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This content has not been updated since July 30, 2020. For more recent tech advice for your business, why not try our look at today’s top business tablets?
The 2020 edition of the Amazon Fire HD 8 doesn't change the script, giving only a marginal speed boost and little else, but thanks to its budget price, it's well worth consideration for anyone who enjoys Amazon's ecosystem.
- Micro-SD card slot
- 8-inch display
- 1280 x 800 screen resolution
- Stereo speakers
- 12 hour battery life
In this article:
- Amazon Fire HD 8 Tech Specs – A look at the tech under the hood
- What is the Fire HD 8 Like to use?– Has Amazon made a user-friendly tablet?
- Amazon Fire OS Infrastructure– What it’s like to use an Amazon tablet
- Amazon Fire HD 8 Verdict – Can this budget tablet meet your needs?
Anyone expecting a huge improvement over the previous year’s model, with a beefy processor update, 4K screen, and more RAM than a farmers’ market, may need to keep their expectations in check. Amazon’s Fire tablet upgrades take it slow and steady, so much so that if you’ve got the previous model, you can stop reading – the small improvement you get with the 2020 model isn’t worth opening your wallet for. However, for those new to the Fire tablet, the 2020 HD 8 is as good a place as any to jump in.
| Screen Size Measured diagonally across. | Screen Resolution In pixels - the higher the number, the greater the screen detail. | Battery Life As claimed by the manufacturer – actual performance will vary depending on daily tasks. | Operating System | Processor | Storage The built in storage space for files, programs, apps and the operating system | RAM More RAM tends to help a computer to run quickly and multitask | Rear Camera | Front Camera | Price | Amazon | Buy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |   |   |   |   | ||||||||
| Amazon Fire 7 | Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition | Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition | Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition | |||||||||||
| The largest Fire tablet, with a decent screen. While it’s a lot cheaper than an iPad, there’s quite a price jump versus the smaller Fire tablets | The newest 8-inch Amazon tablet is cheap but smart, with wireless charging, more RAM and an Echo Show mode when connected to a dock (sold separately) | A surprisingly good tablet given the price it’s no iPad, but this is a respectable bit of tech that’s a particular bargain when on sale | Exceptionally cheap, but just a bit too budget to recommend over the Fire HD 8. Get this only if you want to spend as little as possible | A pricier kids tablet from Amazon, but with a large HD screen and the reassuring no-fuss replacement policy if it gets broken | The best value kids tablet to choose from Amazon, with a good size HD screen, replacement policy and choice of colors | A basic, smaller screen and worse battery life make this a less compelling choice than the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, though it is cheaper | ||||||||
| 10.1″ | 8″ | 8″ | 7″ | 10.1″ | 8″ | 7″ | ||||||||
| 1920 x 1200 | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 800 | 1024 x 600 | 1920 x 1200 | 1280 x 800 | 1024 x 600 | ||||||||
| 12 hrs | 12 hrs | 12 hrs | 7 hrs | 12 hrs | 12 hrs | 7 hrs | ||||||||
| Fire OS | Fire OS | Fire OS | Fire OS | Fire OS | Fire OS | Fire OS | ||||||||
| Octa-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 1.3 GHz | Octa-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 2.0 GHz | Quad-core 1.3 GHz | ||||||||
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| 32GB | 32GB | 16GB | ||||||||
| 2GB | 3GB | 2GB | 1GB | 2GB | 2GB | 1GB | ||||||||
| 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | ||||||||
| 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | 2Mp | ||||||||
| Prime Day price $39.99 | Prime Day Price $119.99 | Prime Day Price $69.99 | Prime Day Price $59.99 | |||||||||||
| From Amazon | From Amazon | From Amazon | Amazon | From Amazon | From Amazon | From Amazon |
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Tech Specs
So, what hardware can you expect with the newest Fire HD 8? To begin with, you get a more powerful processor, with the 2020 model packing a Quad-core 2.0GHz processor. This is compared to the previous 1.3GHz version, and according to Amazon, gives users a 30% speed boost. There’s also a RAM increase, from 1.5GHz to 2.0 GHz, while the battery capacity has expanded from 4750mAh to 4850mAh, extending quoted battery life to 12 hours. It ships with either 32GB or 64GB storage capacity.
