The Amazon Fire 7 is by no means the best tablet on the market, in fact, it isn't even close. It is often sluggish, the screen is a low resolution, and the cameras are practically unusable.
And yet, this is a tablet that fully achieves its goal: getting the job done for the lowest price possible.
At just £69.99 (£59.99 if you opt in for adverts) the Amazon Fire 7 is so much cheaper than any competing brands, and while it clearly isn't as good as what Samsung or Apple can offer, it boasts undeniably excellent value for its price. But is that super affordable price tag enough justification to make the purchase?
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The specs, features and a bit of an upgrade
When you look at the tablet, the first thing you’ll notice is the size. At 7.11-inches in height by 4.63-inches in width, it isn’t that much bigger than most smartphones these days.
Plus, with a large bezel, even less of its small size is taken up by the screen. This is great for portability, but not so much for a good viewing experience.
The other issue here is the display. Its resolution is 1024 x 600 pixels (less than HD) and it isn’t particularly bright - not such an issue in the UK, but still not ideal.
That all sounds like a tirade of criticism, but the bigger picture is a lot brighter than that. Compared to the Fire 7’s predecessor, this is a huge improvement seeing an overhaul in specs across the board, while only seeing the price increase by a measly £10.
The screen and camera remain the same as the previous model, and somewhat surprisingly, an audio jack remains despite its disappearance across most of the consumer tech world. However, the key upgrades mostly come internally.
Amazon has doubled the RAM that this tablet uses and introduced a considerably more powerful processor. Amazon has claimed it is 30 per cent more powerful in fact compared to the 2019 model. Amazon has also introduced a new, more powerful battery to get you through more of the day.
Other changes include the introduction of Amazon Alexa voice control which, while we didn’t get much use out of, will likely be an appealing feature for most people, especially when used around the house.
Amazon has also finally made the switch over to USB-C cable charging. That’s a cable most people (especially Android users) will have lying around. However, you’re going to find yourself charging for a while, around 4 hours for a full charge to be exact.
Using the Amazon Fire 7
So those are the specs, but how does that translate to the user experience? Despite the upgrade in processing power, the Amazon Fire 7 still operates in a noticeably sluggish way.
Swiping around the home screen, playing games, and scrolling through articles happens with a clear lag. For the price of the device, this is completely expected and, for a lot of people, isn’t going to be a deal breaker.
You forget about these issues when streaming content, and it's easy to get used to the slight delay swiping around the device.
The other factor you’ll notice is the display. As mentioned above, the low brightness is noticeable. When watching content on the train, it was hard to clearly see the screen. The lack of an HD display is also very evident in the content that you stream.
However, whether you’re at home or out in the big wide world, the Fire 7 does feel very sturdy, capable of a fall, some scratches or the not-so-careful hands of a child.
Locked into an eco-system
Something that is immediately evident when you boot up the Fire 7 is its integration with Amazon. This won’t be surprising, it is made by Amazon after all, but if you’re not an existing Amazon customer, you will find yourself somewhat restricted.
Large portions of the device are dedicated to Kinde, Audible and Amazon’s Prime Video service. There are just three pages when you boot up the device: a home section with your apps, a library showing your games, books, and Amazon Prime Video and finally, a For You page, listing more books, Prime Video shows and apps.
While the Fire 7 is an Android-based device, it is very removed from what you normally get with Android. That means there is no Instagram, Gmail, Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Chrome, FireFox, Dropbox and a number of other popular apps.
While often restrictive, the tight ecosystem here isn’t all bad. With all of the pre-installed Amazon apps, this tablet can easily act as an alternative to a Kindle. Plus, at a similar size to most Kindles, it isn’t any bulkier to lug around or heavy to hold.
If you’ve been in the market for a Kindle but like the idea of a bit of extra functionality, mainly in games, streaming and the occasional browse of the internet, the Amazon Fire 7 can quite easily step up as a Kindle… with a bit of extra oomph.
Verdict
Is the Amazon Fire 7 the best tablet around? It’s not even close. But is it one of the cheapest tablet experiences you can buy? Yes, and that is exactly why it is worth buying.
Any iPad, most Samsung tablets or even devices from the likes of Xiaomi or Lenovo will offer a much more powerful and fluid experience. The problem with all of these alternatives is the money, all costing well over £100, and most now exceeding the £300 mark.
Amazon has never strived to make the best tablets, but instead make a workable experience at the lowest price possible. It’s an underrepresented market and realistically, one that the Amazon Fire 7 actually dominates in.
Alternatives
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
Samsung has a diverse range of tablets available, and while most are quite expensive, there are a few more budget alternatives. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite will only cost £149 and frequently goes on sale.
Like the Fire 7, you do have to make some sacrifices to get that lower price tag. The camera isn't fantastic, and the display is a low resolution.
The main reason to choose this over the Fire 7 is its full access to the Android and Google Play Stores.
iPad 10.2 (2021)
Out of every company that sells tablets, Apple dominates the market. Most of its devices are extremely costly, but the iPad 10.2 is the most affordable coming in at £299.
While that is a lot of money, especially when compared to the Fire 7, it will secure a far better screen, processor, design, battery and just about a major improvement in every category.
Not to mention the fact that it comes installed with Apple's iOS platform - a more fluid system with a much larger library of apps.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus
If you like the idea of an Amazon tablet, but need a bit more oomph, the HD 10 Plus could be a great alternative. It is essentially a bigger, better Fire. It offers a larger, brighter display, an improved processor, and a larger battery.
However, it does still lack certain apps like YouTube, Gmail and Dropbox.
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