3/21/2023 0 Comments Amazon fire hd 8![]() ![]() If you look at the Fire HD 8 Plus as a portal into Amazon’s ecosystem, it makes a lot more sense than as a traditional tablet. The first-party Amazon apps are great, and you can use the device purely with voice commands via Alexa like a smart speaker. These cameras are so bad it’s questionable whether they should have been included in the first place.īasically, once you venture outside of Amazon’s own apps and a handful of aggressively monetized mobile games, it’s a pretty miserable experience. The camera interface is also as basic and difficult to operate as possible. The first digital camera I ever used nearly two decades ago delivered higher resolution and better quality images than this. The selfie camera delivers 2MP still images and 720p video capture, while the rear-facing camera shoots 5MP stills and 1080p video. Image quality is bad even in broad daylight, and in even mildly dim interior conditions, photos turn out muddy and indistinct. The camera on the HD 8 Plus is the worst I’ve used in years. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) camera Andy Zahn / Digital Trends However, I did run into frame rate drops despite it not being graphically demanding. Gaming is possible on the HD 8 Plus, and I was able to enjoy My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge. The new, faster processor enables an advertised 30% boost in processing speed over its predecessor, enabling picture-in-picture video and split-screen capability. When browsing the home screen, using a web browser, or streaming media, it’s snappy and responsive. In general, the performance of the HD 8 Plus is fine. ![]() The speakers on the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus are perfectly acceptable, if not particularly fantastic. At max brightness, it was very difficult to use outdoors, and at 1280 x 800 resolution, it’s not impressive - but it gets the job done. The HD 8 Plus display is merely OK it offers decent color, contrast, and sharpness, though I did find it to be a little bit dim. Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) display and performance Andy Zahn / Digital Trends A good case is almost essential for a tablet, given how many I’ve seen friends and family break over the years. I tested the Fire HD 8 Plus with the optional case, which makes the tablet feel and look significantly more premium. The packaging is made from wood fiber-based materials from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources, but such claims of responsible forestry are often of questionable merit, and I’d be much more impressed if the packaging was made fully from recycled materials. The packaging is fully recyclable, which is great, though the benefits of that packaging are somewhat vague. This is a compromise I’d expect to find in a budget tablet.Īmazon claims that the Fire HD 8 Plus has a reduced carbon footprint due to its packaging. On the other hand, the bezels around the screen are quite obtrusive, and definitely expand the footprint of the device, making it less portable than a tablet with smaller bezels. 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. I very much appreciate the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a feature I’ve missed in high-end modern phones and tablets. Compared to glass or aluminum, it is easier to grip and won’t show wear and tear as easily. It’s not fancy or premium, but the textured plastic back is actually really nice. Surprisingly, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is very well made in a functional sort of way. But is the low cost of this budget tablet worth the tradeoffs, or has Amazon cut too many corners? Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) design Andy Zahn / Digital Trends That comparison is rather apt, as ads are how Amazon has achieved such an absurdly cheap price point for the HD 8 Plus. On paper, you get practically everything you expect from an iPad or other premium tablet for not much more than the cost of an ad-supported Netflix subscription. That’s why a super-affordable tablet like the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) is so appealing. Ad-supported model isn’t worth the savingsĪn expensive tablet is something of a questionable purchase these days, particularly if you’re living on a tight budget, or already own a large smartphone. ![]()
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