Unfortunately, the 2GHz processor it’s paired with is very much a budget chip. Stick to the less testing activities that the tablet is clearly designed for – such as listening to music, reading books and watching offline videos – and you’ll comfortably get 12 hours of usage from a single full charge. This is by no means a gaming machine, but I found it fine for casual titles and it’s such a great size for this purpose. Without a membership, you’ll struggle to make the most of the content library that the tablet is built around, and you’ll run up against regular payment prompts and free trial offers. The most obvious benefit of spending a bit extra and going for the Plus version of the Fire HD 8 is that extra RAM. That does bear out to some extent – most notably when using the new Game Mode – but general performance is still short of swift and only owners of the previous model are likely to notice the improvements. Alexa is something of a saving grace. The regular Fire HD 8 has a mere 2GB – right on the cusp of what’s acceptable for an Android device – while the Plus ups that to 3GB. It’s only worth paying extra for the Plus if you plan to utilise its wireless charging smarts or need an ounce of extra speed. The benefits of the Plus model are few, though the extra RAM and wireless charging mean it’s the model I would choose. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. The fairly low-res screen helps it manage battery drain when streaming video and 2 hours of reading only took the charge level down a few percentage points.

Apps open slightly faster on the Plus when directly compared to the vanilla HD 8 and, as you’d expect from the larger amount of RAM, things don’t get quite so bogged down when you’re jumping between apps and especially games. The dock becomes a key part of the tablet's life as a quasi-Echo Show, sitting on your kitchen counter or by your bedside to give you the news, show recipes, or control your smart home throughout the day. If you need an inexpensive tablet with full Google Play app compatibility, check out Walmart's Onn.

The new Fire HD 8 Plus ($109.99 and up) is a gray Fire HD 8 tablet with more RAM, wireless charging, and a slightly higher-powered charger. With the Plus model you also get wireless charging. Max Parker is the Deputy Editor for Trusted Reviews and Recombu. Neither messes with the recipe too much, building on the foundations laid by the previous version in 2018. Physically, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is the twin of the standard model: a generic rectangle with a plastic back. While Amazon doesn’t list the actual capacity of the cell inside the Fire HD 8 Plus, it does rate the battery life at 12 hours. Your subscription has been confirmed.

Design The black bezel is hardly invisible, but it’s now an even width the whole way around the display, which gives the devices a cleaner look. The display is very reflective though, and that becomes an issue if you’re trying to read outside on a sunny day. For many people, those dimensions represent pretty much the ideal size for a personal media device and, at 355g, it’s lighter than several competitors. Learn More. However, with a limited selection of Android titles available through the Amazon Appstore, a faster Samsung tablet might be the better choice for gamers – or a refurbished iPad. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is a slightly souped-up version of the HD 8. Almost all of the major streaming apps are there, including Spotify, Netflix and Disney Plus, as well as popular titles such as Minecraft, Clash of Clans and PUBG Mobile, but it doesn’t take long to find significant omissions – especially if you’re a regular mobile gamer. If … Segan is also a multiple award-winning travel writer. Rarely does wireless charging make a difference in one of our reviews, but it does here. But for those accustomed to streaming high-resolution video content, a tablet with a Full HD display is almost certainly more suitable. So is it worth the extra expense? If you’re looking for a productivity tablet, though, this is certainly not it.

