At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Good battery life
- Handy Micro-SD slot
- Clean design
- Compact and comfortable
Cons
- Limited performance
- Nearly unusable camera
Our Verdict
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Design & Build
- Lightweight and compact
- Headphone jack
- No IP rating
There are no prizes for guessing that the Fire HD 8’s design is nigh-on identical to its immediate predecessors. That said, it should at least be acknowledged that its rear has the grippier, granular plastic of the HD 8 Plus, rather than the smoother version we had with 2022’s standard HD 8. This does give it a slightly less cheap feel than with earlier models and also helps prevent slippage.
One of the main selling points of the Fire HD 8 is that it’s lightweight and relatively small, weighing in at a fairly lithe 337g. By comparison, the standard 10.9in iPad weighs 447g, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra comes in at a very hefty 718g. And with its dimensions measuring 202 x 137 x 9.6mm, the Fire HD 8 will fit easily in most backpacks, handbags, satchels or whatever other bags you’re likely to have.
Simon Chandler/Foundry
Logistics and practicalities aside, the Fire HD’s design is uninspiring. It comes in a choice of three colours, Black (reviewed), Emerald and Hibiscus (basically a nice pink). While the latter two are distinctive, there isn’t really anything else to recommend the tablet style-wise. Yes, its form is clean and uncluttered, but it does look fairly non-premium, especially the front with its sizeable bezels.
Screen & Speakers
- 8in IPS LCD display
- Fingerprint-loving screen
- Stereo speakers
I did find some movies and TV programmes to be a little dark on default settings, but ramping up the brightness to maximum usually solved most of my issues. Sometimes this involved turning off the adaptive brightness feature, which for me had a tendency to make things too dim (particularly with moody action and horror films).
Simon Chandler/Foundry
But it’s not only brightness that’s an issue with the Fire HD 8’s screen, since the use of an IPS LCD panel limits its colours and vibrancy. Sometimes there just wasn’t enough depth and clarity to the video, so proper film buffs may consider looking elsewhere. That said, the display will keep casual viewers happy enough, even if it does have a very strong attraction to fingerprints and smudges.
Most will also be happy enough with the device’s stereo speakers, which deliver clear audio for the purposes of watching TV and videos. For music, however, the output was perhaps a little thin, in that it lacked bass and some extra oomph. Although this is entirely to be expected at this price point.
Specs & Performance
- MediaTek MT8169A
- 3/4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage
- Storage expandable to 1TB with MicroSDXC slot
As it does in many other departments, the Fire HD 8 (2024) repeats the specs of its forebears and reuses the MediaTek MT8169A chip. This processor, built using a 12nm manufacturing process, is pretty underpowered compared to even the entry-level chips offered by Qualcomm and other manufacturers. We found that with the previous Fire HD 8, which ran on only 2GB of RAM, it really struggled to do anything more than basic tasks, with even web browsing occasionally slowing up.
Things have improved somewhat with 2024’s version of the device, which now comes with 3GB of RAM as standard. You can also pay extra to have the 4GB model, which we imagine will improve things a little further. As it is, the standard 3GB model does make the MediaTek chip more able, in that apps and web pages load more smoothly. I did notice some momentary pauses and instances of lag, but nothing that would get in the way of normal usage.
Simon Chandler/Foundry
And while most people will be very unlikely to (even attempt to) use the Fire HD 8 as a serious gaming system, most of the casual games I tried ran usably well. Despite a very mild slowdown when loading new screens, Crossy Road was entirely playable, for example, as was Candy Crush Saga. As such, the Fire HD 8 does largely fulfil its remit as a casual device.
Lastly, some users may be disappointed that, once again, the Fire HD 8 comes with a paltry 32GB of storage as standard. You can however opt to pay the extra £25 to have the 4GB version, which also comes with 64GB of storage. Also, there’s a microSDXC slot so that you can expand the available memory to 1TB, so there are options for people who want to save things directly to their devices, rather than just running off the cloud.
Cameras
- 5Mp main rear camera
- 2Mp selfie camera
- 1080p video
I really struggled to take decent photos with the Fire HD 8 (2024). Yes, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but given that the tablet does come with a rear camera, you would be forgiven for thinking that it could sometimes be of use.
We’ve written many times before that, because virtually everyone has a smartphone nowadays, cameras on tablets are usually an afterthought. But nowhere does this become more apparent than with the Fire HD 8, which most likely has the distinction of having the worst camera of any tablet or phone released this year.
