Knowledgeable’s Score
Execs
- Nonetheless very reasonably priced
- USB-C connector
- First rate battery life
Cons
- Sluggish efficiency
- Poor cameras
- Low-resolution display
Our Verdict
Improved battery life and (barely) higher efficiency make this new Hearth 7 price the additional cash. It’s nice for teenagers, however it’s possible you’ll wish to spend extra if it’s for an grownup.
Finest Costs As we speak: Amazon Hearth 7 (2022)
$59.99
Free
The Hearth 7 has at all times been Amazon’s entry-level pill. And it has at all times value $49.99/£49.99. This 2022 mannequin sees its first value rise since its introduction in 2015, virtually seven years in the past.
Amazon calls it the 12th technology mannequin, however that features all fashions again to after they have been referred to as Kindle Hearth. If you happen to depend solely these referred to as Hearth 7, it’s the fourth technology.
None of that is related, after all, if you happen to merely wish to know whether or not this finances pill is price shopping for. And that’s precisely what we’ll clarify on this assessment.
Options & design
- 7in, 1024×600 pixel display
- 16GB RAM with microSD card slot for growth
- Arms-free Alexa
Amazon hasn’t deviated a lot from the same old recipe for its Hearth tablets. Chunky black bezel across the display? Test. Plastic rear cowl? Test. Low-resolution 7in display? Test. Terrible 2Mp entrance and rear cameras? Test.
These would possibly sound like criticisms – and they’re – however you possibly can’t fairly count on higher once you’re paying this little for a pill. The entry-level iPad, for context, prices $329/$319, which is over 5 occasions costlier.
As ever, it’s essential to keep in mind that the Hearth 7 runs Amazon’s personal working system referred to as Hearth OS. It could be primarily based on Android however there isn’t any Google Play Retailer and no Google apps or companies. The entire level of Hearth tablets, so far as Amazon is anxious, is to be a store window for Amazon companies together with Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Amazon Music and, naturally, Amazon buying. We’ll speak extra about software program in a while.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The 2022 Hearth 7 isn’t a recycled 2019 mannequin: it’s genuinely new, with a brand new button association that sees the facility and quantity buttons positioned collectively, a USB-C port (as an alternative of microUSB) and – usefully – a headphone jack for conventional wired headphones. You possibly can pair Bluetooth headphones if you wish to go wi-fi, although.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The display and cameras are unchanged, which is a disgrace as all are extraordinarily fundamental high quality. The bezel across the display is extra pleasing to the attention because it’s the identical width all spherical. The front-facing digital camera has been moved from the brief facet to the lengthy facet, which means you’ll want to carry the pill in a panorama orientation for video calls, versus portrait on the older mannequin.
Colors have modified, too: as an alternative of Twilight Blue there’s now Denim, and as an alternative of Plum there’s Rose. Sage has been dropped utterly: the one different possibility is Black.
As traditional, the bottom mannequin has 16GB of storage, with roughly 9.5GB accessible on your apps, video games and recordsdata. You possibly can pay extra for the 32GB mannequin, which has round 25GB of usable storage. It’s doable so as to add as much as 1TB extra through a microSD card however from earlier expertise, it’s finest to put in apps on the inner storage.
There’s a single speaker on the top-left nook (prime being the facet with the digital camera), and it sounds very tinny with no bass. It’s nearly satisfactory for watching movies and taking part in informal video games, however not for music.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Construct high quality is ok: Amazon says the Hearth 7 is twice as sturdy because the 2021 iPad mini. So it’s extra prone to survive unintended drops with out the display cracking. If you happen to’re contemplating shopping for this for a kid, the Children Version comes with a bumper case that provides much more safety together with a two-year guarantee that covers unintended harm and a yr’s entry to Children+, Amazon’s subscription service that’s filled with child-friendly movies, video games, apps, books and extra. However, the Children Version does value twice as a lot.
It presents no water resistance, so though it’ll most likely survive the odd splash of water, it could possibly’t be submersed.
Efficiency
With a 2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the 2022 Hearth 7 has extra grunt than its predecessor. Not a complete lot extra, thoughts: Amazon says it’s 30% sooner which sounds good, however the Hearth 7 has at all times been described as sluggish and the elevated firepower doesn’t do lots to alter that.
Scrolling and navigating round Hearth OS 8 is a comparatively easy and responsive expertise, however you quickly start to note the shortage of tempo once you faucet on an app. The display will go gray and an orange circle will spin for a number of seconds earlier than it seems. It isn’t a deal-breaker: it’s what you get once you spend $60/£60 on a pill.
Benchmarks akin to Geekbench 5 verify that the newcomer is roughly 30% faster, which places it on a par with the Hearth HD 8 that makes use of the identical processor and RAM. With a multi-core rating of 515, it’s a method behind finances telephones such because the Samsung Galaxy A13 (which scored 585), which we additionally criticised for being too sluggish.
Don’t purchase the Hearth 7 for gaming, except the video games you take note of are undemanding puzzles, or the endless-runner varieties akin to Jetpack Joyride and different non-3D titles like Amongst Us. Sadly, neither of these is out there in Amazon’s Appstore, illustrating the primary disadvantage of choosing an Amazon pill: the selection of apps is way more restricted.
