The first-party Amazon apps are great, and you can use the device purely with voice commands via Alexa like a smart speaker. If you look at the Fire HD 8 Plus as a portal into Amazon’s ecosystem, it makes a lot more sense than as a traditional tablet.īasically, once you venture outside of Amazon’s own apps and a handful of aggressively monetized mobile games, it’s a pretty miserable experience. Furthermore, some apps (such as YouTube) installed just fine, but then failed to launch correctly. I already pay an annual subscription for Ultimate Guitar, and I’m not about to spend an extra $3 for the privilege of using it on the Fire HD 8 Plus. This means that you’re restricted to apps acquired through Amazon’s own app store, and a lot of popular apps are missing or put behind a confusing paywall.įor example, I wanted to install Ultimate Guitar, but it costs $3 on the Amazon App Store despite being free in the Google Play Store. It’s ugly and locks you into Amazon’s ecosystem, as it doesn’t offer access to the Google Play Store. It’s been a while since I used a Fire OS device, but the experience hasn’t improved since I last picked up an Amazon device. The HD 8 Plus runs a heavily modified version of Android called Fire OS. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) software Andy Zahn / Digital Trends These cameras are so bad it’s questionable whether they should have been included in the first place. The camera interface is also as basic and difficult to operate as possible. The first digital camera I ever used nearly two decades ago delivered higher resolution and better quality images than this. The selfie camera delivers 2MP still images and 720p video capture, while the rear-facing camera shoots 5MP stills and 1080p video. Image quality is bad even in broad daylight, and in even mildly dim interior conditions, photos turn out muddy and indistinct. The camera on the HD 8 Plus is the worst I’ve used in years. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) camera Andy Zahn / Digital Trends However, I did run into frame rate drops despite it not being graphically demanding. Gaming is possible on the HD 8 Plus, and I was able to enjoy My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge. The new, faster processor enables an advertised 30% boost in processing speed over its predecessor, enabling picture-in-picture video and split-screen capability. When browsing the home screen, using a web browser, or streaming media, it’s snappy and responsive. In general, the performance of the HD 8 Plus is fine. The speakers on the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus are perfectly acceptable, if not particularly fantastic. At max brightness, it was very difficult to use outdoors, and at 1280 x 800 resolution, it’s not impressive - but it gets the job done. The HD 8 Plus display is merely OK it offers decent color, contrast, and sharpness, though I did find it to be a little bit dim. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) display and performance Andy Zahn / Digital Trends A good case is almost essential for a tablet, given how many I’ve seen friends and family break over the years. I tested the Fire HD 8 Plus with the optional case, which makes the tablet feel and look significantly more premium. The packaging is made from wood fiber-based materials from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources, but such claims of responsible forestry are often of questionable merit, and I’d be much more impressed if the packaging was made fully from recycled materials. The packaging is fully recyclable, which is great, though the benefits of that packaging are somewhat vague. The best Android tablets in 2023: the 9 best ones you can buyĪmazon is having a fire sale (pun intended) on Fire tablets - from $60Īmazon’s new Fire HD 8 tablets run faster, last longer, and start at $100Īmazon claims that the Fire HD 8 Plus has a reduced carbon footprint due to its packaging. This is a compromise I’d expect to find in a budget tablet. On the other hand, the bezels around the screen are quite obtrusive, and definitely expand the footprint of the device, making it less portable than a tablet with smaller bezels. The Fire HD 8 Plus also has a USB-C port, which is great to see, and includes a charging brick, something that is not so often included with devices these days. I very much appreciate the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a feature I’ve missed in high-end modern phones and tablets. Compared to glass or aluminum, it is easier to grip and won’t show wear and tear as easily. It’s not fancy or premium, but the textured plastic back is actually really nice. Surprisingly, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is very well made in a functional sort of way. Show 2 more items Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) design Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
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