The Edit — Gadgets
Fire HD 10 or iPad: What the Extra Money Buys
Both play Netflix on a 10- or 11-inch screen. The iPad adds a faster chip, a sharper screen, 128 GB to start, Apple Pencil and the full App Store. The Fire adds a microSD slot and is the cheaper of the 2.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick. How we choose
Neither tablet was handled or tested. This page reads Amazon’s and Apple’s published specifications against what owners consistently report, as How we choose describes.
Best for Streaming, reading, kids
Watch for Freezing and crashing apps
Best for Schoolwork, drawing, every app
Watch for More tablet than streaming needs
The iPad’s A16 chip is the difference you feel first
The 11-inch iPad runs Apple’s A16, with a 5-core CPU and 4-core GPU. The Fire HD 10 runs an octa-core chip with 2 Cortex-A76 cores and 3 or 4 GB of RAM.
For Netflix and a Kindle book, both are quick enough. The gap shows in games, photo editing and several apps open at once, and iPad owners describe it as fast and smooth.
| Fire HD 10 | iPad 11-inch | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 10.1 in, 1920 x 1200, 224 ppi | 11 in, 2360 x 1640, 264 ppi |
| Chip | Octa-core, 3 or 4 GB RAM | A16 |
| Storage | 32 or 64 GB, microSD to 1 TB | 128, 256 or 512 GB |
| Cameras | 5 MP front and rear | 12 MP front and rear |
| Unlock | PIN or password | Touch ID |
| Weight | 15.29 oz | 1.05 lb |
Google’s apps run on the iPad and not on the Fire
The iPad installs from Apple’s App Store, which carries Gmail, YouTube, Google Docs and Classroom as native apps. The Fire HD 10 installs from the Amazon Appstore, which does not.
That is the question to settle before anything else. A school that assigns work in Google Classroom, or a family that lives in YouTube’s app, needs the iPad or an Android tablet.
The Fire HD 10 is the better buy for streaming and a child’s tablet
A 10.1-inch 1080p screen, up to 13 hours of battery and a microSD slot are what a streaming tablet needs. Amazon Kids adds parental controls, and Amazon states the Fire HD 10 was 2.7 times as durable as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A8 in its own tumble test. The Fire HD 10 profile sets it against the smaller Fire HD 8 and the sharper Fire Max 11.
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet (13th generation), 10.1-inch 1080p
A 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 screen, up to 13 hours of battery and a microSD slot that takes 1 TB.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Screen | 10.1 in, 1920 x 1200, 224 ppi |
|---|---|
| Storage | 32 or 64 GB, microSD to 1 TB |
| Weight | 15.29 oz |
Owners praise the high-resolution display and the screen size, and find it takes minutes to set up. Several describe it as a good tablet for children.
The complaint that recurs is freezing and crashing, and battery reports divide between impressive and a tablet that will not hold a charge.
Buy it if
- Streaming, reading and video calls
- A child's tablet with Amazon Kids controls
Don't buy it if
- Schoolwork that needs Google's apps
Storage runs the other way: the Fire expands, the iPad does not
The iPad starts at 128 GB and goes to 512 GB, with no card slot. What you buy on day 1 is what you keep.
The Fire HD 10 starts smaller, at 32 GB with 24 GB free, and takes a microSD card up to 1 TB. For a film and audiobook library, a card makes the cheaper tablet the roomier one.
The iPad takes an Apple Pencil and drives a 4K monitor
The iPad works with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the 1st-generation Pencil, and its USB-C port outputs to one external display at up to 4K and 60Hz. The Fire HD 10 supports the Made for Amazon Stylus Pen, sold separately, and has no video output listed.
Apple iPad 11-inch, A16 chip, 128GB
An 11-inch 2360 x 1640 screen, the A16 chip, 128 GB to start, 12 MP cameras, Touch ID and Apple Pencil support.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Screen | 11 in, 2360 x 1640, 264 ppi |
|---|---|
| Storage | 128 GB to 512 GB |
| Weight | 1.05 lb |
Owners find it fast, easy to set up and worth the price, and many single out watching shows on it. Opinions on its overall quality are mixed.
4.7 across 28,793 ratings is the higher score of the 2. It is the tablet to buy when it has to do everything, including notes, drawing and homework.
Buy it if
- Schoolwork, notes and drawing
- Google's apps and the full App Store
Don't buy it if
- A tablet bought only to stream
Amazon’s own hardware, the Fire HD 10 included, usually reaches its lowest price in Amazon’s own sales events, as Prime Big Deal Days sets out.