Reviews You Can Rely On

Amazon Fire HD 10-Inch Kids 2023 Review

A quality tablet with endless amounts of age-appropriate content packaged in a burly case
gearlab tested logo
Amazon Fire HD 10-Inch Kids 2023 Review
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Price:  $190 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   Amazon
By Austin Palmer ⋅ Senior Research Analyst  ⋅  Jun 14, 2024
94
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 12
  • Ready to Go Content - 20% 10.0
  • Durability - 20% 9.1
  • Battery - 20% 9.7
  • Parental Controls - 15% 9.0
  • Display - 15% 9.7
  • Camera - 10% 8.4

Our Verdict

The Fire 10 Kids is a top-notch device that checks all the boxes, earning high praise from us throughout our testing. It boasts a highly responsive and vivid 10-inch screen that kids of all ages can enjoy. It comes loaded with thousands of books, movies, games, and more that are sure to keep your little one entertained, though some may find it overwhelming. Impressive parental controls give parents peace of mind. And its thoughtfully designed case and over nine-hour run time can handle a chaotic life on the go. To see how it stacks up against competitors, check out our review.
REASONS TO BUY
Excellent case
Awesome content
Great battery life
Extensive 2-year warranty
REASONS TO AVOID
Subscription fee
Difficult to navigate content

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Kid's Tablet
Editors' Choice Award
Great Choice for Younger Kids
Best Buy Award
Best Affordable Tablet
  
Price $190 List
$189.99 at Amazon
$180 List
$179.99 at Amazon
$110 List
$109.99 at Amazon
$190 List
$189.99 at Amazon
$39 List
$37.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
94
93
91
85
46
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Bottom Line A durable tablet built for a kid with unlimited entertainment options and customizable parental controlsWith access to kid-friendly content and extensive parental controls, this tablet remains one of our favoritesWith extensive parental controls, this budget-friendly option will keep you kid satisfied without breaking the bankA high-performing device with loads of age-restricted, ready-to-go content and a sleek protective case geared towards older kidsAn Android model that comes with average preloaded content targeted towards preschool children and a battery that drains quickly
Rating Categories Amazon Fire HD 10-I... Amazon Fire HD 8-In... Amazon Fire 7-Inch... Amazon Fire HD 10-i... Pritom 7-Inch
Ready to Go Content (20%)
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
4.0
Durability (20%)
9.1
9.1
9.1
4.0
6.9
Battery (20%)
9.7
9.5
9.5
9.8
2.6
Parental Controls (15%)
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
7.0
Display (15%)
9.7
9.5
9.5
10.0
3.0
Camera (10%)
8.4
8.2
6.5
8.4
4.4
Specs Amazon Fire HD 10-I... Amazon Fire HD 8-In... Amazon Fire 7-Inch... Amazon Fire HD 10-i... Pritom 7-Inch
Screen Size 10.1 inches 8.0 inches 7.0 inches 10.1 inches 7.0 inches
Measured Video Battery Life 566 minutes 570 minutes 566 minutes 589 minutes 129 minutes
Measured Charge Time 178 minutes 237 minutes 229 minutes 167 minutes 187 minutes
Measured Cover Front Thickness 0.27 in 0.29 in 0.24 in 0.07 in 0.14 in
Measured Cover Back Thickness 0.46 in 0.42 in 0.42 in 0.23 in 0.10* in
Resolution 1920 x 1200 (224 ppi) 1280 x 800 HD IPS 1024 x 600 IPS 1920 x 1200 (224 ppi) 1024 x 600 IPS
Storage 32 GB 32 GB (tested) or 64 GB 16 GB or 32 GB 32 GB 16 GB
Expandable with MicroSD Expandable up to 1 TB Expandable up to 1 TB Expandable up to 1 TB Expandable up to 1 TB Expandable up to 32 GB
Camera 5 MP front and rear-facing 2MP front, 2MP rear 2MP front, 2MP rear 5 MP front and rear-facing 0.3MP front, 2MP rear
Recommended Age 3-7 3+ 3+ 6-12 2 to 12
Manufacturer Battery Life Up to 13 hours Up to 13 hours Up to 10 hours Up to 13 hours Up to 4 hours
Operating System 13th Gen 12th Gen 12th Gen 13th Gen Android 10
CPU and RAM Octa-core 2.0 GHz with 3 GB of RAM Hexa-core 2.0 GHz with 2 GB of RAM Quad-Core 2.0 GHz with 2 GB of RAM Octa-core 2.0 GHz with 3 GB of RAM 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Cortex A55 with 1 GB of RAM
Included Trial Content Subscription 1 year of Amazon Kids+ 1 year of Amazon Kids+ 1 year of Amazon Kids+ 1 year of Amazon Kids+ None
Available Case Colors Blue, Pink, Disney Princess, and Disney Mickey Mouse Kid-Proof Case with built-in stand Blue, Purple, Disney Princess, and Disney Mickey Mouse Kid-Proof Case with built-in stand Red, Blue, or Purple Kid-Proof Case with built-in stand Happy Day, Mint, or Nebula Light Blue, Dark Blue, Green, or Red, with a built-in stand
Included Case Material Foam Foam Foam Foam Silicone

