Amazon’s 11th-gen Fire HD 10 tablet starts at $149.99

Media / By

  • The new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet. It has slimmer bezels and a new front camera placement.

  • The base-model Fire 10 HD comes in these colors. The Plus model comes in black.

  • Here it is with the optional keyboard case.

  • The keyboard is self-supporting, so it’s great for lap use.

  • The keyboard layout.

  • This is the wireless charging dock for the “Plus” version. It will kick it over into Alexa’s “Show” mode.

  • The Fire 10 HD Kids tablet, designed to survive juice boxes, temper tantrums, dirt, snot…

  • The pink version.

  • This is the “Kids Pro” version, with a slimmer case.

Amazon has introduced the 11th-generation version of the Fire 10 HD tablet. This year’s edition adds wireless charging for the “Plus” model, a new front camera location (now positioned for landscape video chats instead of portrait), and slimmer side bezels, leading to a more symmetrical design.

Detailed specs are on Amazon’s developer site. The tablet features a 2 GHz MediaTek MT8183 SoC, the same chip used in the 10th- and 9th-gen Fire tablets going back to 2019. This is an eight-core, 12 nm chip with four Cortex A73 cores and four A53 cores. The GPU is an ARM Mali-G72 MP3. Other specs include a 10.1-inch, 1920×1200 LCD; 3GB of RAM; 32GB or 64GB of storage; a USB-C port; Wi-Fi up to 802.11ac; a headphone jack; a microSD slot; and stereo speakers. Amazon says the battery is good for “12 hours,” which previously has indicated a 6300 mAh battery.

True to its form as an online retail giant, Amazon’s Fire 10 HD is available in a bunch of different versions and bundles:

  • The base model Fire HD 10 starts at $149.99 with ads and $164.99 without.
  • The Fire HD Plus starts at $179.99 with ads ($194.99 without) and has 4GB of RAM and Qi wireless charging support.
  • The Plus model’s Qi support is meant for a 15W wireless charging dock officially called the “Made for Amazon Wireless Charging Dock for Fire HD 10 Plus (11th Generation)” (Wow). The dock is manufactured by Anker and will kick the tablet into “Show Mode,” turning it into an Alexa smart display. Amazon is charging $49.99 for the dock separately, but it’s also available in a bundle with the Plus tablet for $10 off.
  • An official, Fintie-manufactured Bluetooth keyboard case is available for $49.99. This is a QWERTY keyboard with a self-supporting hinge that the Fire 10 (or 10 Plus) can slot into. The keyboard has its own battery and charges via USB-C. Amazon says it’s good for 400 hours of usage or a year of standby time.
  • Don’t forget the kids’ versions! Fire HD 10 Kids takes the base model Fire 10 HD tablet and slaps it in a “Kid-Proof” case for $199.99. This first version is designed for “kids ages 3–7” and includes 1 year of Amazon Kids+, parental controls, and a “2-year worry-free guarantee.” Amazon says, “If it breaks, return it and we’ll replace it for free.” It looks like the kids’ tablets are ad-free.
  • There’s also the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet, which is for slightly older kids, ages 6-12. The case is slimmer. It’s still $199.99.

Fire tablets run Amazon’s custom fork of Android, so instead of the Google ecosystem, you’ll be using the Amazon App Store and Alexa, and you’ll be pushed to use Amazon services. The 11th-gen version still runs Fire OS 7, which is based on Android 9 Pie, an OS from 2018. This year, Amazon has decided to not disable split-screen support (built-in since Android 7), so you’ll be able to run two apps side by side now.

All the tablets and accessories ship May 26, 2021, but preorders are open today.

Listing image by Amazon

Related Posts