Amazon Fire 7-Inch Kids (2022) Review

The Amazon Fire 7-Inch is an excellent tablet overall, with extensive parental controls, content, and a durable build. Thanks to its thick foam protective case, this unit can handle the occasional tumble. There are also over 20,000 movies, games, books, and more available through the Amazon App Store to keep your little one entertained and learning.

Performance Comparison

Preloaded Content

Ensuring safe and age-specific content is one of the most important aspects when considering a kid's tablet. There's a balance between entertaining content and educational tools while avoiding access to the entire internet. Amazon has found the sweet spot when it comes to preloaded content and parental controls. Among their various models, the Fire 7 was jam-packed with all the fun.

The Amazon Fire 7-Inch Kids comes loaded with a wealth of kid content, with anything from movies to educational games. The device comes with a one-year subscription to Kids+. Through this, kids have ad-free access to a vast collection of shows, games, books, music, and educational tools. The content can be filtered based on age range and parental controls, ensuring age-appropriate access. As an interesting feature, Amazon allows the parent to choose how much time should be spent on educational content before other applications can be accessed. For example, you can specify 30 minutes of education must be completed before watching shows or playing other games. The educational content is vast, with videos and interactive games made available for the specified age.

The Fire 7 includes ad-free content from Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel, and PBS Kids, among many others. The content is specifically designed for kids aged 2-13 years old, so those in their teenage years might opt for another model. The tablet includes a web browser that only allows sites and photos designed for young eyes. Its extensive parental controls allow for more specification on what can be accessed.

Durability

No matter what you do, toys and electronics are going to take a beating to some extent when in young hands. Designed to withstand these rigors, the Amazon Fire 7 boasts impressive durability. Its robust construction, including a thick foam case, provides reliable protection against accidental drops and rough handling. We dropped this tablet with confidence, knowing the tumble it took would be handled by its burly case.

The case has a handle that tucks nicely into the body. This handle is great for young hands to grasp and prevents extra drops. It also doubles as a stand, allowing the little one to prop up the tablet for a show or two. To keep this tablet in hand, the case has a textured exterior along with a ridge that runs along the backside, designed specifically for kid-sized grips. Even if the device breaks, Amazon offers an extensive two-year warranty. If it breaks, they'll replace it for free as long as it was purchased through Amazon or a certified retailer.

Battery

To test battery life, we took the tablet off of kids mode and accessed an 11-hour YouTube video. We played this in its highest resolution, keeping a camera pointed towards it to note the exact time the device died. Following this, we plugged the tablet in to charge, noting how long it took to power back on. Then, we charged the device to full battery. Again, noting how long this process took.

Amazon claims a battery life of 10 hours for the Fire 7 Kids Tablet. Our testing revealed a commendable runtime of 9 hours and 26 minutes while streaming a video non-stop. Charging the tablet from empty to full took approximately 3 hours and 49 minutes. It is important to mention that when the tablet is completely drained and turned back on, it takes slightly longer to power up compared to other devices, something an impatient youngster might dislike. Nevertheless, the battery life is more than sufficient for extended use during travel or at home.

Parental Controls

Setting a new standard in parental control features, the Amazon Fire 7-Inch offers a comprehensive suite of safety measures. The device can switch from kids mode to regular via a drop-down menu and a secret PIN. This is also where parental controls can be accessed. There are plenty of options available for parents, like age-specific content, schedules, and site restrictions.

Applications can be "locked-in", preventing the child from exiting and jumping to other apps. The tablet allows for flexible time restrictions, enabling specific playtime intervals, such as 8 am to 12 pm. Duration allotments can also be configured, allowing parents to limit their child's tablet usage to a specified number of hours per day. When the time limit is reached, a screen pops up with the message "all done for the day" and requires a PIN to unlock the tablet. More or less time can be allotted when you enter the pin. With age restrictions and a preconfigured kid-safe content browser, the online world can be safely browsed. Even when we tried to access adult content, like gambling sites, we were turned away.

Display

Featuring a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, the Fire 7 delivers an impressive display. The screen quality is on par with expectations for a tablet, showcasing vibrant colors and sharp details. Though others in the lineup have higher resolution, back to back, it was hard to notice a difference. The compact size of the seven-inch screen makes it ideal for younger children, ensuring easy handling and portability. However, older children might find the size to be a bit small.

It's worth noting the overall functionality of the tablet can be finicky. It has improved greatly from the previous versions but still has room for improvement. It's not as responsive as some of the other Amazon models and has some minor glitches. We rarely experienced these troubles, but they were still present. However, your kiddo probably won't notice these small inconveniences, especially if this is their first tablet.

Camera

We took a series of standard shots to test the quality of the tablets' cameras. We took selfies, backlit and low light photos, along with normal photos we think kids would take. Side by side, we ranked the quality of these pictures. We also noted how easy it was to access the camera and use it. The Amazon Fire 7 did an above-average job, tackling most scenarios we threw at it.

Equipped with front and back 2MP cameras, the tablet may not produce professional-quality photos, but it is more than adequate to satisfy the creativity of young users. The tablet had no trouble capturing our backlit bowl of fruit. However, it struggled with the low-light test. The photo came out blurry and very dark. Our selfies were of decent quality, though a tad undersaturated. Camera access can be turned on and off through the parental controls.

Should You Buy the Amazon Fire 7-Inch Kids Tablet?

With its extensive kids content, durable construction, impressive battery life, and comprehensive parental controls, this tablet offers a well-rounded experience that combines entertainment, education, and creativity. Whether accessing a vast library of age-appropriate content, exploring new topics, or capturing memories through photography, the Fire 7 Kids delivers on all fronts. This budget-friendly option is great for a first-time tablet for younger kids. If you're on the fence about buying a tablet for your kid, this is a great place to start without spending hundreds.

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