Amazon's 'all-new' Fire HD 8 tablets are (a little) faster, thinner, lighter, and pricier
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Hot on the heels of a very interesting new budget-friendly Kindle e-reader, Amazon is today taking the wraps off no less than four upgraded Fire tablets... in a single size. Sorry, entry-level Fire 7 and jumbo-sized Fire HD 10 fans, the e-commerce giant's Android-based middle child is the only one getting a sequel now after a previous 10th gen release back in 2020.
The 12th gen Fire HD 8, simply labelled the "all-new" Fire HD 8 by its manufacturer, is up for pre-order today starting at $99.99 with a familiar but subtly refined design, a few moderate internal upgrades, and an actual October 19 release date attached to its somewhat confusing name.
What's different, what's the same?
Firstly (and importantly for Amazon's target audience), long-time Fire watchers are likely to notice right off the bat that this year's "standard" 8-incher is $10 costlier than its 2020 predecessor. Unfortunately, the same goes for the latest Fire HD 8 Plus, Fire HD 8 Kids, and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro generations, all of which seem to have been negatively impacted by the rampant inflation rise of the last year or so.
To justify that hike, the 2022 Fire HD 8 promises to deliver 30 percent more raw power compared to its quad-core two year-old forerunner, a performance enhancement made possible by the adoption of an unspecified hexa-core processor clocked at up to 2.0 GHz speeds.
If speed is what you're most interested in, you should know that the $120 and up "all-new" Fire HD 8 Plus supports significantly faster (wired) charging than its non-Plus sibling while also offering an extra gig of RAM (for a grand total of three), wireless charging capabilities, and "sharper" snapshots with a 5MP rear-facing camera in tow.
Alas, that means the Fire HD 8 still comes with a cringeworthy 2MP shooter on its back (and a 2MP selfie snapper) while lasting "up to" 13 hours on a single charge, which is a slightly better battery life rating than those of the previous-gen Fire HD 8 and even the current-gen Fire HD 10.
Compared to the Fire HD 10, of course, the screen is still pretty modest, with an unchanged resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, but compared to the 10th gen Fire HD 8, this 12th gen model is at least a tad thinner and lighter, at 9.6mm and 337 grams respectively (down from 9.7mm and 355 grams). All in all, this is definitely not a radical upgrade, but the (apparent) quality/price ratio remains pretty much unrivaled in today's otherwise incredibly competitive tablet market.
New kid-friendly cases and the same worry-free guarantee
Yes, the $149.99 Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro are both covered against any type of damage for two years right out the box, and no, you still don't have to pay anything extra for a handy 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription with all kinds of carefully curated and age-appropriate content included.
What you may want to cough up an additional 10 bucks on is the "all-new" Disney Design bundle consisting of your child-centric slate of choice and a robust and eye-catching Mickey Mouse or Disney Princess case.
Of course, the base price includes a "kid-proof" case as well, with your Pro options ranging from Cyber Blue to Hello Teal to Rainbow Universe flavors and the non-Pro Fire HD 8 Kids tablet available in playful blue and purple colors.
Just as before, the Pro version is designed for slightly older children (aged 6 to 12), with non-Pro models being deemed more appropriate for kids aged 3 to 7. That being said, the specifications are naturally identical for the two versions... and the "regular" new Fire HD 8, including everything from a hexa-core processor to 2 gigs of RAM, 32 and 64GB storage options, 13-hour battery life, and USB-C charging.
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