How to Tell Which Amazon Fire Tablet You Have

Amazon’s Fire tablets, formerly known as the Kindle Fire until late 2014, are a range of devices designed to live happily at the center of Amazon’s tech ecosystem. With a proprietary operating system, Fire OS, based on Android, a host of Amazon-centric services preinstalled, and a growing range of filters, they’re the only tablets other than iPads that have seen any recent market share growth.

We’ve put together this quick guide to help you work out which model Amazon Fire tablet you own, so you can be sure of what it can do and which apps you can install.

Why the Confusion?

With a backlog of devices from 2011 aimed at different price points, as well as the somewhat confusing name change, it can be a bit tricky knowing exactly which model you have. It can be even more confusing thanks to software updates changing the look of your OS.

Things are made even more complex due to the marked similarity in the design of the models released over the last few years. Whereas previously, you used to be able to tell fairly easily which device you had if you knew what to look for, now even a seasoned Amazon-phile might have cause to scratch their head.

Check on Your Tablet’s Settings

By far the simplest method for checking exactly which device you have is to essentially ask the device itself to tell you. Of course, this presupposes that your tablet is still actually working. If you can’t start it up for some reason, then you’ll have to try one of the other methods for identifying your Fire tablet. It also won’t work on Fire tablets from 2012 or earlier, as they don’t have this setting.

Here are the steps to follow to get to the settings option:

1. Power on your device and unlock the home screen.
2. Slide the quick menu down from the top of the screen.
3. Tap on the cog shaped Settings menu button.
4. Tap on Device Settings
5. Scroll down to Device Model

Here you’ll see listed the precise model number of your device, as well as the generation it belongs to in brackets.

Look at the Serial Number and Features

The next easiest option, and one that works if your device won’t power on, is to check the prefix of the tablet’s serial number. These vary depending on which generation and model it belongs to, and can be a simple way of finding out which version you have. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, such as the 4^th Generation Fire HDX 8.9, as well as devices of the 6^th generation and later, starting from devices released in 2016.

If you know that your device is more recent, or your prefix doesn’t match anything on the list below, then you’ll need to use another method to determine the version of your tablet, using some of the more distinctive features that distinguishes it from other models.

1^st Generation – Kindle Fire

Serial Number Prefix: D01E

Distinctive Features: 7″ screen; no volume buttons; no camera; Kindle logo on the back of the tablet.

2^nd Generation – Kindle Fire

Serial Number Prefix: D026

Distinctive Features: 7″ screen; no volume buttons; No camera; Kindle logo on the back of the tablet.

2^nd Generation – Kindle Fire HD 7″

Serial Number Prefix: D025; D05

7” screen; front-facing camera; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet.

2^nd Generation Kindle Fire HD 8.9″

Serial Number Prefix: B0C9; B0CA; B0CB; B0CC

8.9” screen; front-facing camera; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet.

3^rd Generation – Kindle Fire HD

Serial Number Prefix: 00D2, 00D3

7″ screen; power and volume buttons on the back of the tablet; no camera.

3^rd Generation – Kindle Fire HDX 7″

Serial Number Prefix: D0FB; 00FB; 00FC; 0072; 00FD; 00FE; 0073; 006C; 006D; 006E

7” screen; front-facing camera; volume and power buttons on the back of the tablet.

3^rd Generation – Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″

Serial Number Prefix: 0018; 0057; 005E; 00F3; 0019; 0058; 007D; 007E; 007F

8.9” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the back of the tablet.

4^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 6”

00DA, 0088, 00A4, 00A5, 00A6, 00AD, 00A9, 00AE, 00B4, 00B6

6” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet.

4^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 7”

Serial Number Prefix: 0092; 0093; 0063; 006B; 00DE; 00AA; 00DF; 00AB; 00B0; 00B2

6” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet.

4^th Generation – Amazon Fire HDX 8.9”

Serial Number Prefix: N/A

8.9” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the back of the tablet.

5^th Generation – Amazon Fire 7”

Serial Number Prefix: G0K0; A000

6” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

5^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 8”

Serial Number Prefix: G090

8” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

5^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 10”

Serial Number Prefix: GOOO

10.1” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

6^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 8”

Serial Number Prefix: N/A

8” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

7^th Generation – Amazon Fire 7”

Serial Number Prefix: N/A

7” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

7^th Generation – Amazon Fire HD 8”

Serial Number Prefix: N/A

8” screen; front-facing and rear-facing cameras; volume and power buttons on the side of the tablet; micro-SD card slot.

What’s in a Number?

Clearly, the easiest way for you to work out which Kindle Fire version you’re using is most easily achieved by being able to turn on the device. However, if your device is bricked or just has a dead battery, you now have a better chance of finding out what you’re working with.