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Last autumn, I recommended the 2017 Fire HD 8 and named it Amazon's Best Affordable Tablet Pack. Its suite – the 8th generation of Fire tablets, for those who matter, is still cheap and functional, but a little less fun to use. Unless you use Alexa.
The new Fire HD 8 is almost identical to the inside and outside of last year's model and the 2016 model before. It's an 8-inch (1280 x 800-pixel) trip-size glass screen, rocked by a cheap yet durable plastic that you can buy in the three basic colors and black. Amazon has even placed a small lip around the edge of the screen to prevent cracks and scratches in the event of a fall. As in previous 8-inch fires, the screen still tends to attract more fingerprints than other tablets, although you get used to it quite quickly.
Most buttons and connectors are on the top, if you hold it vertically, like a book. There is a volume, power supply, an audio jack and a microUSB for charging – typical things you'll find on a phone. As familiar as I am with Fire tablets, I still have to look for volume keys and confuse them with the similarly shaped power button. This is not an inconvenience, but it becomes a quirk of the property experience.
Amazon has also included a MicroSD slot again, which will be useful for long holidays or trips. You can now record movies and other media on cards up to 400GB. A 64GB card should be more than enough to download what you want.
The selfie camera also had a technical upgrade this year. It is now a 2 megapixel unit, against 0.3 MP (also called VGA resolution). He joined the 2 megapixel camera on the back. Both exist mainly to sit and stay unused – they do not take good pictures and are not particularly interesting for video calls either – but they are there and can theoretically do these things, which is a little point on a tablet as affordable.
Amazon and Alexa foremost
The Fire HD 8 offers most of the essential features for a tablet and, like other Amazon devices, its entire interface is focused on providing you with the best possible content (books, videos, music, magazines, etc.). and if you know the interface, you will discover how to find other apps on Amazon's Appstore. It means that you can catch games like candy Crush and popular apps like Facebook and Netflix.
With Alexa free hands, you can now talk to the digital assistant of Amazon throughout the room or put the tablet in View mode to turn it into an Echo Show device. (Amazon has created a special Echo dock to help you.) It works well and is a cheaper and more flexible option than buying a smart screen. The Fire HD 8's speakers can also play music with decent sound – not as clearly as many dedicated, and sometimes thinner, screens, but if music is not your main concern, it's a fun configuration.
When you do not use it as a makeshift echo, the Fire HD 8 begins to show its age and its limits. It may still be functional, but it seems slower, with more jitter, freeze, and jitter when you navigate menus and open applications. The life of the battery is also a few hours less than last year, thanks to Alexa (guess who?).
Amazon has not upgraded the main processor, graphics, RAM or almost anything else in Fire 8 for several years. His Android system has finally been upgraded to the Android 7.1 version of Google 2016, which may result in some of this extra delay.
It could also act special offers, ads shown on the home screen. You can pay $ 15 to eliminate them and you should consider them. They are more entertaining and have more "buy" buttons than before. It's a bit irritating when your tablet starts trying to sell you apps and such blatant items.
The next generation of ads comes with almost every other Amazon application, and the entire "Fire OS" interface remains stuck in a rut. The design is still a bit confusing and Amazon's basic applications such as Maps and Camera are not able to settle for what you would have on many of our favorite tablets. The selection of games and applications on the Amazon store is also quite limited compared to the one you find on other tablets.
There is another
For $ 80, the Fire HD 8 is a usable tablet that plays a few games, contains books and allows you to watch movies and TV shows. For older children who do not destroy it immediately by throwing it on the wall, this is an excellent choice. Your kids can handle a little bit of delay and the Amazon system allows you to very easily impose parental control.
If you're buying for an adult, especially yourself, consider at least saving $ 165 for Amazon's Fire HD 10 (no special offers). It's faster, more storage and the 10-inch HD display is much more aesthetic. Pair it with a holster or show mode and you'll be a happier camper.
The Fire HD 8 remains one of the best technology offers. Just be aware that before pressing this 1-Click button, its price comes with sacrifices.
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