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The compact device only costs $60.
While Amazon is a giant in the tech industry, it’s more due to software and net development than hardware, with companies like Apple and Samsung still firmly at the top of that food chain. But while Amazon’s devices aren’t top-of-the-line, they do provide an entry point to ownership at a much lower price point. Case in point, the newest iteration of the Fire 7 Tablet costs the same as a typical video game.
Amazon announced the revamped Fire 7 tablet today, which is slated to cost $59.99 USD. While this is a bit of a price hike compared to the previous model, it’s still leagues cheaper than most commercial tablets. As for what’s actually new about it, the new Fire 7 features an improved battery life, estimated to be good for about 10 hours of typical internet browsing. It’s also got a buffed processor ballparked to be at least 30% faster than the previous version, plus 16GB of storage on the standard model. Most interesting is the charging port, which has been updated to the more widely-used USB-C format. While not a powerhouse device by any stretch of the imagination, it has enough muscle for those who just need a small and simple device that they can surf the web on, and that price point is very attractive.
Amazon’s $60 Fire 7 tablet finally gets USB-C https://t.co/wfVBTikdnZ by @bheater
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) May 18, 2022
Besides the base model, Amazon will also be selling a revamped Fire 7 Kids model, which comes bundled with a kid-proof protective case and a free year of Amazon Kids+ service. These extra add-ons inflate the price point substantially, raising it to $109.99 USD. It’d probably be cheaper to just buy the regular model, a case, and Amazon Kids+ piecemeal.
Both models of the new Fire 7 are open for pre-order on Amazon, and are set to release on June 29.
