The world of Android tablets is characterized by products
with fluctuating quality, supported by apps that are often not optimized for
large screens. Apple's iPads now seem "invincible" (60% market share
according to StatCounter data ), both in terms of sales and actual user
experience. However, in recent years something is finally moving in the Android
field and techsupportreviews companies like Samsung (20% market share) are making many people
think again.
The most interesting surprise, however, is Amazon, which,
thanks to aggressive prices and discounts linked to the range of Fire devices,
has become, again according to data from StatCounter, the third largest tablet
producer in the world by sales, thanks to its 5.46% market. share.
We already havetalked on these pages in 2018 about how the
experience offered by these devices is not to be underestimated, but today it
is good to return to the subject, since in recent week we have had the
opportunity to try the 2020 model of Amazon Fire HD 8 , a tablet sold for just
99.99 euros (version with 32GB of internal memory and special offers), a cost
in line with those to which the company of Jeff Bezos has accustomed us with
previous generations.
Design and unboxing
The sales package goes straight to the point, in pure Amazon
style: the orange box contains only the tablet, the USB Type-C cable, various
manuals and the 5W charger. In short, the equipment is the classic one, but
already from here we notice the first novelty of the 2020 model of Amazon Fire
HD 8: the presence of a USB Type-C port . For the uninitiated, we have reached
the tenth generation of this tablet and the US giant usually renews it from
year to year (or every two years).
The last generation of the tablet, released in 2018, still
featured the standard microUSB. The writer still uses the Fire 7 released in
2017 as a secondary device: we assure you that in recent years the absence of a
Type-C has been a limitation, given that some new accessories do not work
without adapters. In short, Amazon has finally decided to make its low cost
tablets more modern.
Jeff Bezos' giant hasn't given up on the 3.5mm audio jack
for headphones. In fact, it peeks out at the top of the tablet, next to the
aforementioned USB Type-C port, the microphone, the power button and the volume
rocker. On the left side there are the speakers, while on the front we find a
screen with evident edges, flanked, on the side, by the front camera. The
backcover is made of plastic and features only the Amazon logo in the center
and the rear camera. The memory expansion slot is on the right side behind the
"door".
The dimensions of the tablet are equal to 202 x 137 x 9.7
mm, for a weight of 355 grams. Amazon Fire HD 8 is not too heavy and has a
normal build solidity: if you have already had a tablet from the Fire range,
you know how the US company works from this point of view. In any cases, we are
talking about a low cost product, do not expect "premium" materials.
The only color available is the Black one.
In terms of design, we are in front of a tablet from the Fire
range in all respects. There is not much more to say: the constructive solidity
and the quality of the materials are perhaps not at the top, but in the range
under 100 euros it is practically impossible to find better. Considering that
USB Type-C has arrived this year, we can only promote the Fire HD 8 from this
point of view.
Technical features
Amazon Fire HD 8 mounts a MediaTek MT8168 quad-core
processor operating at the maximum frequency of 2.0 GHz, flanked by an ARM
Mali-G52 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD up
to 1TB). The performances are certainly not the best available on the market,
but don't be fooled by the data sheet: the US company knows how to work very
well at the software level, making all the apps available on the Amazon
AppStore work well.
The screen is an 8-inch IPS with HD resolution(1200 x 800
pixels). The mere specifications "lie" here too: in reality, if
contextualized in the low-end of the tablet world, we are talking about a very
valid panel. The maximum brightness is excellent and the colors are well
balanced: the panel "suffers" a little only under the sunlight, but
we are talking about a Wi-Fi tablet to be used mainly indoors.
Among other things, there is no problem of visualization at
the level of multimedia contents, since the aspect ratio is a classic 16: 9,
all the main video streaming services are available (YouTube works in a
"website" version ). The average user to whom the device is aimed
will certainly appreciate this panel.
We also quickly analyze the photographic sector of Amazon
Fire HD 8, although in reality it is not that important in a low cost tablet.
We find a 2MP front and rear camera , capable of recording videos up to 720p
resolution.
There is very little to say: the quality of the photos is
just sufficient and perhaps we would not use the final result even for social
media, but as we said it is not a device designed for taking pictures. In any
case, we are on discrete levels for those who use the tablet every now and then
to make some video calls.
