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I completely missed the announcement of the new 2022 Amazon Fire 7 tablets, but they are now available to buy on Amazon UK in the standard model or the rugged kids variant.
The last launch was three years ago, and the new 2022 models come with some minor upgrades that improve performance and modernise various specs.
These are affordable low-end tablets, so there was never going to be some huge overhaul of the hardware. They are not worth upgrading to if you have a 2019 model, but I also wouldn’t try and save a few pounds by buying the older Fire 7 (2019).
Amazon Fire 7 (2022) vs Fire 7 (2019) Specifications Compared
Amazon has a handy specifications page for developers that gives you all the information your need. The below table isn’t exhaustive, but it covers the important specifications and the bits that have differences between each model.
| Amazon | Fire 7 (2022) | Fire 7 (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Fire 7 (2022, 12th gen) | Fire 7 (2019, 9th Gen) |
| Screen Size | 7 inches | 7 inches |
| Screen Resolution (pixels) | 1024 x 600 IPS | 1024 x 600 IPS |
| HD Support | No | No |
| RAM | 2GB | 1 GB |
| Internal Storage | 16/32 GB | 16/32 GB |
| External Storage | MicroSD up to 1 TB | MicroSD up to 512 GB |
| System on a Chip (SOC) platform | MediaTek MT8168V/B (64-bit quad-core) | MediaTek MT8163V/B (64-bit quad-core) |
| Application Binary Interface (ABI) | 32bit/64bit hybrid | 32-bit |
| CPU | ARM Cortex-A53 (2 GHz) | ARM Cortex-A53 (1.3 GHz) |
| GPU | Arm Mali-G52 3EE MC1 | ARM Mali-T720 MP2 |
| Wifi | Dual band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz, 50m range |
802.11 a/b/g/n (dual band) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 LE | 4.1 LE |
| Latest Fire OS version | Fire OS 8 | Fire OS 7 |
| Android version & API level | Android 11, API Level 30 | Android 9, API Level 28 |
| Front-facing camera | 2mp | 2mp |
| Rear-facing camera | 2mp | 2mp |
| Video Codecs | H.263 H.264 AVC H.265 HEVC MPEG2 MPEG4 VP8 VP9 VC-1 |
H.263 H.264 AVC H.265 HEVC MPEG2 MPEG4 VP8 |
| Video Features | H.264 DRM H.265 DRM OpenGL ES 3.2 |
H.264 DRM H.265 DRM OpenGL ES 3.1 |
| DRM Widevine | L1 | L3 |
Amazon Fire 7 (2022): What has been upgraded?
A lot remains the same. The display and resolution are identical, as are the storage options.
Performance should be better, though, with the following upgrades:
Chipset / RAM
The chipset is now the MediaTek MT8168V/B which is still very low-end but has both the CPU and GPU upgraded.
The CPU is the same quad-core ARM Cortex-A53, but the frequency has been improved by 54%.
The GPU has been changed to the ARM Mali-G52 MP2, this was introduced back in 2020 on the MediaTek Helio G80 and was a decent enough GPU at the time. In comparison, the older ARM Mali-T720 on the 2019 model has been around since 2015.
Looking at benchmarks, the ARM Mali-G52 MP2 on the new Fire 7 is significantly more powerful. Various 3DMark benchmarks indicate anything from 5 to 7 times increase in performance.
The tablet now has twice the RAM with 2GB. This is still very low compared to most phones, but it should help provide a decent performance boose on the Fire 7.
Android
As you would expect, the operating system has been modernised. With Amazon heavily modifying Android with their Fire OS, they haven’t concerned themselves with using the latest version of Android. Instead, the new Fire OS 8 is based on Android 11.
The 2019 Fire 7 launched with Fire OS 6, which was based on Android Nougat (Android 7.1.2, level 25), but was later upgraded to Fire OS 7, which is based on Android 9 Pie,
Codecs / DRM
The improved specs and Android version means that the new Amazon Fire 7 (2022) is a bit more compatible with modern codecs and DRM.
This includes the VP9 and VC-1 codecs. VP9 is the more important one as far as I am aware, as this is the new open and royalty-free video coding format developed by Google. It has been rolled out on YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV, as well as Amazon itself.
You then have improved Widevine DRM. Level 1 is the highest option and certifies devices to stream in 720P to higher resolutions. L3 on the older Fire 7 table was restricted to 480P video.
Overall
The Amazon Fire 7 has always been a budget tablet that is best suited for media consumption. The new 2022 model is much the same. The chipset upgrade, new version of Android and improved codecs should ensure anything you watch plays smoothly.
With pricing from £59.99, there is little else on the market that can compete with this for a cheap tablet.
Last update on 2022-06-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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