Tablet Face-Off: Amazon Fire 7 vs. Lenovo Tab M7
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If you’re in the market for a new tablet, there are a lot of products to choose from at a wide range of prices. But if you want a sub-$100 tablet for everyday tasks such as surfing the web, watching videos, checking email, or organizing your digital photos, your choices narrow sharply.
The Amazon Fire 7, which retails for around $50, and the $60 Lenovo Tab M7, have been through CR's lab testing, and both tablets performed respectably. Neither budget tablet does as well on all measures as the higher-rated iPads and Samsung Galaxy tablets, but they cost just a fraction as much.
“Despite their low price tag, these models have some features that can rival higher-priced tablets. They can be a good choice if you're looking for a basic tablet for everyday web browsing or video streaming,” says Antonette Asedillo, who oversees CR’s tablet and computer testing.
These two inexpensive tablets have different strengths. Lenovo has a longer-lasting battery, which is particularly important for travelers, or simply anyone who wants to watch some movies out of reach of a power outlet. It also has access to more apps. But like other Amazon tablets, the Fire 7 has its own advantages—particularly for parents.
Like all products we test at CR, from lawn mowers to the Lexus RX, we bought these tablets at retail stores to ensure we're getting the exact same product as a consumer.
The Contenders
Battery Life
In measures of battery life, the Lenovo comes out ahead of the Amazon Fire 7.
Using our testing protocols, the Lenovo has battery life that offers 12.1 hours of pure web browsing and a 10.2 hours of pure video streaming, while the Amazon offers 8.8 and 8.7 hours for those tasks, respectively.
That means the Lenovo’s battery could let you power through four 90-minute movies during a flight from Los Angeles to New York, and still have enough juice to work through a slow Lyft ride to the hotel.
“The Lenovo Tab M7 can keep up with many higher-priced tablets in our range of battery tests, with impressive results,” Asedillo says.
Screens
Both the Amazon Fire 7 and the Lenovo Tab M7 provide vivid colors, wide viewing angles, and adequate brightness. They are both fairly easy to read even outdoors on a bright day. Of the 8-inch and smaller tablets we’ve rated, only the screen on the $400 iPad Mini was better.
“Sharp-eyed owners might notice a color shift on the Amazon or Lenovo screens, but this is typical of many smaller tablets. Between these two models, the Amazon has better legibility and is good for reading books and articles,” Asedillo says.
Versatility
These two budget tablets have different strengths once you get beyond the display and battery life. Most importantly, perhaps, the Lenovo tablet can run a huge variety of apps from the Google Play Store, while the Fire is restricted to apps developed for Amazon devices.
That's not a factor if you just want to browse the web or watch movies, but does matter for gaming and other kinds of apps. The Lenovo also has GPS, which is lacking in the Fire 7.
On the other hand, the Amazon device has better controls to allow parents to restrict their children's web browsing. You can create a profile for each child who might use the tablet, set time controls, and restrict viewing to videos and apps curated for children by Amazon.
The Fire 7 also has a somewhat better camera than the Lenovo, though it can't compete with the cameras on many smartphones.
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