Page 96 - Stuff - September 2017 UK

TESTED AMAZON FIRE 7 2017
Relight my Fire

Amazon has pepped up its ultra-affordable tablet with
a slightly slimmer build and an added dash of Alexa

£50 / stuff.tv/Fire7
Amazon’s totally got the right
idea with its tablets – don’t bother
trying to compete with the iPad,
just bash out dirt-cheap devices
that get the job done. And the
new Amazon Fire 7 is exactly that
kind of tab.
This is a tablet designed with
one thing in mind: function. And in
that regard, it’s a champion. The
7in form factor works really well,
whether one-handed in portrait
mode or two-handed in landscape,
and it feels surprisingly well built.
The front is just a screen plus
some fairly chubby bezels all the
way round. The back and sides
are made from durable-feeling
plastic, but it’s pretty chunky and
utilitarian. Other than an Amazon
logo on the back, it’s entirely devoid
of any flair or character.
The Fire 7’s display only has
a 1024x600 resolution. Contrast
is poor, colours are muted and
viewing angles are very limited.
The combined effect is that, unless
you’re watching almost directly
face-on, it’s as if you’re viewing
through some kind of filter.
The Fire 7 runs on a quad-core
1.3GHz processor, but it’s not
a particularly beefy one and
there are times when that shows.
Opening apps can be a long and
frustrating process, and it’s prone
to crashes while gaming.
Tech specs

Screen 7in 1024x600 LCD
Processor Quad-core 1.3GHz Is there an Echo in here? Buttoned up
RAM 1GB Battery life Up to 8hrs Alexa has found a new home On top of the tablet you get
Storage 8/16GB (expandable in this tablet, and she can do power and volume buttons, plus
up to 256GB via microSD) everything here that she does a microUSB port for charging and
Connectivity Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 in her Echo guise. You have to a headphone socket. There are
Cameras VGA front, 2MP rear hold down the home key to wake also front and rear cameras, and
Dimensions 192x115x9.6mm, 295g her up first, though. a microSD slot for extra storage.

STUFF SAYS Far from the best tablet, but it’s easily the best ultra-cheap tablet

It’s not great, but The Fire 7 is full of compromises – the screen is poor, it’s slow, and the Amazon
really, what else Appstore is way too locked-down. But most of the things you’d want to do with
are you going to this device aren’t majorly hampered by those flaws. For sofa-based browsing or
do with £50? keeping the kids entertained on a long flight, the Fire 7 does its job perfectly. Unless
Marc McLaren you really want a premium tablet experience, this is a no-brainer purchase.

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