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The new Amazon Fire HD 8 has been launched; this 2022 update on Amazon’s middle-sized tablet family replaces the 2020 model.

Amazon releases new model — its Fire HD 8 tablet line is getting the upgrade treatment — and the list price goes up $10 more than previous model. The “all-new” Fire HD 8 tablets start at $100 with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They have a slightly slimmer and lighter design along with a 30% performance boost and slightly better battery life.

The Design

The all-new Fire HD 8 Plus is very well made in a functional sort of way. The textured plastic back is actually really nice. Compared to glass or aluminum, it is easier to grip and won’t show wear and tear as easily. 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.

The all-new fire HD 8 Plus is slightly slimmer – and it’s nearly 20g lighter than previous model.

The packaging is fully recyclable, which is great. The packaging is made from wood fiber-based materials from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources.

Display and Perfermance

The HD 8′s screen still isn’t great . The resolution is just 1,280×800 pixels — but it’s good enough for many people. It offers decent color, contrast, and sharpness, though I did find it to be a little bit dim. At max brightness, it was very difficult to use outdoors. The speakers on the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus are perfectly acceptable, if not particularly fantastic.

In general, the performance is fine. When browsing the website, or streaming media, it’s  responsive. The new, faster processor enables an advertised 30% boost in processing speed over its predecessor, enabling picture-in-picture video and split-screen capability. Gaming is possible on the HD 8 Plus.

Software

The HD 8 Plus runs a heavily modified version of Android called Fire OS. It doesn’t support the Google Play Store, while use Amazon’s App Store to download apps and services you might want. 

That covers most entertainment apps, plenty of games and lots more – and the experience between these devices is likely to be pretty much the same. 

The Fire HD 8 2022 introduces Tap to Alexa on the accessibility side of things.You can ask Alexa to listen to music, get news and weather, update shopping lists, and set reminders. Control your smart home, or ask Alexa to make video calls to friends and family with apps like Zoom.

The Camera

The camera on the HD 8 Plus is not great.  Image quality is bad even in broad daylight, and in even mildly dim interior conditions, photos turn out muddy and indistinct. The selfie camera features 2MP still images and 720p video capture, while the rear-facing camera shoots 5MP stills and 1080p video.

2022 Fire HD 8 offers a better overall experience – while it also benefits from a slightly longer battery life – 13 hours compared to 12 hours on the older model. 

Conclusion

The Fire HD 8 Plus is a good budget tablet for based entertainment. It is a great choice for your family.