Faisal Ghaffar 
Overview
You won’t need anything snazzy if you just want a tablet to browse the internet, watch videos, and play games. That is exactly what Amazon’s Fire tablets are. The majority of them cost less than $200, with the Fire 7, which has been updated for 2022, starting at just $60 ($75 if you don’t want ads on the lock screen). It has upgraded internals and Amazon’s Fire OS 8, which includes minor improvements such as a dark mode. However, it still has many of the same constraints as older models, such as a lack of Google apps.
Hardware upgrade
The 2022 Fire 7 tablet has double the RAM of the previous generation and is powered by the same quad-core 2.0GHz processing unit as the Fire HD 8. Amazon also promises longer battery life and, more importantly, now employs a USB-C port rather than a micro-USB port. This alone makes the upgrade worthwhile, as USB-C is quickly becoming the recharging benchmark.
The rest of the Fire 7’s hardware is identical to that of its predecessor. It has front and rear 2-megapixel cameras, 16 or 32GB of internal storage (expandable up to 1TB with a microSD card), and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The camera quality isn’t particularly impressive, as expected, but it’ll suffice for a short clip chat. Just don’t expect to use it for exact photos unless you like grainy, washed-out images.
Screen and Display
However, the screen is one of Fire 7’s biggest letdowns. Its 1,024 by 600 resolution appears drab, with fuzzy images and muddy colours. Even for a budget tablet – and there aren’t many in this price bracket – a display less than full HD seems out of date in this day and age. Aside from just that, the Fire 7 retains its original appearance and feel. It’s made of plastic and has thick bezels around its 7-inch display. Nonetheless, it appears to be long-lasting.
New software, but the same old problems
The Fire 7 includes Fire OS 8, which includes Android 11 features such as a system-wide dark theme. Nonetheless, the interface appears to be the same. It, like all other Fire tablets, runs Amazon’s patented technology skin, which forced me to use Amazon-approved apps instead of Google Play Store apps.
Wrap-up
The thing to remember about Fire tablets is that they aren’t typical Android devices; for example, if you are using Google apps, you’ll need to dl model the Google Play Store. Amazon’s proprietary interface prioritises its own apps over others, such as Prime Video and Kindle.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many non-Amazon options for a tablet in the $60 price range. The Lenovo Tab M7 (starting at $96) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (starting at $100) appear to be two of the more affordable non-Amazon tablets at the moment. We haven’t reviewed them yet, but both allow you to use Google products without having to resort to third-party alternatives.
