A new tablet device, carrying model number SG98EG, has just hit the FCC today that could be Amazon’s next Fire HD or HDX tablet. The filing was brought to my attention by Dave Zatz. While there is no concrete evidence that this is an Amazon device, Dave has a solid track record of spotting Amazon’s covert FCC filings, having correctly picked out both the Fire TV and the Fire Game Controller weeks before Amazon announced the devices last year. While most of the interesting details of this mystery tablet are held back due to a confidentiality request, the most interesting aspect from the available documents is that the device has a microSD card slot. If this is Amazon’s upcoming tablet, it will be the first one to ever include a microSD slot.
The current generation Fire HD and HDX tablets were announced in September of last year, so the timing of this filing is in line with a tablet refresh from Amazon at the usual 1 year mark. A microSD slot on an Amazon tablet has long been a top requested feature. With so many manufacturers dropping microSD slots these days, it would be great to see Amazon continue their recent trend of adding expandable storage options to their devices. A microSD slot on the next Fire TV would be a welcomed feature and would put it on par with the Nvidia Shield TV, which has been eating away at the Fire TV’s share of the Android based streaming box market. An Amazon tablet with a microSD card slot gives hope for expandable storage to make its way to the Fire TV line of devices.
Leave a Reply