Amazon Fire Tablet vs. Fire Tablet Kids: What's the Difference?

Amazon's Fire Tablet is the best value tablet available today. It also happens to be a popular option for children, hence the popular "Kids Edition" variant. And although the kid-friendly Fire Tablet may cost up to $50 more than its "adult" contemporary, the extra perks that come with a Kids Edition tablet are worth more than every penny.

A Kid-Friendly Experience

At first blush, the Kids Edition tablet may seem like a normal Fire Tablet in a padded case. And, at least in terms of physical hardware, that's effectively what it is. If you look under the hood, a Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is identical to a standard Fire HD 10 tablet.

Software is the defining feature of a Fire Kids tablet. The more robust home screen of an "adult" Fire Tablet is replaced by a simpler, kid-friendly interface. Inappropriate content is inaccessible and parental controls are available through a web-based dashboard, so you don't need to have the tablet in your hands to change or adjust your rules.

And, importantly, Kids Edition tablets do not have lockscreen advertisements. The lack of lockscreen ads on Kids Edition tablets likely stems from legal concerns, but in any case, it's a valuable perk—if you want to remove lockscreen ads from an "adult" Fire Tablet, it'll cost you $20 to do so.

Unlimited Ad-Free Kids Content

All Fire Tablets come with a year of Amazon Kids+ (formerly FreeTime Unlimited), a subscription service offers unfettered access to a slew of additional content—videos, books, and educational games—that would normally cost money on a per-use basis. Think of it as a sort of all-you-can-eat buffet of digital goodies instead of a the normal a la carte model for app, book, and video purchasing.

Of course, Kids+ is designed for kids, so it's a very specifically curated catalog of content designed for ages three to thirteen. It's broken down by age group and category, making it easy for you find age-appropriate content and set effective parental controls.

Amazon Kids+ normally costs $5.99 a month or $48 a year for Prime members. Without a Prime subscription, these prices leap to $7.99 a month or $79 a year. The free Kids+ trial that comes with Amazon's kid-friendly tablets only lasts for 12 months, but it more than makes up for the extra cost of a Fire Kids Edition tablet.

A Two Year, No-Questions-Asked Replacement Policy

If your Kids Edition tablet breaks for any reason within two years of the purchase date, Amazon will replace it for free. This is a plain-and-simply no-questions-asked warranty. If a child breaks the Fire Tablet, or if it fails due to a manufacturing defect, it's covered.

The "adult" Fire Tablet's warranty is far less generous. It's limited to just one year (or 90 days if you buy an older model) and does not guarantee free replacements or repairs if the tablet is damaged by its owner. If you want to extend the standard Fire Tablet's warranty, you need to spend approximately $20 extra at the time of purchase, depending on which aftermarket warranty service the retailer partners with.

Even if you're looking to buy a tablet for yourself and don't plan on sharing it with your kid, the warranty is a great reason to get the Kids Edition tablet—you can set up an adult profile and get the same software experience that you'd have with an "adult" tablet.

A Kid-Proof Case

Finally, there's the Kid-Proof Case. This foam bumper is included with every Kids Edition tablet and provides protection through the device's lifespan. It also has a built-in kickstand to make streaming, reading, and gaming more comfortable for young children.

Parents can choose from a range of different-colored cases when purchasing a Kids Edition tablet. Most of these cases have a "generic" look, though some are more stylish and feature fun or spacey graphics.

When purchased separately, kid-friendly Fire Tablet cases may cost anywhere between $15 and $35, depending on their quality. The case that Amazon includes with its Kids Edition tablets is very robust and greatly contributes to the tablet's value proposition.

The Total Savings of a Kids Edition Tablet

A Kids Edition tablet costs $50 more than an "adult" Fire Tablet. Yet, ironically, spending extra will actually save you a lot of money. Your purchase of a Kids Edition tablet comes with a yearlong Kids+ subscription ($48), a high-quality case ($35), an ad-free lockscreen ($20), and a two-year worry-free warranty—that's a value of at least $103.

Of course, you have to consider how much of this stuff you'll actually use. Maybe you don't care about the Kids+ subscription or the two-year warranty. You could buy an "adult" Fire Tablet, set up a kids profile with parental controls, grab a cheap kid-friendly case, and save a decent amount of money.

If you already own a Fire Tablet and want to upgrade, consider taking advantage of the Trade-In deals available on Amazon's website. Open a Fire Tablet or Fire Tablet Kids Edition product listing, click the "Trade-In" button, and you'll save up to 20% on your purchase. Also, be sure to look out for discounts during Amazon Prime Day and Big Deals Day—Fire Tablets go on deep discount several times each year.