Amazon Fireplace 7 (2019) Evaluate: A Flawed However Nonetheless Unbeatable Discount

Amazon Fireplace 7 (2019)

MSRP $49.99

“Amazon’s Fireplace 7 pill is reasonable, however riddled with compromises.”

Professionals

Inexpensive
First rate design
Extra storage
Alexa

Cons

Sluggish efficiency
Poor show
Fireplace OS

Editor’s notice: The Amazon Fireplace hasn’t modified since we final reviewed it in June 2019, however Amazon has introduced an replace of the Amazon Fireplace HD 10. It’s value a glance in case you’d like a bigger pill.

Amazon set the finances pill market alight when it launched the unique Fireplace 7 pill for $50 in 2015. The surprisingly low-cost pill has been refreshed a couple of instances since then, with minor {hardware} enhancements, however Amazon has maintained that $50 price ticket. I’ve been testing out the newest Amazon Fireplace 7 (2019), which contains a quicker processor and extra storage this yr, in addition to the $100 Amazon Fireplace 7 Children Version.

Whereas the Fireplace 7 has its weaknesses, not least the very fact you’re locked into Amazon’s Appstore, the unbeatable worth continues to draw cut price hunters. The query is: Are they moths to a flame or is it an unmissable scorching deal?

Good plastic portability

The Amazon Fireplace 7 is a reasonably chunky pill completed in matte plastic, which curves into the 7-inch display. All you’ll discover on the again is Amazon’s A to Z arrow and the 2-megapixel digicam lens on the high left.

Simon Hill/Digital Traits

There’s nothing on the underside edge, however there’s a flap for the MicroSD card on the appropriate and the mono speaker is on the left. Up high you’ll discover the quantity controls, 3.5mm headphone port, Micro USB port, and energy button..

Thick bezels encompass the 7-inch IPS LCD display, which has a decision of 1,024 x 600 pixels. There’s additionally a 2-megapixel front-facing digicam.

I discovered the Amazon Fireplace 7 was satisfactory for studying books and internet searching, however not so nice for watching films or gaming.

Construct high quality is nice and it feels stable. The Amazon Fireplace 7 is the right dimension for portability. It’s snug to carry with one hand and simple to stow in a bag. I additionally like the brand new muted colours. My assessment unit is plum, however you will get it in sage or twilight blue, and traditional black remains to be an possibility.

Whereas the display is pretty shiny, it may be robust to learn open air in direct daylight. It’s additionally not the sharpest display round. Each the Amazon Fireplace HD 8 and the 8-inch Walmart Onn have greater screens which are additionally barely sharper.

The Walmart Onn (left) and Amazon Fireplace 7. Simon Hill/Digital Traits

The Amazon Fireplace HD 8 additionally boasts twin stereo audio system with Dolby Atmos assist they usually actually blow the mono speaker within the Fireplace 7 away.

I discovered the Amazon Fireplace 7 was satisfactory for studying books and internet searching, however not so nice for watching films or gaming. The display high quality and poor sound undoubtedly let it down.

Locked into Amazon

The large downside with Amazon’s Fireplace tablets is that they run a forked model of Android known as Fireplace OS they usually’re locked to Amazon’s Appstore. Should you’re a Prime member, then this may go well with you – it’s straightforward to learn books and stream from Prime Video. You may as well set up main apps, like Netflix, however you received’t discover each app and recreation that’s accessible in Google’s Play Retailer in Amazon’s Appstore, and the tempo of updates is slower.

Amazon beefed up the processor on this yr’s Amazon Fireplace 7, which is an effective factor.

Most likely the most important omission is YouTube, however there are additionally plenty of Android video games that you simply’ll solely discover within the Play Retailer. Although the feud between Google and Amazon is reportedly settled, and YouTube is about to return to Fireplace gadgets later this yr, there’s no agency date on that.

Fireplace OS is completely usable, with a house web page that options your latest content material after which additional pages that break it down into Books, Video, Apps, Video games, and so forth. One factor that some individuals will discover distasteful is the presence of “Particular presents” or adverts on the lock display. You should purchase the pill with out them or take away them after buy, however it is going to price you an additional $15. Fortunately, the Children Version doesn’t include advertisements.

A spotlight of Amazon’s ecosystem is Alexa, and you should utilize the digital assistant in your Fireplace 7 for hands-free operation proper out of the field. You may ask Alexa to message individuals, open apps, or what the climate is like. For that final instance you get an onscreen breakdown, simply as you’d with an Echo Present. It’s an attractive further and genuinely helpful in case you’re used to using Alexa.

You may even dip into the settings and toggle on Pill ESP Conduct to make sure that solely the closest system will reply if you name Alexa, which is nice if you have already got Echo gadgets in your house.

Children Version

The Amazon Fireplace 7 Children Version is twice the value of the Amazon Fireplace 7, and, when it comes to {hardware}, it’s an identical to the common one, so it’s possible you’ll be questioning why you’d contemplate it. The thought is to supply a pill you could shortly configure out of the field after which let your little ones unfastened with. It comes with a particular bumper case with a foldout stand and a 2-year worry-free assure that Amazon will substitute it without spending a dime in case your baby manages to interrupt it, so long as you come back the damaged pill.

