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Two minute review
During Amazon Prime Day on June 21-22, the Fire HD 8 Plus will most likely drop in price, so check back on TechRadar for the best deals. Amazon Fire tablets have always been designed to bring affordable portable entertainment to Prime subscribers. But the company kicked off a curveball with the 2020 update to its midsize slate by introducing two variants: the Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus. Neither spoils the recipe too much, building on the foundation laid by the previous version in 2018. Both have longer battery life, faster processors, more storage, and USB connectivity. But the pricier Plus also comes with extra RAM and wireless charging features that work with the optional docking station. So is it worth spending more? Physically, the two tablets are identical. They're a bit shorter and sharper than before, with a smooth bezel around the 8-inch screen, which houses a repositioned front-facing camera that's now better positioned for horizontal video calls. The Fire HD 8 Plus is otherwise a diverse rectangular slate with a plastic back, though it's reassuring and well-designed.
- Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus at Amazon for € 139.99
Things remain the same front and center too, with an unchanged 1280 x 800 LCD panel bringing the same complaints as it did in 2018. It lacks definition and clarity, with low resolution making for painful pixelation. painful. quality content. The additional RAM offered by the Fire HD 8 Plus should make it faster than the standard variant. This confirms to some extent, especially when using the new game mode, but the overall performance is still lacking and only owners of the older model are likely to notice the improvements. Limited by a weak processor, the lag is still significant when unlocking and navigating the interface. Speaking of which, Fire OS is more divisive than ever. Built around Amazon's subscription ecosystem, Android's sophisticated software puts business content above all else, offering little flexibility. If you're not a Prime subscriber, you'll find it incredibly restrictive, especially given the limited selection of third-party games and apps available for download. On the other hand, Show mode is particularly attractive on the Fire HD Plus, as it works with the optional wireless charging pad. It's not completely transparent, but dropping the slate onto the stand automatically turns it into an Alexa-powered smart display that rivals the Echo Show 8. Battery life has also been increased for the two new tablets, each with capacity for about 12 hours of mixed use. This number will drop if you're a heavy gamer, while sporadic use will extend longevity for several days. So the Fire HD 8 Plus represents some clever marketing from Amazon. It retains all the mediocre elements of the standard model (average screen quality, poor performance, underwhelming cameras) but splits the vote by adding a touch of speed and support for wireless charging. If you want a cheap portable entertainment device or your first Fire tablet, the standard Fire HD 8 will do just fine. It's hard to justify spending more on the Plus, unless you want a more significant upgrade from the previous version, or if you plan to buy the wireless charging station and use it as an Echo Show part-time. If you do, the cost of the whole package could earn you a more flexible Android tablet, so it only makes sense for those who are committed to Amazon services.
(Image credit: Avenir)
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus release date and price
- From € 110 / € 110 with specials
- Available with 32GB or 64GB of expandable storage
- Comes with wireless charging station
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) went on sale, along with the Fire HD 8 and Kids' Standard Edition tablets, on June 3, 2020. The 32GB storage option costs $110/€110 (about AU$ 200, although Amazon tablets are not). t usually released in Australia), while the larger 64GB version costs $140 / £140 (around AU$255). Whether it's worth spending more on the higher-capacity variant depends on your preference for downloading content. If you usually stream content from the Internet, a capacity of 32 GB should be enough. It should be noted that both versions can also be expanded with a microSD card, for additional storage capacity of up to 1TB. Amazon is also offering the Fire HD 8 Plus in a bundle with Angreat's Amazon-Designed Wireless Charging Station for an extra $30 / £30 (around AU$38), a saving of £10 / £10 compared to the price standard. If you don't already have a wireless charger or want to use the Fire HD 8 Plus as an alternative to the Echo Show, it's definitely worth considering.
Integrated
- Shorter and wider than the 2018 model
- USB-C port and 3,5mm headphones
- The plastic back is strong.
