked & rooted. If you want to follow the instructions, keep in mind that it requires some handy tools.
Apart from offering cool web services and an online market, Amazon also sells Android devices from time to time. Last year, they released the Amazon Fire HD 8—a $79.99 tablet which will satisfy most users on a budget. Let's be real, budget tablets today are mainly used by kids. The Fire HD 8 features an 8-inch 1280x800 display, quad-core 1.3GHz SoC, 1.5GB of RAM, and a microSD card support. It also runs Fire OS 6, which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat. The Fire HD 8 is purely made for multimedia like listening to podcasts or watching videos.
Amazon's new Fire HD 8 tablets have hands-free Alexa and ship with Fire OS 6 (Android Nougat)
The latest generation of the Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet was announced today with minor updates. The tablet is shipping with Fire OS 6 and Alexa.
Amazon's Fire tablets are some of the most popular Android tablets in the world. While the OS looks nothing like what you'd find on an Android phone, it is indeed Android. The latest generation of the Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet was announced today with minor updates. The tablet is shipping with Fire OS 6, which is based on Android Nougat, and was originally launched on the Fire TV.