The Amazon Fireplace 7 Children Version Simon Hill/Digital Traits

You additionally get 1 yr of Amazon FreeTime Limitless (normally $3 monthly), which presents an enormous vary of curated content material, together with apps, video games, books, movies, audio books, and extra. All it’s a must to do is about up a profile along with your baby’s age and you may be relaxation assured they’ll get a consistently refreshing properly of content material to attract from that’s freed from something unsuitable. The parental controls are additionally glorious, permitting you to set total limits, bedtimes, and extra.

For a deeper dive into what the Children Version presents, learn my Amazon Fireplace HD 8 Children Version assessment.

A gradual burn

Amazon beefed up the processor on this yr’s Amazon Fireplace 7, which is an effective factor. It’s listed as a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and it’s backed by simply 1GB of RAM. However there’s no getting away from the truth that this pill feels sluggish. Apps are gradual to load, and video games run on the lowest graphical high quality and should sometimes stutter and drop frames.

I discovered the battery life to be mediocre at finest.

I performed Asphalt 8: Airborne and Alto’s Odyssey they usually each ran, simply not very easily. The dearth of RAM can also be a priority for multitasking. Should you wish to have plenty of apps and video games open and swap between them incessantly, then it’s going to be an issue.

Often we run benchmarks to match system efficiency, however they both aren’t accessible within the Amazon Appstore or crashed once I ran them on the Fireplace 7. I did run a small take a look at with the Amazon Fireplace 7 side-by-side with the Walmart Onn (a $64 Android pill) to see which might load Digital Traits within the internet browser and begin the sport Asphalt 8 first. The Amazon Fireplace 7 was a second or two quicker with each duties. As soon as loaded, there was no distinction between the 2 tablets when it comes to how shortly you might skip out and in of apps and video games.

The Amazon Fireplace HD 8 has the identical processor, however the RAM is bumped as much as 1.5GB. That makes it just a bit extra succesful within the multitasking division, however I didn’t discover any discernible discrepancy between the 2 usually use.

Simon Hill/Digital Traits

Should you purchased your cellphone inside the final couple of years otherwise you typically use an iPad, then the tempo of the Fireplace 7 will probably be maddening, however in case you’re switching from an older system it is going to possible be tolerable. It also needs to serve you simply fantastic in case you primarily intend to learn, stream TV exhibits, and play the odd informal recreation.

The essential Amazon Fireplace 7 and the Children Version include 16GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot for growth. You may as well get a 32GB Fireplace 7 mannequin for an additional $20.

Mediocre battery life

Amazon suggests you’ll stand up to 7 hours of blended use out of your Fireplace 7 pill, however there’s no battery capability said. I discovered the battery life to be mediocre at finest.

The Amazon Fireplace 7 (2019) managed 4 hours and 25 minutes in our video streaming battery take a look at. That’s not nice, however we’ve examined worse. The Walmart Onn solely lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes, however the Apple iPad Mini (2019) made it to 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Sadly, the Amazon Fireplace 7 depends on a Micro USB port for charging. It is a actual downside for the Children Version, as a result of younger children battle to plug in Micro USB cables and the cable or port may be broken fairly simply. I like to recommend looking out a cable with a magnetic Micro USB plug that’s designed to remain within the pill in case you’re shopping for for a younger baby.

You get a cable and charger within the field and it takes a prolonged 4 hours to totally cost the pill from empty with the equipment equipped.

Worth, availability, and guarantee info

The Amazon Fireplace 7 prices simply $50 and the Amazon Fireplace Children Version prices $100. You should purchase them each instantly from Amazon.

Whereas the Amazon Fireplace 7 solely comes with a 90-day restricted guarantee, among the best issues in regards to the Children Version is that it comes with a 2-year worry-free assure, so in case your baby manages to interrupt it or it breaks down, you’ll get a free alternative no questions requested.

Our Take

The Amazon Fireplace 7 makes plenty of sense if cash is tight and also you’re already a Prime member. It’s transportable, properly constructed, and packs in loads for the cash. Compromises are par for the course until you possibly can afford to spend extra.

Is there a greater different?

There’s nothing else on the market at $50. The principle competitors comes from Amazon itself within the form of the Fireplace HD 8 and Fireplace HD 8 Children Version, that are $30 greater than their Fireplace 7 counterparts and price the additional money.

Apple’s iPads are the most effective tablets you should buy, however the 2018 iPad at $330 is probably the most reasonably priced. If you would like the transportable iPad Mini (2019), you’ll want to avoid wasting up $400 – sufficient to purchase 8 Fireplace 7 tablets. Alternatively, it’s doable you’ll discover a whole lot on an older iPad, which can possible nonetheless outperform the Fireplace 7.

If you would like an affordable Android pill that provides full entry to the Play Retailer out of the field, then the 8-inch Walmart Onn at $64 may catch your eye, however for Android pill you’ll have to pay a good bit extra.

How lengthy will it final?

Whereas the Amazon Fireplace 7 is pretty properly constructed, I wouldn’t count on it to final past two years. There’s no water resistance, so that you’ll have to hold it dry, and the Children Version is properly protected by the bumper case it ships with.

Amazon additionally routinely rolls out software program updates fairly incessantly and my assessment unit is working a construct from Could 28.

Do you have to purchase it?

No. Save up the additional $30 and get a barely greater and higher show, extra RAM, longer battery life, and stereo audio system with the Fireplace HD 8.