Amazon just announced a new version of its popular Fire 7 tablet, and with upgrades like longer battery life and USB-C charging, it looks to justify this year’s slightly higher price. Although the tablet market is largely dominated by Apple’s iPad lineup, there are some companies that remain committed to Android tablets. Samsung regularly updates its Galaxy Tab family, Lenovo has a few Android tablets, and companies like TCL and Nokia have tried breaking into the tablet niche.

Alongside those companies, Amazon has also had a strong showing for Android tablets. If you visit the Fire Tablet page on Amazon today, you’ll find ten tablet options to choose from. Whether you want a cheap Android tablet for watching movies, a more premium option with better specs, or something that can survive being used by your kids, Amazon‘s tablet family is surprisingly robust. And today, it’s getting even better.

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Related: Apple Might Launch An iPad Pro With M2 Chip & MagSafe Charging This Year

On May 18, Amazon announced a new 2022 version of the Fire 7 tablet. The last time Amazon launched a new Fire 7 was back in 2019. That model upped the internal storage from 8GB to 16GB, added hands-free Alexa voice control, and kept the Fire 7’s excellent $50 price tag. The big news for the 2022 model is that it slightly increases the price to $60 — likely as a result of troubles with inflation and chip shortages. While the higher price isn’t ideal, the 2022 version of the Fire 7 has a few tricks up its sleeve to justify that $10 increase.

The New Fire 7 Has Better Performance & Battery Life


The 2022 Amazon Fire 7 tablet

One such trick is the upgrade from 1GB of RAM to 2GB of RAM. The Fire 7 has never been known for being a speed demon, but Amazon says the extra memory should make the new model up to ’30 percent faster’ than the 2019 one. Along with faster performance, battery life is also improved. The 2019 Fire 7 was rated for up to 7 hours of battery life, whereas the 2022 version gets up to 10 hours.

When the Fire 7’s battery does eventually run out, the 2022 model also improves the charging experience. Gone is the microUSB port from the 2019 Fire 7, and in its place is a USB-C port on the 2022 Fire 7. Not only is the reversible design of USB-C more convenient, but it also means the Fire 7 now uses the same charger as most other tablets, phones, laptops, etc.

If you’re interested, the Fire 7 is available for pre-order starting today with regular sales beginning June 29. The $60 price includes 16GB of storage with advertisements placed on the lock screen. You can increase the storage to 32GB and remove those lock screen ads, but doing so also increases the price — up to as much as $95 if you want 32GB without advertisements. The new Fire 7 certainly isn’t an iPad killer, but if you need a new tablet and want to spend under $100, Amazon has a compelling option here.