Amazon Fire HD 8
A step up from the Fire 7 in every way – if you're looking to go the Amazon route, this is the model to choose
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 follows much the same formula as the Fire 7; aside from the fact that our sample came with a lurid Canary Yellow back (other options are black, Marine Blue and Punch Red), the two devices look very similar.
A few key improvements make it a much better tablet overall, however. One big difference is the screen, which not only grows to eight inches, but also gets a resolution boost to 1,280 x 800. That makes it distinctly sharper than the Fire 7’s display. Text still doesn’t match the sharpness of the Apple and Samsung tablets, but movies and games are as clean and crisp as you could ask for. Colours have the same slightly dull
appearance as the Fire 7, and the screen is no less reflective, but a much higher maximum brightness of 455cd/ m2 helps everything shine through.
The processor has also been upgraded: the Fire HD 8 proved around 80% faster than its seven-inch cousin in our single-core benchmark, and just over 60% faster in the multi-core test. That’s enough to dispel the interface jitters that plagued the Fire 7, so scrolling and swiping around Fire OS is a much smoother experience. Be under no illusions, though, we’re not looking at high-end power – and in the GFXBench gaming test, the Fire HD 8 came very close to last place.
Surprisingly, the Fire HD 8’s real strength turned out to be its battery. Its 4,750mAh rating is on the low side, yet somehow the HD 8 managed to serve up 13hrs 4mins of video on a single charge. Of its Android rivals, only the lightweight Huawei MediaPad T3 and hugely more expensive Google Pixel C did better.
As with the Fire 7, you get a microSD slot – although since the base eight-inch model has 16GB of storage that’s less urgently needed here – and Alexa is built in too, should the idea of barking orders at your tablet appeal. Happily, the speakers are much better than on the seven- inch model: music isn’t loud enough to fill a room, but it’s clear and well-balanced.
In all, the Fire HD 8 is a far more attractive proposition than the Fire 7. It remedies all that tablet’s worst failings, and while it’s not quite as cheap, it’s still absurdly affordable compared to the competition. If you’re into demanding apps and high-end 3D games then clearly this isn’t the tablet for you, and it’s also worth remembering that Fire OS doesn’t come with the familiar Google software suite. For basic web browsing and messaging, though, there’s no need to spend more.