Amazon Fire Hd Tablets Latest
Despite the hype around the latest iPad Pros, there’s something to be said for cheap slabs. They’re great communal devices and living-room mainstays for the entire family to use to watch videos, play mobile games, send emails and browse the Internet. But affordable tablet options have dwindled over the years and while devices like Samsung’s Tab S6 Lite are solid, you still have to pay over $300 to get it.
Many simply don’t have that much wiggle room in their budgets, and that’s where Amazon’s Fire tablets come in for the save. The new $89.99 Fire HD 10, $53 Fire HD 8 and $94 HD 8 Plus continue the pattern we’ve seen Amazon push in recent years: improve the tablet’s hardware just enough to warrant a slight price increase, while keeping the cost well below its competitors. Amazon largely succeeded this time around, making better versions of the tablets. However, the company focused its efforts on hardware while leaving software mostly untouched — and the latter continues to hold Fire tablets back.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Amazon’s Fire HD 10 remains the most reliable 10-inch tablet you can buy for $89.99, with solid performance, good battery life, and a sharp display.
Design and Durability
Available in black, blue, purple, or white, the Fire HD 10 looks like a near carbon copy of its predecessor. The front is dominated by a 10.1-inch display with chunky bezels, while the back is constructed of thin polycarbonate and bears the Amazon logo. The top edge is home to the volume and power buttons, a headphone jack, and a USB-C charging port. The speakers sit on the left and a microSD slot is on the right.
The Fire HD 10 measures 10.3 by 6.3 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and comes in at a hefty 17.8 ounces. The weight is well distributed, however, so the tablet is comfortable to hold with two hands for long periods.
Display and Audio
The 10.1-inch LCD on the front of the tablet has a resolution of 1,920 by 1,200, for a pixel density of 224ppi. Color accuracy is solid, though it lacks anti-reflective coating and can be hard to see outside or in a brightly lit room. That said, it’s better than the 8-inch, 189ppi Fire HD 8 for extended Prime Video binging sessions and reading the latest editions of your favorite magazines.
If you plan to use the tablet primary for reading books, however, you’re better off with a dedicated ebook reader like the Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite’s 300ppi screen is much crisper, and since it doesn’t have backlighting, it’s gentler on the eyes.
Although the Fire HD 10 boasts dual speakers with Dolby Atmos branding, audio quality isn’t the tablet’s strong suit. With peak volume coming in at 84dB, it’s loud enough to fill a room, but the sound is tinny and hollow. Luckily there’s Bluetooth 4.2 as well as a headphone jack for alternate listening options.
Hardware and Performance
The Fire HD 10 is powered by a 2GHz Mediatek MT8183 octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM. There are 32GB and 64GB options available, both of which support up to 512 GB of external storage with a microSD card. It’s a huge performance bump over the Fire HD 8, which is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 1.5GB of RAM.
Compared with the Apple iPad, the Fire HD 10 is no speed demon, but it’s pretty snappy compared with its Fire siblings. Apps open quickly, and there’s only a slight hesitation when swiping between screens. We were also able to multitask with six apps open at the same time easily.
We played Asphalt 8, a processor-intensive game, and noticed longer load times than higher-end tablets and a few skipped frames, which isn’t surprising. We had no problems playing Candy Crush, however, which requires fewer system resources.
The Fire HD 10 has a hearty 6,300mAh battery. In our battery drain test, which streams high-definition video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, it lasted for 8 hours and 12 minutes. That’s nearly double the paltry 4 hours and 50 minutes we got on the Fire HD 8 and, with more conservative use, you can probably get closer to 12 hours of screen time.
If you do find your battery running low, the Fire HD 10 is Amazon’s first tablet with USB-C connectivity. In addition to the 9W adapter that comes in the box, there’s also a 15W option that will completely charge the battery within three hours.
There are 2MP cameras on the front and back of the tablet. Neither are good. We tried using the front camera in good lighting to take selfies and talk on Skype, and both were blurry and noisy. The rear camera is the same. We scanned a document with it, and it was too blurry to see.
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2020) Specs
Operating System Amazon Fire OS
Dimensions 10.3 by 6.3 by 0.4 inches
Weight 17.8 oz
Screen Size 10.1 inches
Screen Resolution 1,920 by 1,200 pixels
CPU MediaTek MT8183
Storage Capacity 32 GB
Battery Life 8 hours, 12 minutes
Pros
Refined design
New USB-C charging
Decent performance
Hands-free Alexa
Long battery life
Cons
Still no Google apps
Some lag time when switching between apps
Most useful for those who use a lot of Amazon products/services
Key Specifications of Amazon Fire Hd 8 Tablet
Form factor Tablet
Operating system Other
Screen size 8in
Storage type Internal, Memory card
Camera (integrated) Yes
Maximum battery life Up to 12hr
Summary
Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 tablet updates the previous model with important hardware features including a refined design, a faster processor, USB-C charging and a longer battery life. At $90, it’s an easy sell as a living-room slate — a device that everyone in the family can use to watch videos, play mobile games and browse the web. It can also double as a makeshift Echo device thanks to Show Mode and hands-free Alexa. The biggest drawback is Amazon’s Fire OS, which constantly pushes the retailer’s products and services in your face.
Pros
New USB-C charging
Decent performance
Long battery life
Extra 1GB of RAM
Comes with 9W adapter for faster charging
Wireless-charging capable
Cons
Still no Google apps
Some lag time when switching between programs
Most useful for those who use a lot of Amazon products/services
Not worth the extra money
Summary
Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 Plus has all of the improvements that the regular Fire HD 8 has: a sleeker design, a faster processor, USB-C charging and a solid battery life. To make it “Plus,” Amazon added an extra gigabyte of RAM, wireless charging capabilities and 9W AC adapter for faster wired charging. While those are nice features on paper, they don’t make a huge difference in the day-to-day experience of using the tablet. You’re better off pocketing the extra $20 and getting the standard Fire HD 8.
Key Specifications of Amazon Fire Hd 8 Plus Tablet
Form factor Tablet
Operating system Other
Screen size 8in
Storage type Internal, Memory card
Camera (integrated) Yes
Maximum battery life Up to 12hr