Higher examples embody Crossy Highway and Fruit Ninja, which could be put in simply. (It’s doable to put in Android video games, and sure Android apps such because the PCMark benchmark we use, on a Hearth pill, but it surely entails leaping via fairly a number of hoops.) Roblox can also be accessible, however doesn’t run very easily.
Battery life is the true spotlight of this new mannequin. In our exams, it lasted virtually precisely the ten hours Amazon claims – up significantly from the 2019 mannequin that lasted round six hours.
Recharging the battery is, sadly, very sluggish. Amazon features a tiny 5W USB charger which takes barely over 4 hours to refill the Hearth 7 from empty to full. There’s no quick charging possibility, and also you’ll barely get 20% cost when you have solely half-hour to cost it from empty.
Cameras
There’s little new to say: each cameras provide very poor high quality in comparison with even finances smartphones. They’ve the identical decision as earlier Hearth 7 tablets and even in good gentle, you’ll be upset (as will your youngsters) with pictures and movies.
In low gentle, don’t even hassle making an attempt to make use of them.
The entrance digital camera is satisfactory for video calls, partly since you’ll be centered on the opposite individuals on the decision fairly than your individual video. Usefully, in addition to Alexa calling, you will get Zoom, Skype and Fb Messenger on the Hearth 7.
Software program
The Hearth 7 runs Hearth OS 8, which is predicated on Android 11. That’s already the earlier model accessible on many Android telephones, however right here it doesn’t actually matter.
You wouldn’t understand it was Android apart from a number of similarities akin to the way in which you swipe down from the highest to see the shortcut tray and notifications. In comparison with the 2019 Hearth 7, you do get some minor additional options together with extra detailed permissions for what apps can and might’t do (akin to utilizing the microphone and webcam), and whether or not they can do issues within the background or not (akin to accessing your location).
There’s additionally a ‘correct’ darkish mode. Hearth OS is darkish by default and has supplied the selection of darkish or gentle modes earlier than. Now, with official OS assist, apps ought to now observe go well with and undertake whichever mode you select.
As talked about, there’s no Google Play Retailer which limits which apps you possibly can (simply) set up on a Hearth 7. Not like Amazon Hearth TV gadgets, the official YouTube app isn’t accessible for Hearth tablets, a relentless annoyance for customers who’ve to make use of Amazon’s net browser to look at through the YouTube web site or set up one of many unofficial YouTube apps, that are usually inferior to the true factor.
There are many well-liked apps (assume Spotify, Netflix), however what you gained’t have a tendency to seek out are ‘service’ apps akin to cellular banking and sensible residence apps on your sensible lights, safety cameras and others.
Jim Martin / Foundry
That is the place Alexa could be useful because it’s usually doable to allow the Alexa ability for such devices. However you’ll nonetheless want a smartphone to get these gadgets arrange within the first place.
Alexa is hands-free on the Hearth 7, although you’ll must allow the assistant after which allow hands-free mode within the settings as each are disabled by default.
Value & availability
The plain place to purchase a Hearth 7 is from Amazon. The bottom 16GB mannequin prices $59.99 / £59.99, however word that it will have adverts on the lock display except you go for the “With out Adverts” mannequin once you buy. That provides $10 / £10 to the worth.
You can even spend the identical quantity to improve to the 32GB mannequin.
For defense, you could possibly purchase Amazon’s official case, however at $28.99 / £28.99 it provides virtually 50% to the entire value.
These can be found in the identical colors because the pill itself, although they’re referred to as Wild Rose and Deep Sea Blue, not Rose and Denim, for some motive. One benefit is that they’ve a built-in stand for watching movies or following recipes hands-free.
The Hearth 7 Children prices $109.99 / £109.99 and has the identical selection of 16GB or 32GB ($20 / £20 extra) and you may select between crimson, blue or purple bumper circumstances.
You possibly can learn our opinions of the opposite Amazon Hearth tablets for a greater concept of how the assorted fashions examine. If you happen to’re shopping for for a kid, it’s nicely price studying our roundup of one of the best youngsters’ tablets.
Verdict
There are sufficient upgrades and enhancements right here to make the Hearth 7 nicely price the additional $10 / £10 over its predecessor. It’s nice to have longer battery life, barely improved efficiency and the USB-C port, which makes it a lot simpler to connect the charging cable.
The tiny value means you’ll need to reside with dismal photograph and video high quality from the cameras, and the low-resolution display.
For $30 / £30 extra, you could possibly as an alternative get the Hearth HD 8 that has an even bigger, larger decision display, double the storage, higher sound and even longer battery life, however you’ll nonetheless be caught with the identical cameras and the identical limitations by way of app selection.
There aren’t actually any comparable Android tablets at this value, particularly if you wish to follow recognized manufacturers akin to Samsung. In case your finances gained’t stretch additional than $60 / £60, that is one of the best pill you possibly can hope for, however simply don’t count on an excessive amount of.