5 reasons why you should get a Fire tablet and not an iPad

Key Takeaways

Amazon Fire tablets are significantly cheaper than iPads, making them a more budget-friendly option.
The Fire tablets are great for kids, offering tailored content and robust parental controls.
The Fire tablets have a more open operating system, allowing for customization and the ability to install Google Play.

Apple’s iPad is, without question, the most popular tablet available. This didn’t happen purely based on luck; all iPad models are incredible devices with fantastic displays and specs that make them a joy to use, not to mention the sheer number of apps you can install on them. But before you go and spend a lot of money on an iPad, I’d encourage you to look at the Amazon Fire tablets. They have some rather exciting benefits that make them worth your time, even compared to Apple’s amazing iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pro.

Trust me, I know I sound out of my mind encouraging you to get a Fire tablet over an iPad, but after hearing me out, you might just come around to the Fire side of the fence. And if you don’t, at least you’ll be able to purchase an iPad with the confidence that you considered the alternatives and have made the right choice for your needs.

1 You save money, a lot of money

Even the accessories are cheaper

This is the most obvious reason to get a Fire tablet over an iPad, but that doesn’t make it any less valid. The cheapest new iPad is the relatively old base model iPad 9th generation, which costs $329. The similar-sized Fire HD 10 is $139.99, but it can often be found on sale for much cheaper (for example, at time of writing, it’s listed for $95 on Amazon).

Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10 is a cheap tablet that nails the basics

Amazon’s Fire HD 10 gets the job done, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

And that’s one of the higher-end Amazon models. When you consider options like the $100 Fire HD 8 and $60 Amazon Fire 7, it becomes even more apparent that you can get your hands on an Amazon Fire device for peanuts compared to the iPad. A fun-sized small iPad starts at $500 for the iPad mini, so if you want a more portable tablet, the Amazon devices are the clear winner in price, though they’re certainly not as powerful as the iPad.

2 Amazon Fire is a great tablet for kids

With fantastic parental controls, too

Amazon offers its Amazon Kids+ subscription service, which provides tons of content specifically tailored for young users. Kids can watch all kinds of fun videos and play safe games and apps without parents worrying. The service comes with the purchase of a tablet for the first year, so you can let your kids go nuts playing with their device without worrying about them getting into something they shouldn’t.

Along with the kid-catered content, Amazon offers some of the best parental controls for locking down how often and for how long your child can use their tablet. Your kids can request things they want to download on their Fire tablet, and you can choose whether to allow them to. Everything is controlled from the handy Parent Dashboard, so you don’t need to be a tech guru to lock down your kids’ fancy new tablet.

3 An absurd warranty on the Kids’ version

It covers everything except losing it

Pocket-lint

Another benefit of the Kids’ Fire tablets is the incredible two-year warranty that comes with them. Even the $110 Fire Tab 7 Kids comes with that warranty, so it doesn’t matter if you choose the cheapest or most expensive model. If your kids somehow break the tablet, even with the chunky protective case that comes with it, you’ll be able to get a new one without an issue for the first two years.

Amazon calls it the two-year worry-free guarantee, and based on everything I’ve heard from people who’ve used it, the process is painless, and it doesn’t matter how the tablet breaks. If your child decides they want to throw it against a rock and the screen cracks, you’ll still get a replacement tablet. Just remember this only applies to Kids’ tablets; the regular models only come with a standard warranty that isn’t much different than the one they get with an iPad without AppleCare.

Best Fire tablet apps for kids: Video streaming, games, and educational apps

Fire-up your kids’ imagination with these apps designed for safety, independence, curiosity, and entertainment.

4 Fire OS is more versatile

If not frustrating, at first

At first glance, the Fire tablets seem to be just as closed as an iPad, but with just a couple of setting adjustments, you can open up an entire world of side-loading, meaning any third-party app you want is available. Whether you want to run emulators to play your favorite retro games or simply change the OS’s look and feel with side-loaded themes and icons, you can make it happen with Fire OS. Heck, you can even just install Google Play and open the whole world of Android on your device. The possibilities are vast in a way that iPadOS can’t offer.

It does take a little technical know-how to enable side-loading, but it’s not too hard. Our sister site, Android Police, has a full guide that explains how to get Google Play on your Fire device, and from there, you can explore and have fun downloading all kinds of stuff.

5 Wireless charging is convenient

Plus, it turns into a smart display

Amazon/Pocket-lint

Apple hasn’t brought its beloved MagSafe technology to the iPad for whatever reason. On the other hand, Amazon offers wireless charging technology on the Plus version of its tablets. So you can grab a Fire HD 8 Plus or Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus and charge it wirelessly with any Qi wireless charger.

If you really want to go all out, though, we recommend the official dock that automatically puts your tablet into show mode when in use, so you can get an Alexa display-like experience from your tablet. It brings similar functionality to the Pixel Tablet but for a bit cheaper.