Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD tablet appears to offer outstanding value for money, considering its availability at such low prices. However, is it really worth buying Kindle Fire HD tablet, let us find out in this Kindle Fire HD 8 Review.
Kindle Fire HD 8 Review
Let us get started with this Kindle Fire HD 8 Review by taking a look at Kindle Fire HD Specs in an easy to understand tabular format. Later on we can get into details of these specs.
| Features | Kindle Fire HD 8 |
|---|---|
| Size | 8.4″ x 5.0″ x 0.4″ |
| Weight | 369 Grams |
| Screen | 8″ HD |
| Display | 1280 x 800, 189 ppi |
| Storage | 16, 32 GB |
| Expandable Storage | Up to 256 GB |
| Processor | 1.3 GHZ Quad-core |
| RAM | 1.5 GB |
| Front Camera | VGA |
| Rear Camera | 2 MP, 720p |
| Audio | Dolby Stereo Speakers |
| Battery Life | 12 Hours |
| Network | Dual Band WiFi |
| Price* | $79.99 |
*Price may vary due to sales/offers.
Now, lets get into details and take a closer look at some of the key specifications of Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Factor & Design
- Size – 8.4″ x 5.0″ x 0.4″
- Weight: 369 grams
Despite its availability at ridiculously low prices (while on sale & otherwise), Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8 is not at all built like a cheap tablet and it does not feel or look like one.
Also, in terms of weight, Kindle Fire HD 8 is not overly thick and bulky, it weighs 369 grams which makes it comparable to Samsung Galaxy Tab E8 which weighs about 358 grams.
The screen of Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet is enclosed in rather thick looking bezels, with top and bottom bezels being thicker than the side bezels.
The top bezel houses the Front Facing Camera and the increased thickness of the bottom bezel is designed to make it easy for you to hold Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet, without touching its screen.
Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet is available in four colours: Black, Canary Yellow, Marine Blue and Punch Red.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Display
- Screen size – 8 Inches
- Resolution – 1280 x 800 (189 ppi)
While Amazon is technically right in calling this tablet as Kindle Fire HD, you need to be aware that you are not really getting a full HD display. In our view, this is quite fair, considering the low price of this tablet.
You may find the display on Kindle Fire HD 8 less bright than your iPhone or Android Phone. However, this can be easily improved by manually setting the brightness to higher levels.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Storage
- Internal Memory – 16, 32 GB
- Extended Storage – 256 GB
As you must have noticed, most low priced tablets are available only with 8 GB storage.
In comparison, Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet is available in 16 and 32 GB versions, which should provide ample storage for the operating system, most essential apps, a few songs and games, even if you go for the 16 GB version.
In addition, Amazon provides Free Cloud Storage for anything that you purchase from Amazon and there is also the option to make use of the MicroSD slot and extend the storage capacity of your Kindle Fire HD up to 256 GB.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Processor & RAM
- Processor – 1.3 GHZ Cortex A53
- RAM – 1.5 GB
The Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet is powered by MediaTek processor, which has four 1.3GHz Cortex-A53 cores and the dual-core version of the Mali T720 GPU.
The processor combined with 1.5 GB RAM provides good enough performance for most activities that you are likely to perform on this tablet.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Camera
- Front Camera – VGA
- Rear Camera – 2 MP, 720p
There is really nothing much to write about the rudimentary Front Facing VGA Camera and the ordinary 2 MP rear-camera on Kindle Fire HD Tablet.
Do not expect to look good with selfies taken by the front VGA camera and you are unlikely to continue using the rear-camera, once you have tried it a few times.
It is quite clear that Amazon has sacrificed the camera quality in order to make Kindle Fire HD 8 available at a low price point.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Battery Life
According to Amazon, the Battery on Kindle Fire HD 8 is rated to last up to 12 hours on a single charge.
The battery life that you can actually get out of Amazon’s Fire HD 8 will depend on whether you are likely to stick to 50% brightness as used in testing conditions or crank up the brightness, in case you find the display not bright enough.
Overall, the battery life is still impressive, considering that users have reported getting as much as 10 hours battery life, while using Kindle Fire HD 8 at a brightness level of over 70% or near the max capacity.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Software
The Amazon Fire HD 8 runs on Fire OS, which is basically a customized version of Android, made to look different and altered to suit the needs of Amazon.
As expected, the main function of Fire OS is to take users through a bunch of screens, specifically designed to provide Kindle Fire users with easy access to Amazon’s rich digital content.
In general, you need to be aware that Kindle Fire HD 8 is basically designed to hook users to Amazon’s digital offerings and it is not your regular Android Tablet with access to Google Play Store.
Kindle Fire HD 8 is Alexa Enabled
Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet features Alexa, Amazon’s personal assistant that most users have come to like on Amazon Echo and Fire TV.
However, you won’t be able to activate Alexa by voice alone on Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet, you will have to hold down the home button, every time you want to interact with Alexa.
Amazon Alexa allows you to Play Songs, read Audiobooks, place orders on Amazon and also control lights and the thermostat in your House using voice commands to Alexa.
Kindle Fire HD 8 – Connectivity
The connectivity options include – Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n with support for WEP, WPA, WPA2 security using password authentication or WPS WiFi protected setup.
Kindle Fire HD 8 supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi bands, which is nice to have in a low priced tablet.
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet supports Bluetooth 4.1, which means that you will have no problem connecting to the latest Bluetooth speakers and headphones.
Should I Buy Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet?
Despite its token Cameras and underpowered display, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet provides outstanding value for money and we have no hesitation in calling it a Recommended Buy.
As mentioned above, Kindle Fire HD 8 has excellent build quality, good battery life, and offers decent performance. You won’t be able to find anything else of similar quality at such a low price.
- Check Current Kindle Fire HD 8 Price at Amazon.