Inflation is running rampant. But apparently not so when it comes to Amazon’s pricing strategy for the latest version of its popular tablet.
Amazon today revealed an updated Fire 7 tablet. Now available for pre-order and shipping end of June, the updated model retains a very important feature: the price.
At just $59.99, Fire 7 comes with 16 GB, a 30% faster quad-core processor over its predecessor and 2 GB of RAM.
Given that the Apple iPad Mini starts at a whopping $499 by comparison you can quickly see why this Amazon tablet is a popular choice for those who don’t want to break the bank for as basic web and app device.
Of course there are concessions made to come in at such a low price — inflation be damned.
Notably:
- There are ads. You’ll need to pay $30 more ($74.99) for the ad-free version. Still a decent deal.
- At only 1024×600 or 171 ppi screen resolution isn’t the greatest.
- Storage and RAM are not exactly generous, but likely enough for the basics.
- Slower processor compared to high-end tablets and iPads may limit gaming options.
- Bezels! (they’re large)
Still, it’s hard to argue thee value proposition here.
One especially great addition to the 2022 Fire 7 is a USB-C port for charging. Finally Amazon has done away with Micro-USB and joined the modern age with a connector that will be more readily compatible with most of our existing chargers.
Amazon continues to position its tablet range as loss leaders. Obviously the goal here is to get you to explore all of its associated content services. Things like Prime Video, Kindle and Amazon Music. That’s where the juicy margins can be found. Plus these apps and services are essential to help lock-in buyers into the Amazon ecosystem and lessen switching opportunities to other competitive platforms — especially Apple and Google.
The new Fire 7 tablet starts at $59.99 (ad-supported) with options available for more storage($20 for 32 GB) and without lockscreen ads ($15).
Shipments start end of June 2022.