Physically, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is the twin of the standard model: a generic rectangle with a plastic back. It's not a premium slate and it won't win an innovation award, but the new generation of Fire tablets have a slightly more polished form factor than before. At 202 x 137 x 9,7mm, the tablets are 12mm shorter and 9mm wider than the 2018 version. The black bezel is barely invisible, but is now a uniform width across the entire screen, making devices appear sharper. For many people, these dimensions are about the ideal size for a personal media device, and at 355g, it's lighter than many competitors. The plastic casing gives it a cheap feel, but the Fire HD 8 Plus feels great in the hand, with minimal flex and no gaps or creaks.
(Image credit: Avenir) As with its cheaper sibling, a few things have been revamped for 2020. The front-facing camera now occupies the center of the left bezel. While it's confusing in portrait orientation, turn the device around for a video call and you'll find the lens placement a perfectly natural focal point for your eyes. Amazon also brokered two of the tickets. The 3,5mm headphone port and power button have moved but still reside with the volume rocker and new USB-C slot on the top edge of the tablet. This switch makes the power button a little more accessible in landscape orientation, but any ease of use gained is negated by an odd setup with the volume rocker: its functions are reversed when you rotate the tablet in portrait, a design that it still seemed counterintuitive after a week of wrestling with her.
Monitor
- 8 inch LCD screen
- Same 1280 x 800 resolution as previous generation
- Reflective glass limits visibility outside
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus's display is identical to the 8-inch panel found on its standard sibling and, in turn, the 2018 version earlier. Don't be fooled by the HD in the name: While the dimensions are ideal for a personal entertainment device, the unchanged 1280 x 800 resolution now seems outdated. The definition is poor, with a lack of detail that is particularly noticeable during games. Textures and edges often appear jagged, with noticeable pixelation. Videos don't fare much better, either, and even the icons on the home screen lack clarity. If you use the Fire HD 8 Plus extensively to control your smart home, use Amazon Music, or take in the latest Kindle releases, the second-rate display is unlikely to be a deal breaker. But for those used to streaming high-resolution video content, a tablet with a Full HD screen will almost certainly be more suitable. The LCD panel offers decent brightness inside, but visibility outside is actually quite limited, thanks to a highly reflective glass front.
(Image credit: Avenir)
- 8168 GHz Mediatek MT2 processor, 3 GB RAM
- Not fast, despite the extra memory
- 2MP rear camera, 2MP front camera
With 3GB of RAM at its disposal, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus has more memory than any Fire tablet before it, and 1GB more than the standard Fire HD 8. Unfortunately, the 2GHz processor it's paired with is a cheap chip. It's significantly faster than the 2018 version and there are times when the added RAM gives the Plus better performance than the standard Fire HD 8. Assisted by the new game mode, which deactivates Alexa, muffles the notifications and optimizes the performances, the jeux tells that Real Racing 3 and SimCity BuildIt function slightly more easily, while navigation between the screens of the accueil and the applications is slightly easier faster. That said, the Fire HD 8 Plus still isn't a workaholic. There's a lot of lag when unlocking the tablet, browsing the web, and scanning the interface in general, especially on screens that are densely packed with images. For example, there's no lack of stutter when looking up thumbnail covers for Prime TV and movie listings.
(Image credit: Avenir) As long as you reserve the Fire HD 8 Plus for its intended role, media tasks, the wobbly performance shouldn't prove too irritating. But if you're looking for a tablet that can run smoothly or multitask, a faster tablet is probably worth the money. When it comes to cameras, the front and rear lenses retain the same 2MP spec as the 8 Fire HD 2018. Neither produces shareable results, with washed-out image quality that would put the devices to shame ten years ago. While it's still not illegal to use a tablet as a camera, the rear lens is an unnecessary addition that the snapper easily surpasses on any half-decent smartphone. The front lens, in its new position, is practically acceptable for video calls.
- Android 9 with Fire OS 7 skin
- Restrictive interface first on Amazon
- Limited selection of apps and games
As with all previous Fire tablets, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is locked into Fire OS, Amazon's design-heavy version of Android. Software has long been a love-or-hate proposition and all of its major…