Friday, March 29, 2024

The Amazon Fire Tablet is still the best tablet for kids

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Every kid wants a tablet. But deciding to invest in a tablet for your child is a big step, and there are a number of features to consider: price, parental controls, and perhaps most importantly, durability. Therefore, the top pick is the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition. It’s what I bought for my kids.

Best Overall – Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition

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The only thing the Fire 7 is missing is the Google Play Store. While that might be offputting to some adult buyers, for children it’s not really an issue, especially not when Amazon does such a great job at providing and curating content that your little ones will enjoy.

Specifically, though, the Kids Edition has perks over the regular Fire 7 that make it worth the extra money. The included case is absurdly thick and just bounces when the tablet (inevitably) hits the deck. Amazon has a bulletproof 2-year warranty where you can claim a replacement if the worst happens, and Amazon Freetime Unlimited for a year is a handy bonus.

Amazon’s parental controls are also particularly strong. The kids can have a completely walled experience, siloed off from the main tablet where you, the parent, would have to share content that isn’t already curated for young eyes.

It’s a tablet you can genuinely just hand to your child without having to worry about them breaking it, or what they’re doing with it.

Reasons to buy

  • Great warranty
  • Tons of child-friendly content
  • Excellent parental controls
  • Well priced
  • Kids case is almost indestructible

Reasons not to buy

  • Battery life on the low side
  • Limited internal storage
  • No Google services built in

Best overall

Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition

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$100 from Amazon

A kids tablet almost impossible to beat

The only tablet that offers a 2-year, no-questions-asked warranty is Amazon’s. If the unthinkable happens to the Fire 7 Kids Edition, or if you know your kids tend to be hard on their toys, peace of mind is included in the price of the product.

Runner-up – Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8-inch

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab A has a lot to offer kids of all ages. For the older ones, it’s a fully Google-certified Android tablet, which means full access to the Play Store catalog of apps and all of Google’s services. For the younger ones, Samsung has a most excellent kids mode, which allows parents to lock out areas they don’t want the little fingers to touch and curate the content they can.

It’s not quite as far-reaching as Amazon’s kids mode, but it’s very nice to use and has all the parental controls you need to make sure nobody is touching things they shouldn’t be. Or buying hundred dollar in-app purchases!

You also get 16GB of internal storage, great battery life, and a decent display. And because it’s also got access to all the good bits from the Play Store, when the children have finished with it, the parents can have a go!

Reasons to buy

  • Good kids mode
  • Excellent parental controls
  • Nice display
  • Google Play support

Reasons not to buy

  • More expensive choice
  • Limited internal storage
  • No dedicated kids case

Runner-up

Galaxy Tab A 8-inch

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$160 at Amazon

For kids young and old

Samsung has stuck with its tablet line and the Galaxy Tab A 8-inch looks good, is well made, and offers a slightly more premium experience for adults and youngsters alike.

Best large screen – Dragon Touch X10

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One of the best things about this tablet from Dragon Touch is that it combines a large screen with an attractive price point, Google Play access, and a child-friendly OS.

It comes with Kidoz, Dragon Touch’s parental control software, which also helps customize content recommendations specific to your child. But underneath that is Android 7.0 Nougat with access to the Google Play Store, so you have access to all those apps, and a good way to stop your kids from using things they shouldn’t. Yes this is an older version of Android, but it’ll get the job done in regards to apps.

As well as a chunky protective case, the X10 has a nice looking 1280×800 resolution 10-inch IPS display. The stand on the case adjusts as well so you can prop it up to watch a video or rest it at a comfortable angle for little fingers to poke at it. It’s available in blue or pink, and as a neat bonus comes preloaded with a bunch of Disney e-books and audiobooks.

Reasons to buy

  • Large display
  • Excellent parental controls
  • Google Play support
  • Comes with books and audiobooks

Reasons not to buy

  • Old version of Android
  • Limited internal storage
  • Average battery life

Large screen

Dragon Touch X10

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$120 at Amazon

Google Play-enabled big-screened kids tablet

The Dragon Touch tablet runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with a heavily customized user interface that’s designed to be super kid-friendly and is pre-loaded Disney content worth $80. The x10 includes 18 books and six audiobooks for your kids to enjoy at no extra cost, while having a 10-inch display and a nice chunky case to keep it safe.

Best for learning – Leapfrog Epic Academy Edition

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Leapfrog is a well-known name in electronic and educational childrens toys, and the company also makes learning-focused tablets for the younger generation. The Epic Academy edition may not look like it, but it runs on Android underneath.

That gives Leapfrog a lot of flexibility. There’s no Google Play Store, but it does support regular Android apps such as Netflix from alternative sources. But why you’ll be buying this is because of the Leapfrog first party software. The UI is customizable so your kids can create their own space, while the most excellent parental controls ensure you have the final say over what they use and when.

There are hundreds of great apps to help your kids learn as they play, as well as full access to Leapfrog’s Academy subscription service if you wish to get your hands on even more.

Reasons to buy

  • Customizable UI
  • Excellent parental controls
  • Strong first-party apps and games

Reasons not to buy

  • No Google Play
  • Leapfrog software can be expensive
  • Slow battery charging

For education

Leapfrog Epic Academy Edition

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Educational software from a trusted brand

Leapfrog has been making kids toys and games for a long time and has put all that expertise into a very good Android tablet that can teach your little ones while they play.

$99 at Amazon

Conclusion

No one knows your child like you do. You are the best predictor of what your child is going to enjoy and get the most use out of. You’re also the one with the wallet.

But it’s tough to look too far beyond the Amazon Fire Kids Edition. Amazon’s no-quibble warranty and the sheer amount of content available for the young ones make it hard to top.

Samsung also has a good kids mode, albeit not quite as far-reaching as Amazon’s, but its higher asking price is perhaps offset by being fully Google certified, opening up a world of apps for both you and your children.

All of these are good, though, so you’re sure to be getting a great tablet for your kids with any of them.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

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Richard Devine is a Reviews Editor at Mobile Nations with a long history in Android. You’ll usually find him deep in hardware, gaming, both, or drinking root beer for which he openly has a mild addiction.

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