See our full Fire HD 8 review for more details. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Things to watch, read and do (as long as they’re from Amazon’s services) are valued more than apps. The ‘Plus’ moniker is usually used to denote a larger display variant, but that’s not the case here. The Fire HD 8 is durable and, like the brand’s Kindles, doesn’t require a lot of looking after. If you install apps that aren't from Amazon's store, such as ones from the APKPure store, they don't appear in the main UI and can be hard to launch. Game Mode and 3GB of RAM help the underpowered processor of the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus handle demanding games more smoothly. Replacing that is Amazon’s own App Store, which is pretty well stocked these days – especially with apps important to a media device. For a quick bout of The Simpsons on Disney Plus or keeping the kids quiet on a long journey it gets the job done. You can pick the Fire HD 8 up in either 32GB or 64GB varieties, both of which also come with microSD expandability if you’re planning on loading it up with downloaded content. This can be manually activated, but works best with the Wireless Charging Dock: drop in the Fire HD 8 Plus and it will automatically, if not quite instantly, transform into a smart display with an attractive, pared-back interface and all the key skills of an Echo Show 8 – from news updates to smart home control to video calling. Textures and edges often appear ragged, with noticeable pixellation. Wireless charging is the most significant difference, with the optional Dock making it a viable Echo Show alternative. The optional Wireless Charging Dock transforms the Fire HD 8 Plus into a smart display, automatically activating Show Mode for a full-screen Alexa experience while charging the tablet.
The most controversial aspect of Amazon’s tablets has always been the software. It’s probably the only model Amazon should really sell. Amazon claims the new line of Fire HD 8 tablets is 30% faster than before, thanks to an updated quad-core 2Ghz chip. In anecdotal testing, I could say that the UI appeared to be a little smoother than on the HD 8, but that might have been the placebo effect of knowing about the additional RAM. For a device that aims to be a media hub that is a little disappointing, however, once again, it’s dictated by the cost of this thing. That’s two hours longer than the previous version and, in mixed-use conditions, proves an accurate estimate. It’s not quite seamless, but dropping the slate on the stand automatically transforms it into an Alexa-powered smart display to rival the Echo Show 8. That wireless charging, along with the optional charging dock, really make a difference here, turning the Fire HD 8 Plus into an Echo Show you can take with you. That’s fine though – there are enough slates out there for those who want something with a little more flair. With a basic, simple design comes a surprising amount of benefits. But the more expensive Plus also ships with additional RAM and wireless charging smarts that work with the optional dock. Using the tablet as my main media device I found the Fire HD 8 Plus fall in line with what Amazon quotes. Swipe across from the Home screen and you’ll find pages dedicated to Video, Games & Apps, Shop, Music, Audible and Newsstand, all of which offer little room to manoeuvre away from the overwhelming arsenal of Amazon-branded content. That is, of course, mostly down to its price and the fact it’s so tired into Amazon’s absolutely massive ecosystem. It’s £30 more expensive than competing Fire tablets, but for the extra cost you get an extra 1GB of RAM, wireless charging and three months worth of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription (usually worth £7.99 a month).

The Fire HD 8 Plus's size, shape, design, screen, cameras, and Wi-Fi capabilities are all the same as the Fire HD 8's. The browser isn’t great, the email client is basic and content-lead UI will be distracting.

If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. The display on the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is identical to the 8-inch panel found on its standard sibling and, in turn, the 2018 version before it.

I've never been a big fan of wireless charging, but here I get it.

Amazon’s Fire line is very, very popular despite the fact most of its models don’t include key bits of tech you’d find on most competing devices. None of the slowdown ruins the whole experience and after using it for a few days I wasn’t noticing it as much. The dock's wireless charging abilities mean that you can quickly and easily pick up the tablet to take it with you as backseat entertainment, or toss it to a kid to use on the couch. The bundle might be more expensive than a standalone Echo Show 8, but it’s also more versatile. I would have no problem letting a child use this without a case, even if they were prone to banging it around a bit. The front lens, in its new position, is just about passable for video calling. If you’re buying this primarily as a reading device then there are a couple of things to note. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Amazon has also invaded the lock screen, turning it into a scrolling feed of ads. Specs, performance and camera This OS is designed almost entirely for consuming Amazon content. This is supported through the same Qi standard you’ll find on devices like the iPhone 11, Galaxy Buds and certain smartwatches. It’s reliably economical on standby, too, meaning the Fire HD 8 Plus can easily last several days with sporadic usage – though owners of the Wireless Charging Dock will find the stand the most natural place to store their Fire HD 8 Plus, so a flat battery should rarely be an issue. Max joined Trusted Reviews as a features writer in 201…, Excellent integration with Amazon's services, Don't use Amazon's service? All rights reserved. PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, has reviewed more than 1,100 smartphones, tablets and other gadgets in more than 15 years with PCMag. However, if you can’t stand cables or you’ve already invested in a QI-certified wireless charger, the Plus is the one to pick. It offers more speed and a couple of features you probably don’t expect to find on a tablet that costs this little.

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