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Amazon could be preparing to launch a new Fire tablet soon. An unannounced device that showed up at the FCC website today has all the hallmarks of an Amazon Fire tablet.

There’s no word on the screen size, display resolution, or processor. But Amazon’s strategy for the past few years has been to provide budget hardware, so I wouldn’t count on a premium device with bleeding edge specs.

That said, the Fire HD 10 is about due for a refresh.

4/27/2021 Update: Yup, as expected, Amazon is refreshing the Fire HD 10 lineup. The new $150 entry-level model features 3GB of RAM, a brighter display, and support for microSD cards up to 1TB. There’s also a new Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus for $190 and up that has 4GB of RAM and support for wireless charging (the charging dock is sold separately), and a new Fire HD 10 Productivity Bundle that comes with a Bluetooth keyboard/case and a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal.

FCC

So what does the FCC listing tell us about the new device? It confirms that the gadget will feature WiFi 5 and Bluetooth LE as well as a microSD card reader, USB port, and 3.5mm audio jack. But that’s about all we know so far.

As TabletMonkeys points out, the FCC documents refer to the device as a “wireless tablet,” which is also how Amazon sometimes describes its Echo Show smart displays in FCC documents. But Echo Show devices don’t tend to have microSD card slots, so this is most likely a Fire tablet, and if I had to guess I’d say it’s most likely either a new Fire HD 10 or something entirely new.

Amazon’s current-gen Fire HD 10 tablet, which sells for $150, was first released in 2019. With a 10 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display and a MediaTek MT8183 processor, it’s still the biggest, fastest, highest-resolution tablet Amazon currently sells.

But the 2020 Amazon Fire HD 8 tablets supports Bluetooth 5.0 and microSD cards up to 1TB, while the 2019 Fire HD 10 tops out at Bluetooth 4.2 and 512GB microSD cards.

Amazon’s 2020 Fire HD 8 Plus tablet also comes out ahead in a few areas: that 8 inch tablet has 3GB of RAM, which is 50-percent more than the Fire HD 10 has. And the Fire HD 8 Plus supports wireless charging, which the 10 inch tablet does not.

Amazon Fire 7 (2019)Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020)Amazon Fire HD 10 (2019)
Display7 inch, 1024 x 6008 inch, 1280 x 8008 inch, 1280 x 80010 inch, 1920 x 1200
Storage16GB or 32GB + microSD (up to 512GB)32GB or 64GB + microSD (up to 1TB)32GB or 64GB + microSD (up to 1TB)32GB or 64GB + microSD (up to 512GB)
RAM1GB2GB3GB2GB
CPUMediaTek MT8163V/B
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz
MediaTek MT8168
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2 GHz
MediaTek MT8168
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2 GHz
MediaTek MT8183
4 x ARM Cortex-A73 @ 2 GHz
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2 GHz
GPUMali-T720 MP2Mali-G52 3EE MC1Mali-G52 3EE MC1Mali-G72 MP3
BatteryUp to 7 hoursUp to 12 hoursUp to 12 hoursUp to 12 hours
Portsmicro USB 2.0USB 2.0 Type-CUSB 2.0 Type-CUSB 2.0 Type-C
Charging time4 hours5 hours (5W wired)4 hours (9W wired), 3 hours (wireless)4 hours (9W wired)
SpeakersMonoStereoStereoStereo
WiFi802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n/ac802.11a/b/g/n/ac802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth4.15.05.04.2
Cameras 2MP front & rear2MP front & rear2MP front & rear2MP front & rear
Latest OS versionFire OS 7Fire OS 7Fire OS 7Fire OS 7
Dimensions192mm x 115mm x 9.6mm202mm x 137mm x 9.7mm202mm x 137mm x 9.7mm262mm x 159mm x 9.8mm
Weight286 grams355 grams355 grams504 grams
Starting price (MSRP)$50$90$110$150

So it’s quite likely that Amazon is preparing an updated Fire HD 10 that at least matches the Fire HD 8 Plus when it comes to memory, removable storage, and Bluetooth capabilities. I also wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a new Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus option with support for wireless charging (I doubt it’ll be a standard feature, as that would likely raise the starting price).

One other bit of evidence suggesting that Amazon could be launching a Fire HD 10 and a Fire HD 10 Plus? There are actually listings for two new devices with very similar model FCC IDs: 2AWRO-8762 and 2AWRO-8767.

Amazon hardware tends to show up at the FCC shortly before launch, so I would expect an official announcement in the coming weeks.

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6 replies on “A new Amazon Fire tablet hits the FCC (probably)”

  1. 64bit os please, fire tablets has so much potential but many apps dont run because os is 32bit.

  2. The HD 10 is way overdue for a refresh IMO. Hopefully the next one will have 4 or 6 GB of RAM and a more modern processor somewhat inline with SD 765G performance levels.

    1. I’d be shocked to see that in a $150 tablet, and I doubt Amazon wants to push the price much higher. But 3GB, wireless charging and a chip that’s closer to Snapdragon 670 performance levels. I wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon kept the MT8183 processor though, it’s still the fastest chip used in a Fire tablet and it’s currently used in some entry-level Chromebooks.

      1. You could be right about that, especially if they tried to keep the $150 price tag. I think there is room in the market for a 10-11 inch Fire Tablet at ~$229. I guess time will tell.

        1. While I really like the size of the Fire HD 8, I’ve become a fan of the 10 after picking one up when it was on sale for $80 last year. It’s noticeably faster than the Fire HD 8 and while the display resolution doesn’t matter all that much to me, the bigger screen does a better job with comics, newspapers, etc.

          If I was planning my dream 2021 Fire HD 10, I’d probably try to keep the price, but maybe move to a 4:3 or 3:2 aspect ratio display, increase the RAM, updated the Bluetooth, and not much else. If they can put a faster processor in there without hiking the price too much, that’d certainly help futureproof it though.

          1. I’d be down for that. I tried to keep my Xiaomi MiPad (Mocha) running as long as possible due to the screen ratio which was great for reading. Unfortunately some of the signed image files I need to merge the partitions are no longer being hosted so I cannot install a newer OS.

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