BEST AMAZON FIRE TABLET T EVER!
Superb screen, incredible battery life
TABLET ❘ £150 from Amazon www.snipca.com/38713
Amazon’s Fire HD tablets may not be the last word in great design or power, but they do a decent job for a reasonable price. The latest tablet to see an upgrade – the Amazon Fire HD 10 – is the most expensive in the range and has the largest screen (10.1in). There are several options available, but prices start at £150.
There’s plenty that’s new here. At 9.2mm thick and 465 grams, it’s thinner and lighter than ever (the previous model was 9.8mm and 504g). However, this is still fairly chunky compared to rivals, and the thick 15mm bezels around the outside of the screen remain in place. Its corners are neatly rounded, however, and it comes in a choice of colours: black, blue, pink or olive green.
A budget tablet that offers a vibrant screen, smooth running and superb battery life
The ports and buttons are all located on the right edge when held in landscape orientation, with a volume switch sitting above the power button, USB-C charging port and 3.5mm audio jack. The tablet’s Dolby Atmos dual speakers are located on the top edge.
The screen is Full HD resolution (1920x1200 pixels) and brighter than the previous model – an increase of 25 per cent according to our tests. It does a great job of reproducing colour accurately, and it looks punchy and vibrant.
The device runs Amazon’s Fire OS, which is a version of Android that’s effectively locked to Amazon’s store for apps, rather than providing the usual access to the Google Play Store. The user interface isn’t quite the same as other Android devices and the list of downloadable games and apps is limited by comparison.
However, Fire OS development isn’t standing still and this device can now be operated in split-screen mode, running two apps simultaneously. It also comes with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, which lets you do anything you could do with an Echo Show smart speaker.
The HD 10’s RAM has been increased from 2GB to 3GB, and it comes with a choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage. There’s also a slot for a microsd card, so you can upgrade this to 1TB. For £150 you get the 32GB version, while the 64GB model costs £190. Both have Amazon adverts on the home screen, though you can remove these by choosing the ‘without Ads’ option and paying an extra £10 when purchasing.
There’s also a new ‘Productivity Bundle’ available for an extra £60, which includes a detachable keyboard/case and a 12-month Microsoft 365 subscription.
The processor is the same as in the previous version, which is a little disappointing. However, it still runs fairly smoothly, and we found its performance was remarkably snappy and responsive in everyday use.
It should also be able to play most of the games available on Amazon’s app store, though with some of the more demanding, graphically intensive games you may need to turn down the resolution or detail to maintain a reasonable frame rate. Battery life is excellent, running for 19 hours in our video-playback test.
Sadly, the disappointing cameras are unchanged. The 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel selfie snapper have a maximum video resolution of 720p, and neither is anything special. Video quality is grainy and lacks detail, though this hardly sets it apart from many other tablets.
While you can’t expect much in the way of audio output from a budget tablet, the Fire HD 10’s stereo speakers sounded quite impressive in our tests. There’s more than enough volume, with only a hint of tinniness at the high end, and a surprising amount of bass.
VERDICT Those looking for the bigscreen convenience of a decent-sized tablet without paying a fortune need look no further – this is a bargain
ALTERNATIVE Fire HD 8 £90 If you don’t mind a smaller screen, Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is a similar tablet at an even lower price