
$144.99 for 64GB of storage (without lockscreen advertising)įor this review, I tested the 64GB ad-supported model.$129.99 for 64GB of storage (supported by lockscreen advertising).$114.99 for 32GB of storage (without lockscreen advertising).$99.99 for 32GB of storage (supported by lockscreen advertising).Pay, pay, payĪt the time that this review was written, the Fire HD 8 was available at a number of different prices: That means no Gmail, no Google Docs, or many of the other popular apps Play Store users expect to see. Unless you’re comfortable with doing a bit of tinkering, you won’t be able to access the Google Play Store from this tablet. While the app store offers a respectable number of applications to download including favorites like Disney+, Microsoft 365, and Twitter, those familiar with Android from swiping and tapping away at it on their smartphone might find the Fire HD disappointing. The Amazon App Store comes pre-installed on this tablet as part of the company’s particular flavor of the operating system. The same thing that makes the Fire HD 8 great for some also makes it a lousy device for others.Īll of Amazon’s tablets employ a branched iteration of Android. No, I didn’t fall asleep at my keyboard and type the same thing twice. What we don’t like All Amazon, all of the time If you’re hip-deep in the corporate juggernaut’s content, the Fire HD 8 may serve you well. You can even use it to let Alexa into your life (although not everyone may see this as a plus). The Fire HD provides a relatively inexpensive portal to all of Amazon’s most popular services: Amazon Prime Video, Audible, Comixology, Amazon Photos, Kindle, Goodreads, Amazon Kids, and, of course, the company’s vast online shopping empire. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8 is a portal to all of the services that Amazon has to offer, including digital comics and graphic novels access via the Comixology app.


However, if you’re on the hunt for a small tablet that can handle streaming Netflix or Amazon Prime Video and play the occasional game of solitaire, the Fire DH 8 has you covered. If you want a tablet that can play the latest games or for processing photos on the go, look elsewhere. The Fire HD 8 is designed for content consumption and lightweight productivity tasks.

If you spend five minutes with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8, you’ll know that it’s not in the same league as the current generation iPad Mini or a top-shelf Android tablet like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8.

