Amazon Unveils Refreshed Fire Tablets in 7- and 8-Inch Screen Sizes

Amazon began taking preorders for its updated Fire tablet line Wednesday, keeping to its sub-$100 pricing strategy for the 7- and 8-inch models. The next-generation Fire 7, with an improved 7-inch IPS display, longer battery life (eight hours’ mixed use) and better Wi-Fi connectivity, remains at $49, said Amazon. The Fire HD 8, with 12 hours’ battery life and an HD display, will sell for $79, Amazon said. The Fire 7 has 8 GB storage (16 GB, $69), expandable to 256 via microSD card, and the HD 8 has 16 GB internal storage, also expandable to 256 GB with external storage, Amazon said. Both tablets have Alexa support, screen-sharing tech support and Blue Shade, which removes blue light for a better nighttime reading experience, the company said. It also introduced the Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet ($99) and Fire HD 8 Kids Edition ($129) tablets, which include a year of free FreeTime Unlimited content. All new Fire tablets will begin shipping June 7, it said.