
- Amazon fire hd 8 720p#
- Amazon fire hd 8 1080p#
- Amazon fire hd 8 install#
- Amazon fire hd 8 for android#
- Amazon fire hd 8 android#
The previous Fire HD 8 was popular with parents wanting an affordable tablet for their kids. But some people may feel intimidated by the process. That would allow you to run a lot more apps.
Amazon fire hd 8 install#
And while Amazon doesn't encourage it, you can install the Google Play store by following some instructions on the internet.
Amazon fire hd 8 android#
The tablet runs on Amazon's latest Fire OS, a customized version of Android P, which was released in the fall of 2018. You won't find apps for Vudu or HBO Max, for instance (though HBO Max may be coming).

Amazon fire hd 8 for android#
You can also watch other streaming video services such as Netflix and Hulu, but the selection of apps in the Amazon Appstore has always been limited compared with what's available for Android and iOS, especially when it comes to games. The Fire HD 8 has always been a handy tablet for consuming Amazon video content, ebooks and music, and it's still particularly useful for Prime members. But you wouldn't be able to wirelessly charge the tablet at the same time. You could get a cover with a built-in stand - Amazon sells plenty of those, including its own nicely designed but expensive covers - and create the same setup for watching videos with either the HD 8 Plus or standard HD 8. Like the Fire HD 10, the HD 8 now has a picture-in-picture mode for watching video in a small window in the corner of the display while using the tablet's other applications, such as using a browser to look up recipes. There happens to be a Spectrum app that gives me all my channels on the Fire HD 8 or HD 8 Plus so long as I'm on my home network (you get a reduced number of channels when you're away from your home network). I put the dock in my kitchen and used the HD 8 Plus as a mini TV because I have Spectrum TV as my cable provider. The standard Fire HD 8 is available in white and other color options. But some people are looking for a smaller, lighter tablet and the HD 8 is a significant bump up from Amazon's cheapest tablet, the Fire 7. When that model goes on sale for $100, it's probably the best value in tablets.
Amazon fire hd 8 1080p#
That said, the eight-core processor and GPU - the graphics processor - are faster in the 10-inch Fire HD 10, which also has a sharper 1080p display. It isn't as responsive as an entry-level iPad, which is often on sale for about $250, but it's overall pretty smooth and I didn't have any problem running games like Asphalt 9: Legends. At 355 grams, the new Fire HD 8 weighs a touch less than its 363g predecessor.Ī few years back, the HD 8 seemed sluggish, but its performance has steadily improved and now it's pretty zippy (Amazon says the new HD 8s are 30% faster than the 2018 HD 8 thanks to the new processor and software optimization). It's fine for watching videos but it's not nearly as sharp as the screen you get with, say, an iPad, which is why you're paying a lot less for this.
Amazon fire hd 8 720p#
The screen is technically HD but it's basically 720p and not 1080p. David Carnoy/CNETīoth new Fire HD 8 models have the same 1,280x800-pixel resolution display as the previous HD 8. The 2018 model was already a five-star product, so Amazon's decision to boost performance, extend the battery life and add USB-C charging for 2020 was always going to lead to another recommendation.The Fire HD 8 now features USB-C charging. Once again, Amazon has cooked up a fantastically priced tablet with its newest Fire HD 8. You can ask Alexa to tell you the weather, show sports fixtures or play the latest TV show on Amazon Prime Video, for instance. This allows you to bark your orders at Amazon’s digital assistant without pressing any buttons, and it functions just the same as on Amazon’s Echo devices. The Fire HD 8 also includes hands-free Alexa. Although most popular apps can be found, such as Facebook, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Disney Plus, many games available on the Apple App Store and Google Play are missing in action. As an example, we typically use the Geekbench 5 app for performance testing of various devices, but Amazon’s store only contains the much older Geekbench 3 benchmark. The amount of applications on the Amazon Appstore continues to be rather limited, though.

Your Kindle library, Prime Video content, Amazon Music tracks and more can be accessed with simple swipes left and right of the homescreen, as well as a list of your downloaded apps. If you’ve used a Fire tablet previously, then the experience remains largely the same.
