Amazon Updates Kindle Fire Android Tablets
Amazon released its annual update to its Kindle Fire tablet line today. We got a new Kindle Fire HD 8, Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus, and a Kindle Fire HD 8 Kids Edition.
These tablets replace a model that shipped in 2018, but unlike that model, the new devices feature significant upgrades to the hardware.
The new tablets have a faster CPU than the last model (2GHz, vs 1.3GHz) and and a bump in RAM: the Kindle Fire HD 8 has 2GB RAM, while the Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus ships with 3GB.
Amazon is also boasting of a doubling of the storage (32GB and 64GB) and support for 1TB microSD cards. The new tablet also have longer battery life (12 hours, vs 10 hours).
The Kindle Fire HD 8 costs $89.
The Kindle Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, which is essentially the same as the Fire HD 8, only with a 2-year warranty, a case, and a year’s subscription to Kindle Freetime Unlimited, costs $139.
The Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus has more RAM, and it comes with a more powerful 9W charger. Even better, it also supports wireless charging (the dock is sold separately). And finally, Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus customers get six months of Kindle Unlimited included with their tablet purchase.
The Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus costs $20 more, or $109.
While I am fine with the tablet I have, if I were looking for a new device I would probably go for the Kindle Fire HD 8 Plus. I think the extra features are worth the extra $20 in price.
Comments
DaveMich May 13, 2020 um 7:17 pm
It’s worth noting that they have switched from micro-usb to usb-c with these new devices.
If you have many micro-usb charging cables, search amazon for "Micro USB to USB C Adapter". These are small, almost tiny adapters that fit onto the end of a micro usb charging cable and come in 8-packs.
Nate Hoffelder May 14, 2020 um 12:36 pm
I forgot to mention that!
David Castano May 17, 2020 um 1:28 pm
I’ve used the Fire HD 10 – great budget device – and it works pretty smoothly, except after a few months, the charger started acting up. It does support other phone/tablet chargers with a micro USB connector (so that’s what I use now), but I was disappointed to face issues so early.