This early Prime Day deal on the Fire 7 tablet is so cheap, it’s too good to pass up
Most experts recommend it no screen time for children under the age of two. I could stretch that for people under four. But realistically, I’ve seen parents hand their smartphones to babies. It’s a terrible idea, as the kid is just as likely to throw it on the sidewalk as into those sensitive charging ports.
However, if you really want to get your toddler or primary school-age child a tablet, there may be no better, cost-effective and worry-free choice right now than the early Amazon Prime Big Deal Day deal at its Amazon Fire 7 tablet. Normally $60 (already a decent price), the early deal – available for Prime members only (that service will cost you $139/£95 per year) – drops the 7-inch tablet to an almost throwaway price of $39.99. (In the United Kingdom, you’ll pay £59.99 for the Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet. That’s 45% off what is essentially the same hardware, but with a soft kid case, a 2-year replacement warranty, and 1 year of free Amazon Kids+ content.)
That’s the kind of price that might encourage you to buy a few of these tablets and put them in Christmas stockings for all the kids and maybe a few adults too.
Early Prime Day deal – Amazon Fire 7 tablet
Let’s be clear here. This is not the best iPad or Amazon Fire 10 HD. It is primarily a small tablet for small hands and young minds who do not know how to handle technology with kid gloves.
The specs are low, but they’re good enough for web browsing, mobile gaming, video streaming, and even limited content creation.
Here are the key specs you need to know.
The 7-inch touchscreen is only 1024 x 600 pixels. That’s sub-HD, but considering the screen size it’s more than reasonable.
The 2GHz quad core CPU won’t set any benchmark records, but again, 2GHz is more than respectable for most regular tablet tasks, especially for content consumption, which doesn’t tax the CPU all that much. It’s also backed by a paltry 2G of RAM, which means the tablet will be a limited multitasker.
You start with normal 16 GB of storage space (it’s expandable), which doesn’t sound like much (okay, it’s not), but when you pair it with the tablet’s 2MP camera, you’ll still struggle to fill it. Keep in mind that this isn’t a tablet you can download an entire season from The flash from Netflix. Just do a few episodes at a time.
The Battery life of 10 hours is more than respectable, and if you’re streaming video, it should more than deliver on that promise. On the other hand, if your child tries to use the table to do a lot of schoolwork, that estimate could drop by half.
The tablet weighs less than 10 ounces, meaning it’s just right for a child’s hands, and if you happen to get one for yourself, a perfect, cheap mobile backup device for information and distraction that you can drop in your backpack or bag (just remember, it’s not LTE supports)
There is no WiFi 6, but 802.11a,b,g,n are all supported.
As for ports, one is the USB-C style that’s now supported by virtually all major tablets and phones, meaning you probably already have a spare charging adapter for it. It is also the rare mobile device that still has a 3.5mm headphone jack. That’s good news, because instead of giving your child your beloved Bluetooth earbuds, they can make do with a pair of $9 wired headphones.
It is a Android tablet immediately FireOS overlay. which means it’s definitely not Android 14, and you get access to Amazon’s curated Android apps store, which is fine and might protect you a bit more from charlatan apps.
Right, this isn’t a top-tier tablet. It only got three stars in our most recent review, but back then you had to pay $59 for it. A 33% discount makes it attractive for the right target group and user range. As we noted in our review, this is the case
“Really a tablet for entertainment purposes. Although there is an online browser and email app, the slate is marketed towards people who want to download or stream movies, TV shows, music and books. If you’re a productivity or creativity-oriented tablet, there are other brands with better options”
As is often the case with Amazon’s cheapest gadgets, this is also the case ad-supported, which means your lock screen may be showing an ad for another Amazon product or book. Personally, I don’t mind this, but for some it can be a showstopper. In that case, you can pay more for the ad-free option, but you might as well upgrade to a better and more powerful Amazon Fire tablet.
Almost all Amazon products include the digital voice assistant Alexa, and the Fire 7 tablet is no different. If you want to give someone a hands-free digital prescription stand, this ultra-cheap tablet might be the way to go.
When it comes to choosing an early Christmas gift, this tablet checks most boxes: it’s affordable, versatile, portable, and won’t break your heart or the bank if you break it.