REVIEW: AMAZON FIRE HD 8 TABLET
I am a big fan of Amazon’s tablets – to me they are the epitome of cheap and cheerful and live in a space that’s totally different to the high-end devices like the iPad or Microsoft’s Surface 2-in-1s.
The Fire HD 8 is the latest of Amazon’s offerings to get a revamp and I’ve been testing one for a few weeks now.
It’s a great device provided you’re not expecting it to do any heavy lifting – the Amazon world of tablets is not really about making things, it’s more about watching and reading things.
Video is well supported with all the major streaming apps available on the Amazon App Store – including Netflix, Disney+, Now, and, of course, Amazon Prime. The 8in screen’s 1280 x 800 (189 ppi) resolution will win no prizes but is fine for the price. The built-in Silk web browser offers adequate access to the web. The screen is also good for reading – obviously the resolution doesn’t match more expensive tablets, or the less-capable Kindle e-reader, but it remains easy enough on the eye. Although Amazon has upped the processor specs on this upgraded Fire HD 8 you will have to get used to a little waiting time.
That’s a trade off against the price, and once you get apps up and running, the speed of the device becomes less of an issue.
What is an issue, for me at least, is the quality of the audio – the built-in speakers do not sound great. But you can mitigate this with a pair of headphones, and Bluetooth is also available for pairing with wireless speakers and earbuds, which I would recommend if the quality of audio means anything to you.
Another feature worth mentioning is show mode – if you plug the tablet in and turn this on, the tablet more or less operates as an Echo Show, so offering the ability to interact with Alexa and display various kinds of useful information on-screen.
The HD 8 features a couple of cameras. The 2MP units are not really capable compared to the camera you almost certainly have in your phone… but could be useful for keeping in touch with a bigger screen. Battery life is decent at the price at up to 13 hours on a single charge depending on usage.
It’s a step up in size and speed from the HD 7, but also in price – you’re going to pay £40 more for the HD 8. Worth it? If you value Show Mode, where a bigger screen is vital, certainly. If that doesn’t matter too much to you, maybe the cheaper option would suffice.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 starts at £99.99 and is available now.