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Fire 10 comes with 16 or 32 GB options to help store a plethora of movies and games for the little ones. With the ability to expand to 1TB, the storage supplies can include availability for the whole family. This is a new option in the Fire series that allows for more room as games and videos are trending to take up more bytes of storage.

Performance Comparison


amazon fire hd 10-inch kids 2023 - our tiny tester and techie parent loved the amazon fire 10 kids so...
Our tiny tester and techie parent loved the Amazon Fire 10 Kids so much, they had a hard time handing it over.
Credit: Matt Lighthart


Ready-to-Go Content


With access to over 20,000 ad-free apps, books, videos, games, and more, the Fire 10 Kids shines! Simply slide the age range filter, and in an instant, your child's screen auto-populates with a seemingly endless amount of fun and engaging age-appropriate content - a feature that saves you the time of carefully curating a content list for your child.


The content ranges from educational to entertainment options for ages two to 13+. Each content category has a dedicated page with media in all directions. To use the media, you'll have to download it once. But after that point, most downloaded content is available offline. If you want the tablet to teach your child, there's plenty here. For example, many books will enunciate words your child doesn't know or give them a definition. There are also loads of “play together” games that allow you and your child to engage in a more interactive screen time experience. Or, if you just want to let your kid zone out in a safe environment that they won't get bored with (say, for a long travel day), this can do it for you.

The Kids Fire 10 comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ - a service with endless edutainment options to ensure your little one never gets bored.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

The amount of content can be overwhelming at first, especially for parents, but younger kids will learn to navigate the categories by large image-based icons. For children adept at reading, you can switch the icons to a smaller text base for a more mature display. The “recent” tab is helpful in quickly finding content used the most. One year after purchasing the tablet, you'll have to pay monthly or yearly for continued access to the ready-to-go content. But the price is hard to pass up, especially if you are already a Prime member.

amazon fire hd 10-inch kids 2023 - the kids+ ready-to-go content is organized into categories at the...
The Kids+ ready-to-go content is organized into categories at the top of your child's home screen.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Durability


The included thick foam case is durable enough to handle drops or rough handling - giving parents comfort when handing over their investment. Plus, it comes with an extensive two-year warranty. So if your child accidentally drops the screen on a rock, it's OK, you can replace it for free!


The dimensions of the case are thoughtfully designed, with the thickest portions covering the bottom, back, and corners. The front is thinner and carefully balances the line between protecting the screen from front-facing falls and not getting in the way of using the device. It also has a textured surface that improves grip and keeps it from slipping out of small hands. On the back, there is a plastic fold-out stand that doubles as a handle and allows for adjustable viewing angles. Its solid color options cater to a wide audience (blue or pink), while its fun Disney-themed options will excite younger children (Mickey Mouse and Princess).

A thick foam case protects the Fire 10 Kids from accidental drops. The tablet is also covered by a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Battery Life


Battery life is an important feature because it can make the difference between a pleasant road trip and one filled with kicking and screaming. But there's no need to fret with the Amazon Fire 10 Kids. It can run non-stop for an impressive nine-and-a-half hours at full brightness.


