The world's two richest retailers also sell some of the cheapest tablets you can buy. We put their latest 8-inch slates head-to-head to see what a sub-$100 tablet gets you in 2025.
I recently bought a cheap refurbished 10" Amazon Fire specifically for web browsing. The author is spot on when he says it’s “obnoxious to the point of hostility.”
Amazon places a huge “Register now” nag across the launcher that can’t be removed without registering, and even the calculator won’t work until you do. Wigets aren’t supported by Amazon’s launcher and it is impossible to load an alternative. There are a host of other deliberate annoyances Amazon has created to make sure the tablet is used for their purpose rather than your own.
It was only $35, but it’s not worth even that much. Amazon has truly made enshittification an art form.
Icons cannot be removed from the launcher screen, they can only be combined into folder. The folders cannot be hidden or removed. Preinstalled programs cannot be uninstalled or disabled. Nothing works until the tablet is registered with Amazon. There is no app drawer. It’s possible to install another launcher, but it’s not possible to use it because Amazon has hardwired the home button to their launcher. (There used to be ways around that but Amazon has systematically disabled each of them.) Their Silk browser is terrible. Most every Amazon app provided is terrible.
I get that it’s cheap and there will be significant compromises, but at least some of Amazon’s apps should be somewhat comparable to non-Amazon apps.
I’ve gotten around some of this by loading the Play store and F-Droid, and blocking Amazon’s servers but it’s clear that Amazon’s tablets are not only cheap but they’re really low effort products built for Amazon rather than the purchaser.
I recently bought a cheap refurbished 10" Amazon Fire specifically for web browsing. The author is spot on when he says it’s “obnoxious to the point of hostility.”
Amazon places a huge “Register now” nag across the launcher that can’t be removed without registering, and even the calculator won’t work until you do. Wigets aren’t supported by Amazon’s launcher and it is impossible to load an alternative. There are a host of other deliberate annoyances Amazon has created to make sure the tablet is used for their purpose rather than your own.
It was only $35, but it’s not worth even that much. Amazon has truly made enshittification an art form.
I’ve always thought the fact that the LockScreen is just one massive advert tells you everything you need to know about fire tablets!
Do you have some examples? Sounds both horrible and interesting.
Icons cannot be removed from the launcher screen, they can only be combined into folder. The folders cannot be hidden or removed. Preinstalled programs cannot be uninstalled or disabled. Nothing works until the tablet is registered with Amazon. There is no app drawer. It’s possible to install another launcher, but it’s not possible to use it because Amazon has hardwired the home button to their launcher. (There used to be ways around that but Amazon has systematically disabled each of them.) Their Silk browser is terrible. Most every Amazon app provided is terrible.
I get that it’s cheap and there will be significant compromises, but at least some of Amazon’s apps should be somewhat comparable to non-Amazon apps.
I’ve gotten around some of this by loading the Play store and F-Droid, and blocking Amazon’s servers but it’s clear that Amazon’s tablets are not only cheap but they’re really low effort products built for Amazon rather than the purchaser.