Of course, the Fire also offers a feature which iPad owners dream about, though they’d never actually admit it (have you ever heard an Apple owner admit gadget envy?). It’s that little discreet slot in the side, which allows for storage expansion with a MicroSD card. It’s nothing new, and all Fires have it, but lordy, what a blessing when you’re running low on space and you can just whack a ten buck MicroSD card in there and carry on your downloading with reckless abandon.
Amazon has also added in a USB-C port to replace that old USB Micro one. This has been a long time coming in all honesty, but hey, we finally got there.
Choose the best Fire tablet for you with our expert guide
What is the Fire HD 8 Like to Use?
In the hand, the Fire HD 8 feels substantially solid, and weighs in at 355 grams. The iPad Mini, for reference, weighs 310 grams, so there’s a little more heft here for a smaller tablet than its premium competitor. However, it’s not unwieldy, and using it for extended periods shouldn’t result in wrist fatigue. While build quality is fair overall, the plastic backing lets it down slightly, and is the tablet’s way of reminding you that you’re dealing with a budget product.
In daily use, the tablet zips along well enough, opening apps and running them smoothly. There’s the odd hitch here and there for more demanding programs, but it’s not a deal breaker, and if it really bothers you, there’s always the slightly more expensive HD 8 Plus, which gets a little RAM boost (3GB) compared to the standard model. The HD 8 Plus also has a handy wireless charging ability. If you buy the extra Amazon charging dock, the HD 8 Plus also doubles as an Alexa device in ‘Echo How’ mode.
The 8-inch screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800, which just punts it over the line for the dictionary meaning of ‘High Definition’, and while it won’t blow you away, it’s crisp enough. Likewise, the stereo speakers are competent, and can be turned up impressively high without suffering distortion.
The Fire HD 8 also comes with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, built-in, meaning you can easily give voice commands to navigate the interface and open apps.
Amazon Fire tablet or Apple iPad? We compare the two
Amazon’s Fire OS Infastructure
Fire tablets use Amazon’s bespoke FireOS, a variation on Google’s Android platform. What this means is that you’re never really allowed to forget that you’re using an Amazon device, as its storefronts are all over the tablet like a rash. This means that Audible, Kindle, Prime Video, and of course, the Amazon store, are all front and center of the tablet. Using the device can sometimes feel like walking through an exotic market, with street vendors shouting at you from every direction to buy their produce. Except it’s not rugs or mangoes on offer, it’s ebooks, video, and music. Although Amazon will of course sell you rugs and mangoes through its online store too, if you’re interested.
Does this matter? Chances are if you’re looking at the Fire, you’re already bought into the Amazon ecosystem, so you’re unlikely to be put off. For those that choose not to shop at Amazon, though, the Fire isn’t really a product we’d recommend to you.
Another consideration with FireOS is that certain apps aren’t available to you. Yes, the app library is big (around half a million, if you’re asking), but there are some notable absences. YouTube for example, the biggest video app available, doesn’t have a native app. Ditto Gmail. And why have Chrome, when you could have Silk, Amazon’s dedicated browser? You don’t get the option actually, as Chrome isn’t available either.
Of course, you still have the option to access services such as YouTube and Gmail via a browser. It’s not as if they’re totally unobtainable, but you do miss out on the convenience of using one universal login for Google apps that you’d get with an Android tablet.
And there it is. This isn’t an Android tablet, it’s an Amazon one. Now, can we interest you in a rug?
Amazon Fire HD 8 Verdict
First things first, the Amazon Fire is not an Apple iPad. Don’t buy it thinking you’re getting something similar, because you’re really not. However, at a fraction of the cost of Apple’s iconic slate, you can definitely do a lot worse than the Fire HD 8, and with this tenth generation model, you’re bagging a good, everyday tablet that can do most of the things that you’d want from a device like this. This is especially true for members of Amazon Prime, who can treat the Fire like a physical shopfront for all things Amazon.
Is it your dream tablet? No. Will it impress friends? No. Is it cheap, and one of the best budget tablets on the market? Absolutely. That $90 price tag is tempting enough, but considering that we’ve already seen it reduced to $60 means that with the right timing, you could grab a real bargain.
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