Though our measured runtime is less than the 13 hours Amazon markets, it's still plenty to get you through long travel days or keep you from having to continually plug in the device at home. When the battery does drain, you can expect it to fully recharge in three hours. If the tablet happens to die during the climax of your child's favorite movie, it will immediately turn on once plugged in - allowing your child to finish their movie in peace.


amazon fire hd 10-inch kids 2023 - the long battery life of the fire 10 keeps your child happily...
The long battery life of the Fire 10 keeps your child happily engaged without interruption.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Parental Controls


Setting up healthy screen time habits can be difficult to enforce, but the Fire 10 Kids makes it easy. Parents can restrict just about anything with highly customizable controls.


The control menus are intuitive and easy to navigate. Do you want to allow only two hours of tablet use on weekdays between 3 pm and 7 pm? You can do that. Want to hide entertainment content until your child reads for at least 30 minutes? You can do that too. There is even an option to limit time by activity type. In the “Manage Content” section, you can set age filters for the Kids+ content, enable in-app purchase requests, and allow access to the app store and web browser. Nifty controls like setting a max volume can protect young ears (and parents' sanity) while locking the device on one app can keep kids focused on homework.

Amazon parental controls are extensive and allow parents to set time limits, manage content, control app purchases, and restrict internet access.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

The web browser customizations are top-notch and give parents confidence in letting their child roam the internet. You can select from three tiers of access: only websites parents approve, age-appropriate websites curated by Amazon, or a filtered browsing experience that blocks out inappropriate content. If there's a specific website you don't like, you can block it. Parents can also review their child's browsing history.

amazon fire hd 10-inch kids 2023 - the filtered web browser allows older kids to roam the internet in a...
The filtered web browser allows older kids to roam the internet in a safe environment. Shown above is the Diablo IV game website in kids mode (left) and adult mode (right).
Credit: Austin Palmer

Display


With a 1920 x 1200 full HD resolution, the Amazon Fire 10 offers a vibrant display that any adult would expect from a modern-day tablet. The image is colorful, crisp, and bright and can be viewed from multiple angles without a loss in quality. Though the 10-inch screen size may be bulky for little hands, it is perfect for watching movies and versatile enough to be used by older kids and parents.


The tablet's screen is also highly responsive, navigating between games and apps with ease. Its powerful 2.0 gigahertz octa-core processor ensures your little one isn't met with a slow and disappointing user experience.

The Fire 10's display, shown here in the center, is bright and vibrant and can be viewed from many angles.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Camera


Generally, most tablet manufacturers overlook the camera feature - it's there, but nothing like the quality you would expect from a standard smartphone. The Fire 10 Kids, however, excels, boasting a five-megapixel front- and rear-facing camera that stands out in the realm of kid-specific tablets.


We assessed the rear camera's capabilities by taking photos in backlight, low-light, or normal-light conditions. While there is some minor pixelation and an overall cool hue in the photos, the Fire 10 produces clear and bright images that any child would be satisfied with. In selfie mode, the front-facing camera shows finer details like individual hair strands or bumps on the tongue. If you don't want your kiddo filling up the tablet's storage space with strings on non-sense photos, you can disable the camera under the parental controls.

In normal light conditions (left), the Fire takes great photos, albeit slightly cool in color. In low light settings (right), the Fire excels. Objects in the room are discernable, though slightly grainy.

Should You Buy the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids?


If you want a powerful device with a vibrant display, loads of kid-friendly content, and a durable case, then the Fire 10 Kids may be for you. The tablet was built with younger kids in mind but is flexible enough to be used by older kids and adults, assuming the thick case isn't cumbersome. It's an excellent choice for families on long travel days. And its middle-of-the-line price point - above the standard 7-inch kid-specific options but below the 10- to 11-inch adult tablets - makes it a great value option for a large display. Still, parents who prefer to limit the amount of content presented to their child can forego the Kids+ subscription or look elsewhere.

What Other Kid's Tablets Should You Consider?


Love the Fire 10, but don't like the burly case? Consider the Pro version, which features the same hardware in a slimmer case. If you need a portable option that fits better in smaller hands, the Fire 8 Kids is an excellent choice - and it's cheaper. Or, if you want a tablet for older kids without all the preloaded content, consider the Apple iPad or Samsung Tab A9+.

Austin Palmer
 

You Might Also Like