Amazon Unveils New Fire Tablets, Including $90 Model For Quarantined Families

Amazon is rolling out a new line of Fire tablets, including a new $90 model aimed at families stuck at home due to COVID-19.

The Fire HD 8 tablets include the new HD 8, the HD 8 Plus, and the HD 8 Kids Edition. The HD 8 is $90 or $160 for a limited-time package of two tablets. The Plus and Kids Edition go for $110.

Features of the HD8 include 30% faster processing speed than previous models and 12 hours of battery life. The higher-level tablets have 50% more storage capacity and a faster processor, as well as wireless charging and a six-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited, which features digital books, magazines and games.

Kevin Keith, VP of Amazon Devices, said the new offerings have features that “everyone in the family wants,” describing them as “the perfect tablets for entertainment.”

Unlike Apple, whose iPad tablets sell for $329 and up, Amazon’s strategy is to try to gain a wide customer base for less-expensive Fire tablets and then sell a range of video, audio and e-book content through the devices.

The Fire tablets will begin shipping June 3. And on the subject of shipping, Amazon also has reported its one- and two-day delivery system is starting to return to normal levels after seeing massive strain and delays due to COVID-19.

The company has hired 175,000 workers to keep pace with orders during the pandemic, with CEO Jeff Bezos pledging to spend $4 billion on a range of responses to the crisis.