The new Fire HD 8 is no exception to the fact that Fire tablets are among the greatest deals available.
The Fire HD 8 is a wonderful option for individuals who are totally invested in Amazon content even though it isn’t the quickest, fanciest, or toughest device on the market for the price. Although the smaller 8-inch devices are worth a look if you don’t want to pay that much money, the Fire HD 10 continues to be a more functional tablet.
Advantages
The Fire HD 8‘s design has not seen significant change from Amazon. The 2022 model is a little lighter and slimmer, but it has the same same appearance as the previous one. The all-plastic build is surprisingly durable, much like the previous model.
The new 2.0 GHz hexa-core processor is a little bit speedier than the prior model. According to Amazon, the new Fire HD 8 is 30% faster. It does the job, but if you compare it to just about any other Android tablet available today, it will fall short. Yet again, it is quick enough to carry out its intended function, which is to provide Amazon content.
The 8-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display for that Amazon stuff is… not fantastic. Text still has severe pixelation, but it’s no worse than on any other tablet at this price.
If you have the money, the Fire HD 8 comes with either 32 GB or 64 GB of storage—the more, the better. With the help of the microSD card slot, you may increase that storage capacity to 1 TB.
The Fire HD 8′s long-lasting battery is one of its best features. Amazon advertises 13 hours. The slow charging is a drawback. I went and got a 15-watt charger because the 5-watt charger that came with it took so long to charge.
There is also the Fire HD 8 Plus, which has an additional gigabyte of RAM, wireless charging, and a 5-megapixel camera (instead of the base model’s 2-megapixel camera; neither of these cameras is very good, so don’t let this be the Plus’s main selling point). Although the additional RAM is much-appreciated, there is not as much of a difference as there is with the 10-inch Fire HD Plus. The 10-inch Fire HD can be used for serious work, but neither of the Fire HD 8 models will be useful for you.
Amazon offers a number of alternative packages in addition to the Plus model, such as the Fire HD 8 Kids models, which come with protective cases, additional software, and content bundles in addition to parental controls. Additionally, a gaming bundle that includes a Luna controller is now available.
Disadvantages
The experience offered by Amazon’s Fire tablets right out of the box makes me think of the overly commercialized world of Idiocracy.
As soon as you try to unlock your Fire HD 8, you are met with a barrage of advertisements and dark patterns that are intended to entice you to click on things, especially if you choose the ad-supported versions. Just refrain. Spend the extra $20 to remove some of the advertisements. You will still be forced to view Amazon material whenever you even glance at your Fire HD 8. As they say, this is the price of admission. You desire a low-cost tablet. A tablet will be delivered to you that always feels the urge to extract more money from you.
It has been updated to use Android 11, which is still two full versions behind stock Android, on Fire OS, Amazon’s derivative of the Android operating system. I was unable to distinguish much of a difference outside of the app switching screen and a few small theme tweaks. Although constrained by its app store, Fire OS still provides the same fundamental experience. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Fire HD 8 tablet does not have any Google apps or access to the Google Play store out of the box. You could say that the Amazon app store has a limited variety. Do you want to view YouTube? Discuss on Slack? No, it won’t happen. YouTube is a conspicuous omission, even if you want to argue that this tablet is mostly for consumption and doesn’t need anything from the Google Play Store.
Is it possible to “sideload” Google Play? Sadly, this model isn’t compatible with our advice on how to install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire tablet. Or at the very least, it is incompatible with Fire OS as of right now. Following a firmware upgrade to Fire OS 8.3.1.3, some Reddit users have reported being able to download and utilize Google Play.
The Amazon 2022 Fire HD 8 is still effective at streaming Amazon content, which is what it was made to do. The Fire HD 8 isn’t awful if you’re a Prime member and want a little, reasonably priced gadget to use on the sofa, in the kitchen, or even with a stand to imitate an Echo Show. The 10-inch model, though, provides a significantly better overall experience and continues to be our top recommendation if you can afford it. Wait until the following Prime Day comes around if you truly want to save money. During this time, Amazon’s Fire tablets are generally discounted to half price.