Amazon claims up to 12 hours of continuous use. During our
test, we often got to about two full days, a bit like many tablets we've tried
in the last period. In short, the autonomy is good: a pity only for the 5W
recharge, which takes almost 5 hours to bring Amazon Fire HD 8 from 0% to 100%.
In reality, the tablet would also support charging up to 15W , but in that case
you need to purchase a USB Type-C / Type-C cable and charger, sold separately.
The connectivity sector should not be underestimated, where
we find support for Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / dual band.
The audio is also not bad, with double stereo speakers, a gem that is hardly
found in this price range.
Software
The Fire range is a world apart from other Android tablets
at the software level. The most correct definition of the FireOS operating
system, now in version 7.3.1.4, is probably "Amazon-oriented" . In
fact, everything revolves around the Amazon account. You already notice this at
the first start, when you get to the main screen of the tablet. The home page
is divided into sections: For You, Home, Books, Videos, Games and Apps, Shop
and Music.
All screens are contextualized according to the user's
interests and allow, for example, to quickly make purchases, find their
favorite books or take advantage of the myriad possibilities guaranteed by the
subscription to Amazon Prime. In short, Jeff Bezos' company has created its own
very interesting ecosystem.
It is certainly a solution that may not please everyone, but
there is no doubt that Amazon has managed to optimize its software
customization for low cost tablets, giving life to a user experience that can
satisfy those who want to watch movies and streaming TV series, playing some
casual titles, browsing social networks and completing the classic daily
operations that are usually carried out with a tablet.
The operating system is always smooth, despite the low-end
hardware, and we assure you that this is a very important plus. In the past,
Android tablets under 100 euros even struggled to open certain applications,
thanks to solutions such as Amazon's today this is no longer the case.
The operating system is base on Android 9 Pie, but Google
services are absent . This means that to download the apps it is necessary to
rely on the Amazon AppStore, an official pre-installed store that covers all
needs (except the banking apps and the classic missing software). In case you
just can't find some apps, you can rely on third-party solutions like APK Pure
or APK Mirror. For more information, we recommends that you consult this
in-depth study dedicated to third-party stores .
Amazon has clearly thought of its store for its tablets and
therefore many popular apps are available and fully functional, from Disney +
to Netflix., passing through Skype, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram and Facebook
Messenger, just to mention some widely used software. Obviously, there is no
shortage of service apps owned by Amazon itself, from Prime Video to Twitch.
Additionally, you can download a YouTube app which essentially acts as a
shortcut to the mobile website, but opens it outside of the browser. In short,
the software available is able to satisfy the majority of users.
From our point of view, the US company's solution is
excellent despite the absence of Google services. An aspect that is worth
addressing is that relating to the two versions of the tablet, with special
offers and without. The first has some advertisements that appear on the
lockscreen .
Ads are not annoying at all and by choosing this version you
can save a little on the purchase price of the tablet. However, if you really
don't want them, you can spend 15 euros more to take home the version without
special offers.
As for the evolution of FireOS , the software has been refined
in terms of design from different points of view compared to the Amazon Fire 7
of 2017 that we still use today as a second device. However, the functionality
has remained more or less unchanged, barring some improvements here and there.
Today FireOS is a solid customization, designed to make life easier for the
average user aiming at the low end of the market.
Amazon has continued to update this tablet from 2017 to
today at a more or less regular pace, releasing mainly security updates. To
give you some concrete examples, under 100 euros there are many tablets that
come out today with Android 8.1 and that are not even updated. In this context,
you understand that Amazon's support is excellent, given that the new Fire HD 8
2020 already has a version of FireOS based on Android 9 Pie and, if everything
goes as we have seen in the past, maybe it will also receive the update to a
major Android release over the course of its support period.
Gaming
To test Amazon Fire HD 8 properly in the gaming field, we
have chosen some of the most famous titles available directly on the Amazon
AppStore : PUBG Mobile and Subway Surf.
PUBG Mobile runs smoothly with details on
"Balanced" and frame rate on "High". Going up with the
details, you begin to notice dips here and there. Subway Surf, on the other
hand, works perfectly, but we are talking about a game that is not very
demanding in terms of resources.
Incidentally, FireOS features a game mode that optimizes
performance, hides notifications and disables Alexa-related features while
playing. In short, Fire HD 8 is a tablet that allows you to play a few games
every now and then in some casual way, without too many pretensions.
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