#Amazon fire hd 8 android
#Amazon fire hd 8 plus

I wish I could tell you that Amazon's new hardware makes for a silky-smooth experience, but much depends on what you're used to. They've also been beefed up in the RAM department, to 2GB for the HD 8, and 3GB for the HD 8 Plus.

#Amazon fire hd 8 plus

Both the regular HD 8 and the HD 8 Plus have quad-core chips rated at 2GHz clock speed.

This enables the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus to act like an Echo Show device, so you can use it hands-free andĪsk Alexa to play your favorite show, search for things online, and lots more.Īmazon's Fire tablet range has always been weak in the performance department, so it's a relief to find that the latest Fire tablets have a bit more grunt under the hood than the 2018 model. Perhaps the best thing about Amazon's interface is the inclusion of Show Mode. It is technically possible to sideload Google services, but most people won't want to have to tinker around with the software.Īt its $109.99 price, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus also comes with 'Special Offers,' which are essentially ads on the lock screen, unless you pay an extra $15 up front to remove them. More importantly, there's no access to Google's Play Store or other services.Īmazon's Appstore has a good choice of apps and games, including big apps like Netflix and YouTube, but there are far fewer than you'll find in the Play Store and a lot of what is there is updated less frequently. You can't customize the home screen, though there is a 'For You' tab that recommends content based on your activity.

#Amazon fire hd 8 android

While Fire OS is very accessible, it makes the Fire HD 8 Plus unlike a standard Android tablet. If you're a Prime subscriber, you'll have easy access to all your Prime benefits, including Prime Video, the Kindle lending library, and Prime Music. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus runs Amazon's Fire OS, which is a carousel interface that divides your content into sections like books, video, games and apps, music, and so on. It weighs in at 355 grams (12.5 ounces), which is quite heavy for a tablet this size heavier than the iPad Mini at 310 grams, for example, but I find it comfortable to hold for long periods. I suspect the tablet is capable of surviving a few drops and bumps, and it feels quite thick and sturdy in hand. While it looks and feels cheap, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is undeniably practical. However, the addition of wireless charging support in the HD 8 Plus means you'll never need to plug it in. Not only does this allow for faster charging, it also means the cable is always the right way up. We're happy to see Amazon finally make the switch from Micro USB ports to USB-C ports for charging. The right edge, or top in portrait, has volume controls, the power button, the USB-C charging port, and the 3.5mm headphone port.

Holding it in landscape, there are two speakers on the top edge and a MicroSD card slot on the bottom. The body is molded plastic, and there's a thick bezel all the way around the 8-inch screen. The Fire HD 8 comes in a choice of four colors, while the HD 8 Plus has a dull, gray slate finish.

This is utilitarian design and the only distinction compared to the regular Amazon Fire HD 8 is the color. Crucially, however, none of these features are available on the iPad, which has much superior hardware, but would require a lot more parental oversight while it’s being used.The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus won't win any beauty contests. But I’ve found they aren’t great in practice and we generally have to step in and limit how much the tablets are being used ourselves. And neither of them can rack up in-app purchases to my Amazon account.Īmazon likes to tout the time-limit features baked into the FreeTime service, which allow parents to specify how long the tablet can be used per day, right down to what category (games, books, videos) can be used. I can rest assured that whatever my five-year-old does on the Fire tablet will be age appropriate, and since I can disable the browser and there’s no YouTube app, I don’t have to worry about where on the internet my eight-year-old is going. The best parts of the FreeTime Unlimited service, a year of which is included with the price of the Kids Editions of the tablets, but will cost at least $2.99 per month for the standard tablet, are the ability to gate content to specific age groups, and turn off features like the camera, browser, or purchasing power.