Amazon Prime day is the best time of year to buy just about anything — including new Android tablets. For Prime Day 2022, one of the most intriguing Android tablet deals is Amazon’s Fire 7 tablet.
Contents
- Is the Fire 7 worth buying during Prime Day?
- Android tablet alternatives to consider
The Fire 7 normally retails for $70 for the 32GB model, but for Prime Day 2022, it can be yours for just $35. That’s a seemingly impossible low price for an Android tablet. In fact, it almost sounds too good to be true. But that’s exactly what Amazon is offering. While the Fire 7 may not be the most amazing Android tablet we’ve ever seen, it can be a solid Prime Day pickup if you go in with the right expectations.
Is the Fire 7 worth buying during Prime Day?
Simon Hill/Digital Trends
At $35 for its Prime Day price (or even the usual $70 MSRP), the Fire 7 obviously isn’t competing with the Galaxy Tab S8 or the iPad Pro. Instead, it’s trying to be the cheapest device possible for watching Netflix, playing a few light games, and browsing Twitter.
To Amazon’s credit, there’s a lot about the Fire 7 that works quite well. Its plastic design is comfortable and lightweight, you can expand the 32GB of storage up to 512GB with a microSD card, and you can use Alexa hands-free just like you would on an Echo or Echo Show.
But you don’t get a $35 Android tablet without making a few compromises. When we reviewed the Fire 7 when it first came out, we lamented its 1.3GHz quad-core processor for feeling “sluggish.” The Fire 7 takes a while to load applications, and graphically intense games run poorly. Battery life is also a potential concern. Amazon promises up to seven hours of use, but in our testing, we found the battery to clock out a little after four hours. And when it does come time to charge up, you need to use an old Micro USB charging port.
Those were valid complaints when the Fire 7 was selling for $70. But are those things worth overlooking when it’s discounted to $35? That depends on how much you’re willing to put up with. If all you need is a basic tablet for browsing the web and watching YouTube — and you don’t mind things taking a little while to load — you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cheaper Android tablet.
But what if you need something more capable?
Android tablet alternatives to consider
If you have a bit more cash to spend, another option to consider is the 2022 version of the Fire 7. The one Amazon’s discounting for $35 is the old 2019 model. The upgraded 2022 model offers a 40% longer battery and a 30% faster processor. It’s still far from the fastest tablet on the market, but the longer endurance and snappier performance make the 2022 Fire 7 an overall more enjoyable experience. If you’re interested, it’s available with 16GB of storage for $60.
Another Android tablet to check out is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8. It’s discounted to $179 during Prime Day, and while that’s substantially more expensive than the $35 Fire 7, you get a lot more for your money. Instead of the 7-inch 1024 x 600 display offered on the Fire 7, the Tab A8 gives you a 10.5-inch 1920 x 1200 screen. It’s larger, sharper, and much more enjoyable to look at. The Galaxy Tab A8 also has 32GB of expandable storage, a faster octa-core processor, and USB-C charging.