Amazon finally brings USB-C to its most affordable Android tablet, the $60 Fire 7

Ben Schoon | May 18 2022 - 6:49 am PT

Amazon just revealed a new refresh of its super-affordable Android tablet, the Fire 7 (2022). And after years of using an outdated standard, Amazon is finally bringing USB-C to the Fire 7.

Available for pre-order starting today and shipping in late June, the Fire 7 (2022) delivers the first big upgrade to Amazon’s cheapest tablet since 2019.

One of the biggest changes to this new update is the arrival of USB-C, a long-overdue swap from microUSB which the device had been using for over a decade now. This isn’t Amazon’s first Fire tablet with USB-C, but it’s the first time the most affordable entry in the lineup has supported the reversible and superior port.

What else is new? Amazon says to expect a performance boost of around 30% with a new quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. While that memory allotment isn’t particularly impressive at this point, it’s actually doubled compared to the previous generation.

The battery on Fire 7 (2022), now charged via that USB-C port, is claimed to be around 10 hours. Storage lands at either 16GB or 32GB, with a microSD card slot available for expansion. Amazon has also upgraded the cameras, with a 2MP, 720p camera on both the front and back of the tablet. The screen is still pretty underwhelming, though, with the 7-inch display only a 1024×600 panel.

Still, it’s hard to argue with Amazon’s offer here, given the pricing. The Fire 7 (2022) costs just $59.99 for the 16GB model with lockscreen ads. A fully-loaded model without ads and with 32GB of storage runs $95. Color options include Rose, Black, and Denim Blue. There’s also a model for kids for $109 with a 2-year replacement warranty that simply replaces the entire tablet if your child breaks it.