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At an October 2026 event, Amazon announced two new tablets designed just for kids, the Kids Tablet 8 and the Kids Tablet 11. These new tablets, starting at $229.99, promised big changes from the Fire Kids tablets the company had been selling before. First off, the company has ditched its often-criticized Fire OS in favor of running standard Android. That means kids will finally have better access to apps from Google Play instead of being stuck with Amazon’s own app store. The bad news, though, is they do cost more than the older Fire Kids tablets, which regularly started at $100.
The Kids Tablet 8 will start at $229.99 while the Kids Tablet 11 will retail for $329.99. While that higher price puts the new tablets a lot closer to the $449 you’d pay for a standard iPad. Amazon’s tablets have a lot going for them that helps make them comparable–and even in some cases, a better choice than the iPad for children.
Both tablets are already available for preorder now and start shipping on October 14. Buying an iPad for older children can still be a good idea, but if you’re looking at picking up some new tech for your kids this year, it’s worth looking at what Amazon’s new tablets offer.
They cost less than an iPad
The most obvious reason to go with one of Amazon’s new Kids tablets is the price. Apple’s entry-level iPad is the 11-inch model with the A16 chip, and it starts at $449 for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only version. That’s a lot to invest in a device for children, especially a younger one who might be prone to dropping things.
The Kids Tablet 8 starts at $229.99, so you’re saving about $219 right off the bat. And for that you still get access to standard games, apps, and streaming services, since it supports the Google Play store. The Kids Tablet 8 has an 8.7-inch display and 64GB of storage, and Amazon says it gets up to 14 hours of video playback. If your kid is older, then the Kids Tablet 11 is probably going to be a better option. It costs $329.99 but comes with an 11-inch 2.5K resolution display, 8GB of RAM, and full stylus support. The Kids Tablet 11 is rated for up to 15 hours, so it lasts a little longer. Apple, meanwhile, rates the iPad for up to 10 hours of web browsing or video, so you’re getting more battery juice than from Apple without having to pay more.
Of course, there are other affordable kids’ tablets with great battery life out there if you want to spend even less than Amazon’s offerings. The savings can add up quickly if you have more than one kid, since you’d be buying two or three tablets instead of just one.
Every tablet comes with a kid-proof case
If you’ve ever handed a smart device to a child, then you probably already know it’s going to get dropped. Sometimes a lot. That’s why a good case is basically required when you’re buying a tablet for your kids. Apple doesn’t include one with the iPad, though, and a separate case can add anywhere from $20 to $100 depending on what you go with. Amazon, on the other hand, includes a case with every one of its new Kids Tablets.
The case you get depends on how old your kid is, and your kid is probably going to care about how it looks a lot more than you will. Versions for ages three and up come with a soft bumper case that has a handle, while versions for ages six and up get a slim hard case with a folding kickstand. There are also character designs like “Paw Patrol,” “Barbie,” and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” in case that’s something your kid wants.
The included rugged cases have been one of the reasons that Amazon Fire Kids tablet might be safer than other Android options for a while now. Those older Fire Kids tablets also came with a two-year guarantee, where Amazon would replace a broken tablet for free. Amazon’s announcement only lists a one-year limited warranty for the new Kids Tablets, though, so you’ll want to keep that in mind before you buy.
Parents can control screen time easily
Handing your kid a tablet doesn’t mean you want them staring at it all day, so parental controls are a pretty big deal here. Every new Kids Tablet comes with Amazon’s Parent Dashboard already installed. In the dashboard, you can set customized screen-time limits and see what your kid has been doing. You can even control which apps and content they can open–which is useful considering how many apps exist on the Google Play Store. You can also download the Parent Dashboard app on iOS and Android, making it easy to manage your kid’s tablet without having to take it from them every time.
One really useful parenting feature Amazon offers is Learn First, which lets you set different goals for your kids to complete, such as reading or playing around in educational applications, before they can open games or video streaming services. Additionally, any downloads from the Google Play Store will require parental approval to complete.
It’s worth noting that Apple does offer a lot of the same features on the iPad. Screen Time will let you set limits on games and other apps, and Ask to Buy even makes it so that you have to approve downloads before they install. However, you’ll need to set up a Child Account in your Family sharing group first, and you may struggle to set the type of granularity Amazon’s system offers.
Every tablet includes a year of Amazon Kids Plus
Content is another big part of the value to take into account with Amazon’s Kids tablets. Every Kids Tablet comes with a year of Amazon Kids Plus, which includes access to books, games, videos, apps, and audiobooks. This gives your kid a lot to do right away without requiring you to spend additional money on apps. The library includes ad-free content from Disney, Nickelodeon, LEGO, and Sesame Street.
Kids Plus is also designed to be age appropriate for your kid, which means the catalog of recommended apps will be different for three-year olds than it is for ten-year olds. And, because Google Play is included, you can even allow your kids to download other apps and experiences from there, too. Once the year is up, Kids Plus will change to $7.99 per month for Prime Members, and $8.99 per month for non-Prime members. That’s only a savings of one dollar a month, so it isn’t a great reason to sign up for Prime on its own. However, if you’re already trying to figure out how much you need to spend for Amazon Prime to be worth it, help push you over the line.
Kids can make their own stories and art with built-in experiences
A lot of what kids do on tablets is as simple as watching videos. However, Amazon has included some built-in experiences to help push your kid’s creative side. You’ll need Kids Plus to use them all, but the biggest one is Storybuilder, an AI feature that allows kids to use their voice to come up with their own characters and worlds. The AI then takes those ideas and turns them into specially made picture books and comic books that your kids can enjoy. Other features include the included Art Studio and even one called Stories with Alexa.
The system supposedly has different guardrails in place to help keep children safe, and the Parent Dashboard will show you all the stuff that your kids have created using Storybuilder, Art Studio, and Stories with Alexa. This feature may or may not be compelling, depending on how you feel about AI. But it is increasingly becoming a standard part of all our devices, and Amazon appears to be designing systems that are somewhat safe for kids to use. The 11-inch Kids Tablet also features stylus support, so it could be a solid option for the budding artists in your life that want to draw on their tablets.
