Image Credit: Valentina Palladino / Engadget Same software, same pros and cons So unless you’ve worked really hard (and spent a lot of money) outfitting your home with Qi wireless charging pads, there’s no compelling reason to spend the extra $20 on the HD 8 Plus. The two tablets performed much the same - relatively smoothly, with some lag and choppiness when switching between apps and swiping between home screens. The extra gigabyte of memory should make playing games and multitasking a bit smoother on the HD 8 Plus, but it didn’t make a world of difference in my testing. Both tablets actually have the same 4850mAh battery inside, so if you already have a similarly powerful adapter, you could get the regular Fire HD 8 to charge up from zero just as quickly. It also comes with a faster, 9W AC adapter so wired charging will take less time.
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The differences between the Fire HD 8 and the HD 8 Plus are minor: the latter has 3GB of RAM instead of 2GB and it supports wireless charging. I’d recommend the Fire HD 8s for that reason alone if you were debating between the two, not to mention the HD 8 also provides a big bump in display resolution, speaker setup and battery life. The Fire 7, which was updated last year, still has a microUSB charging port, making the new Fire HD 8s the most affordable Amazon slate with USB-C. It’s a change we expect to see in any 2020 devices that don’t already have USB-C and it allows for easier, faster charging. Both also have USB-C charging ports, which is arguably the most important hardware change from the previous Fire HD 8. You’ll also have your choice of 32GB or 64GB storage options, and they can be expanded to up to 1TB using the microSD card slot. The Fire HD 8 doesn’t bend under pressure and it feels like it could withstand a drop from your desk or countertop without much injury.īoth tablets have quad-core processors, dual speakers, headphone jacks, 2MP front-facing and rear cameras. Despite this, the build quality is actually decent. Does it feel cheap? Yes, but lets remember - this is a $90 tablet. The back is a smooth-finish plastic and comes in different colors including black, white, plum and twilight blue. The bezels are just wide enough for my thumbs to sit comfortably so they don’t accidentally trigger the touchscreen. These new slates have rounded corners and slightly smaller bezels around their 8-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel displays. Both the Fire HD 8 and HD 8 Plus are nearly identical from this perspective. Let’s start with the hardware improvements.
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However, the company focused its efforts on hardware while leaving software mostly untouched - and the latter continues to hold Fire tablets back. Amazon largely succeeded this time around, making better versions of the previous Fire HD 8. The new $90 Fire HD 8 and $110 HD 8 Plus continue the pattern we’ve seen Amazon push in recent years: improve the tablet’s hardware just enough to warrant a slight price increase, while keeping the cost well below its competitors.
Many simply don’t have that much wiggle room in their budgets, and that’s where Amazon’s Fire tablets come in for the save. But affordable tablet options have dwindled over the years and while devices like Samsung’s Tab S6 Lite are solid, you still have to pay over $300 to get it. They’re great communal devices and living-room mainstays for the entire family to use to watch videos, play mobile games, send emails and browse the Internet. Despite the hype around the latest iPad Pros, there’s something to be said for cheap slabs.
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