Yes, on clear, sunny days you can take landscape photos that, at first glance, look almost presentable. But if you look closely at background details, you’ll usually find out-of-focus, slightly blurred objects, be they trees, buildings or lampposts. This makes capturing shareable photos nigh-on impossible, and things only get worse in less favourable conditions.
Simon Chandler/Foundry
In fact, you have to have a very steady hand and lots of patience to take even sub-par photos, since the device lacks optical image stabilisation and any other kind of tech that might make things easier for casual users. There’s also a Night Mode, but the idea that anyone is going to seriously consider using the tablet to take photos in the dark is almost laughable.
Rant aside, pretty much everyone expects tablet cameras to be okay at best, and pretty much everyone knows that the Fire HD series is probably the worst of a bad bunch. In other words, no one will be surprised by the tablet’s poor showing, and most casual users will only use the lens here for photographic reminders.
Battery Life & Charging
- 13 hours of battery life
- 15W wired charging
- No wireless charging
One of the saving graces of no-frills tablets is that they usually lack the kind of special features (e.g. 120Hz refresh rates) that would sap their batteries prematurely. Save for a minimal gaming mode, this applies doubly to the Fire HD.
Because of this, I was able to make it almost to the end of a second day before needing to recharge. And aside from turning the brightness all the way up and watching Netflix all day, the same will hold for most other users. This comes as welcome news, enabling the Fire HD to serve as a reliable travel companion for many of its owners.
Things aren’t quite as impressive in the charging department, however. For one, it supports a maximum of 15W, so recharging is usually a slow process. On top of this, it drops the wireless charging compatibility of 2022’s Fire HD 8 Plus. This may not be a big deal for most users, but given that this year’s device is basically a repackaging of the latter tablet, it’s somewhat disappointing.
Software & Apps
- Amazon Fire OS
- 4 years of security updates
- Still no Google apps
In terms of how Fire OS actually operates, it has been whittled down to a For You and Home screen. This makes the device very straightforward to navigate, with the For You page’s search bar useful for finding apps and other things not visible on the two main screens. As we noted above, the device can sometimes be slow, even with the extra 1- or 2GB of RAM, although for what most people will be using it for it’s never too slow.
Simon Chandler/Foundry
When it comes to special features, there isn’t really anything of particular note to mention, other than the expected presence of Alexa as your voice assistant. There’s a game mode that disables Alexa and notifications while freeing up memory in order to ‘optimise’ performance. Other than that, you get basic stuff such as a do-not-disturb mode and a few accessibility settings, such as the ability to change font sizes and set shortcuts.
One returning quirk/gripe is that the device will treat you to ads on its lock screen, which does seem quite odd if you’re used to using more premium tablets. However, you can pay extra when buying the tablet to remove them.
Price & Availability
This is for the basic version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (and lock screen ads), but you can pay another £25 or $30 to have the 4GB/64GB version. Removing the ads (on either model) will cost either £10 or $15.
In terms of alternatives, the Fire HD 8 really is the most entry-level tablet you can buy from a major manufacturer. However, some slightly more expensive – and generally more capable – alternatives include the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 , the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE , and the Oppo Pad Air .
See more options in our guide to the best budget tablets .
Rather, the tablet is an entry-level media device that you can use for watching TV and movies, playing some casual games, reading e-books, and shopping online. It does all of these things well enough, especially for its low price, while it also provides decent battery life and user-friendly software.
While it’s hardly a step up from the preceding models, it’s a misapprehension to bracket it with iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tabs and other premium devices that try to offer genuine upgrades each year. It’s a Fire HD, and as a Fire HD it’s largely a success.
Specs
- 8in IPS LCD (1280×800)
- MediaTek MT8169A
- 3/4GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 32/64GB RAM UFS 2.2 internal storage;
- Cameras:
- 5Mp main/wide sensor
- 2Mp front facing
- Wi-Fi 5
- Bluetooth 5.2
- 13 hours battery life (unspecified size)
- 15W wired charging
- 202 x 137 x 9.6mm
- 337g
Author: Simon Chandler, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Simon Chandler is a freelance journalist based in London with a focus on consumer technology, specialising in reviews and coverage of smartphones, tablets and wearables, while also writing regularly about cryptocurrency, blockchain and finance.
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