TL;DR: The all-new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet launches on Oct. 18. Customers can preorder it on Amazon starting at $139.99.
It was not mentioned during this week’s jam-packed Devices & Services Event, but Amazon dropped a newer (and cheaper) version of its flagship 10.1-inch tablet this week.
Set for release on Wednesday, Oct. 18, the new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is a lighter, “25% faster,” and slightly longer-lasting upgrade over the previous model with improved cameras with 1080p HD video recording. It also adds support for the Made for Amazon Stylus Pen (sold separately) and handwriting recognition technology that can read your chicken scratch as text; the only other Amazon tablet that offers the same functionality is last year’s $230 Fire Max 11.
All the new devices Amazon unveiled at its fall hardware event, from a new Echo Show 8 to a Fire TV soundbar
The new Fire HD 10 is now available for preorder on Amazon starting at $139.99 for 32GB of storage with 3GB of RAM, which is a $10 decrease from the starting price of its predecessor. You can pick from three colors — Black, Lilac, or Ocean — and bundle it with the stylus or a keyboard case.
Here’s a quick overview of its full spec sheet:
10.1-inch 1080p Full HD display
Octa-core 2.05GHz processor (up from 2.0GHz)
3GB RAM
32GB or 64GB of storage, expandable by up to 1TB via microSD card
5MP front- and rear-facing cameras with 1080p HD video recording (up from 2MP cameras with 720p video)
Up to 13 hours of battery life (up from 12 hours)
Compatible with the Made for Amazon Stylus Pen
For whatever reason, the new Fire HD 10 didn’t get a formal launch during Amazon’s Sept. 20 Devices & Services livestream, nor was it mentioned in any related announcements on Amazon’s blog or press center. (I was only made aware of it because I stumbled upon its Amazon listing later that afternoon.) Oddly enough, two kid-friendly versions of it did get a share of the event’s spotlight: the new Fire HD 10 Kids and the new Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, which are geared toward ages three to seven and six to 12, respectively.
Other new hardware unveiled during the livestream included an updated Echo Show 8 smart display, two new Fire TV Sticks, a new Fire TV soundbar, new Echo Frames, and a new Echo Hub. Most of them were also available for preorder at the time of writing.
The introduction of these next-generation devices will likely prompt Amazon to sell many older models at deep discounts in the coming weeks, especially as it gears up for Prime Big Deal Days on Oct. 10 and 11 (its second Prime-exclusive sale of the year).
