Amazon's new Fire 7 tablets are fast, affordable and great for kids

Amazon has updated its popular Fire 7 and Fire 7 Kids tablets with longer battery life, USB-C charging, and faster operation. All for a starting price of just £59.99/$59.99 or £109.99/$109.99 for the Kids version. 

Tablets are handy devices, whether at home or away for browsing the web, playing games or watching movies. Buying one of the best tablets can require a significant outlay, but with models that cost less than a tank of gas, it's much more affordable to upgrade or let your kids loose on it, without worrying about the damage. 

Amazon Fire tablets come in three sizes, with the Fire 7 being the smallest option. Though smaller than the iPad mini, it's still considerably larger than most smartphones and easy to hold in one hand for reading or watching. 

The new Fire 7 has up to 10 hours of battery life, which is a 40% increase on the previous model. Charging is now via a USB-C port, like the Fire 8, with a 5W adapter in the box. According to the specs, the new quad-core processor is also 30% faster and it now comes with 2GB RAM rather than 1GB. 

The Fire 7 Kids version features an identical spec but comes with a chunky child-proof case, to stand up to drops and bangs. It also comes with a year's Amazon Kids+ subscription for access to a range of age-appropriate content,  that varies with region. Both models are available for pre-order now with shipping from June 29.