As expected by our leak, Amazon announced the new Fire HD 8 tablets today, with new features and hardware. They will luanch on October 19 from $99: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9J49SDJ/
The price bump up by $10 has also given it a more powerful 2.0 GHz hexa-core MediaTek MT8169A processor with a Mali-G52 GPU, and an even tougher aluminosilicate glass display than before.
Battery life has also been extended to a very satisfying 13 hours long, though the RAM is still 2GB for the Fire HD 8 and 3GB for the Fire HD 8 Plus with storage options of 32GB and 64GB, with microSD card expansion up to 1TB and of course free storage for content with Amazon.
The Fire HD 8 Plus supports wireless charging too, and features upgraded rear camera too. The front camera is a 2MP camera, but the rear camera has been changed to a much more useful 5MP camera.
With an 8-inch screen, the display resolution is 1280 x 800 for both Fire HD 8 models, and they feature stereo speakers, a USB C 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack.
You can add a wireless charging dock to the Fire HD 8 Plus, which also works as a convenient stand for the tablet, both for grabbing it and for viewing it.
The operating system is the Android 11 based Fire OS 8, and internet is made available through dual-band a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2, while tablet sensors are an accelerometer and ambient light sensor.
Other wireless conveniences are naturally integration with the Alexa personal assistant, so you can use the tablet as an extended smart hub while doing other things with your hands.
New Kids versions of these tablets will launch at the same time, with the addition of bumper cases, kids content, extended warranties, and a free replacement tablet in case the first one breaks.
On top of that, Amazon has also reintroduced a Fire tablet gaming bundle for $169 which includes a gaming controller and related services.
Color choices on this new 2023-2024 model of the Fire HD 8 are black, rose, and denim. It’s also still a very light tablet at just 337 grams, while the thickness is 9.6mm.
A 5W charger/power adapter is included with this tablet, but Amazon also offers optional 9W chargers and 15W chargers that can halve the charging time to 2.5 hours.
– Tom Bowen
