Fire HD 8 review
Fire HD 8 is the super cheap tablet of Amazon, renovated a few weeks ago and now equipped with a more powerful processor, increased RAM and the now ubiquitous USB-C connector. We tried it a few days to understand how it works, who it is suitable for and, above all, if it is able to replace another member of the Amazon family: Kindle.
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Fire HD 8 review: the main features
Before telling you what it does, let's try to understand what are the main characteristics of Fire HD 8.
The tablet of the American giant comes with a plastic body and an 8-inch IPS LCD display with resolution 1280 x 880 pixels. Don't expect anything spectacular: the Fire HD 8's screen has a decent rendering and sufficient brightness for home use, but don't expect to be able to take advantage of it in direct sunlight.
Two cameras are present, one on the front and one on the back. Both are 2 megapixel and are designed for video calling. We do not recommend using them for taking pictures as the quality is not particularly high.
Under the body we have a 8168 GHz Mediatek MT1,3 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of internal memory, expandable via the microSD slot, while connectivity is entrusted to dual band WiFi ac and Bluetooth 5.0.
The operating system is FireOS, a customized version of Android accompanied by the proprietary store, the Amazon App Store. From here pyou can download and install all the applications you are used to, including Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Disney +, Candy Crush and more.
Fire HD 8 Tablet | 8 ”HD Display, 32 GB (Black) - With ...
- 8 ”HD screen, double the storage space (32 or 64 GB of internal memory expandable up to 1 TB with ...
- Up to 12 hours of battery life for reading, surfing the web, watching videos and listening to music.
- Now with a USB-C input for easier charging. Full charge in less than 5 hours (using the cable and ...
Can I use it instead of a Kindle?
Amazon Fire HD 8 it's perfect if you want something compact and undemanding.
You can use it to consult social media, to play games or to watch movies and TV series, both at home and on the move.
But we asked ourselves how it behaves in reading? In short, cit costs only 20 euros more than a traditional Kindle and does much more, so it can also be used as an ebook reader? Actually yes. You can read perfectly and take advantage of the same tools present on the real Kindle: there are the notes, the highlighters, the dictionary and the translator.
At night you can instead activate the Blue Shade mode. You can find it by lowering the notification curtain and it makes everything very yellow. During the day it will seem almost exaggerated but know that at night it makes a difference. In the settings you can also define the color, opting for a more yellow or much more red filter.
So what changes compared to an ebook reader? Fire HD 8 does not have e-ink technology, therefore the sensation is typical of digital devices and less similar to that of ink on paper. It's not necessarily bad: it's just a matter of habit.
The lighting is more delicate. An ebook is usually lit but not backlit. It is not the screen that emits light like in a tablet but there are small LEDs under the frame which therefore do not directly hit your eyes but still allow you to see in the dark.
Returning to the original question, can I then use a Fire HD 8 instead of an ebook reader? Yes and no.
If you want a versatile device that does everything, including reading, Amazon's tablet is undoubtedly a good solution, the cheapest on the market. With 99 € you can in fact take home the 32 GB model, while with 129 € you can buy the 64GB one.
If, on the other hand, reading is your primary goal, an ebook reader is more suitable for preserving your eyesight and guarantees a much more paper-like experience.
Obviously in this case you will have to give up the typical features of a tablet or buy a second device that meets all your needs.
Fire HD 8 Tablet | 8 ”HD Display, 32 GB (Black) - With ...
- 8 ”HD screen, double the storage space (32 or 64 GB of internal memory expandable up to 1 TB with ...
- Up to 12 hours of battery life for reading, surfing the web, watching videos and listening to music.
- Now with a USB-C input for easier charging. Full charge in less than 5 hours (using the cable and ...
