Amazon's expansive new Fire lineup includes the company's most powerful tablet yet
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Amazon is far more unpredictable and secretive than the likes of Apple and Samsung when it comes to new tablet releases, so while the company's refreshed Fire HD 10 and expanded Fire Kids lineup have certainly come out of nowhere, this isn't exactly unusual or particularly surprising.
Specifically, you're looking at spending $149.99 and $179.99 respectively for 32GB storage configurations of the two (with ads), both of which are apparently brighter, thinner, and lighter than the previous Fire HD 10 edition, released back in 2019.
The biggest upgrades offered by the slightly costlier Fire HD 10 Plus include an extra gig of RAM (bringing the memory total to 4GB), wireless charging support, and a "premium" soft touch finish for a "high-quality feel", with solid features like 12 hours of battery life, hands-free Alexa assistance, and Dolby Atmos audio technology shared by the two new tablets, which are up for pre-order ahead of a May 26 shipping start.
For the first time in the history of Amazon's Fire tablet lineup, you can also order so-called "productivity bundles" including a detachable keyboard case and Microsoft 365 Personal subscription in addition to the slate itself. Said bundles are priced at a reasonable $219.99 and up, but you're free to buy the aforementioned Bluetooth keyboard accessory all alone as well in exchange for just $49.99.
Designed with children aged 6 to 12 in mind, the three entirely new Fire Kids Pro slates come with a "grown-up" customizable home screen theme, as well as (parentally controlled) access to "expanded" Amazon Kids+ content and a digital store containing hugely popular apps like Spotify, Disney+, Minecraft, or Zoom.
Of course, the more mature-looking Fire 7, HD 8, and HD 10 Kids Pros are pretty much identical to the non-Pro Fire 7, HD 8, and HD 10 Kids Editions in terms of hardware specifications. The latter model is the only one from the "3 to 7" age group to get an upgrade today with the same old $199.99 price tag and a USB-C port.
Following in the footsteps of the Fire HD 8, which got a Plus version last year and needs to wait a little longer for a sequel, the Fire HD 10 is today going official in an 11th generation (counting all previous sizes and models) alongside the first-ever Fire HD 10 Plus variant.
The "all-new" Fire Kids Pro roster is another exciting first for the e-commerce giant, widening the appeal of these undoubtedly popular Android-based slates by targeting a slightly different audience than the non-Pro Fire Kids family, which is also gaining an upgraded new member.
Amazon's "most powerful" tablet ever is... still no iPad rival
Yes, we're talking about Apple's entry-level 10.2-inch iPad, released last year with an A12 Bionic chipset under the hood that's definitely fast enough to run circles around the unspecified octa-core processor inside both the all-new Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus.
Obviously, that makes it completely unnecessary to compare Amazon's latest (and greatest) 10-inchers with Apple's state-of-the-art iPad Pro (2021) duo, but at the same time, the Fire HD 10 (2021) and Fire HD 10 Plus are certainly priced competitively enough to give some of the best (mid-range) Android tablets available today a run for their money.
Specifically, you're looking at spending $149.99 and $179.99 respectively for 32GB storage configurations of the two (with ads), both of which are apparently brighter, thinner, and lighter than the previous Fire HD 10 edition, released back in 2019.
Different kids have different needs, and now different tablets to choose from
If you've been wanting to purchase a kid-friendly Fire but felt like the designs were too... childish, the $99.99 Fire 7 Kids Pro, $139.99 Fire HD 8 Kids Pro, and $199.99 Fire HD 10 Kids Pro aim to change that with a slim protective case built in as opposed to the chunky bumper included with non-Pro models.
That may provide a lower degree of resistance against bumps and drops, but don't worry, Amazon will hook you up with the same two-year guarantee covering any type of damage.
Of course, the more mature-looking Fire 7, HD 8, and HD 10 Kids Pros are pretty much identical to the non-Pro Fire 7, HD 8, and HD 10 Kids Editions in terms of hardware specifications. The latter model is the only one from the "3 to 7" age group to get an upgrade today with the same old $199.99 price tag and a USB-C port.
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