Amazon is planning to shake up the tablet market by launching a new 6-inch tablet at a price point of just $50 (around £33), according to reports on Monday.
The Wall Street Journal says the new slate will land before the holidays and will cost just half the price of the cheapest Kindle Fire tablet currently available.
According to the sources, it’ll be targeted at low-end users who just want to have a tablet in the house, in the kitchen or to shop online.
What the trade offs would be in terms of specs remain to be seen, but we could surely expect lower screen resolution, slower processors and perhaps even limited battery life.
Amazon is also plotting to launch 8- and 10-inch tablets alongside the new bargain basement model. Those models are likely to be more in-line with the current HDX versions of the Kindle Fire.
See also: Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (2014) review
The report also claimed the firm had been planning on sending a 14-inch slate out into the wild, but apparently the device was dropped following poor Fire Phone sales.
Does a relatively expendable $50/£33 Amazon Kindle Fire tablet sound like a handy gadget to have around the house? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.