Amazon goes big and bigger with Fire HD 8 and 10 tablets (hands-on)
Amazon's largest 2015 tablet, the 10-inch Fire HD 10, costs $230 (£170) and ships September 30.
In addition to its new 7-inch tablet priced at an insanely low $50 (or £50 in the UK), e-commerce giant Amazon has two other new devices that will join its family of 2015 slates: the 8-inch Fire HD 8 and the 10-inch Fire HD 10, Amazon's biggest tablet to date.
Though the company already sells several tablets ranging from 6 to 8.9 inches, this is the first time it is releasing tablets in these particular sizes. The Fire HD 8 and 10 will ship out September 30, and retail for $150 and $230, respectively. Brits can get their hands on them on the same date, costing £130 and £170 respectively. (Amazon doesn't yet sell these models in Australia, but if you were to import them, the US prices convert to AU$210 and AU$320.)
We'll have a full review of the Fire HD 10 soon. In the meantime, check out our full review of the HD 8, and know that -- except for screen size and price -- the two tablets offer the same basic specs and functionality.
Design
The tablets measure 0.3-inch (7.7mm) thick and are made of glossy plastic. The Fire HD 8 comes in four colors: black, magenta, orange and blue, while its bigger counterpart is available in the traditional black and white.
Altogether, the reflective sheen, bold colors and sharp corners are reminiscent of the Lumia 2520, Nokia's ill-fated foray into tablets. And while this aesthetic is polished enough, it doesn't necessarily feel high-end or premium on the Fire HDs.
The smooth back panel feels comfortable against your fingertips, but it attracts some visible fingerprints. At their low price, the cheap, toy-like feel of the Fire HD tablets is no surprise. However, according to Amazon and its tumble test they're durable, so we'll be careful at this point to judge a tablet by its plastic cover.
Speaking of durability, the devices' HD IPS screens are strengthened with Gorilla Glass, and they display video and other content with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This is great for watching movies and the 1,280x800-pixel resolution looks fine displaying HD video.
During our brief time with it, we didn't find the displays particularly impressive, but -- again -- at their low price, it's expected. Out of all of the Amazon tablets, the Fire HD models are supposed to boast the brightest screens. Because we handled the tablets in a white-walled and window-filled room, however, the screens reflected a notable amount of glare and appeared a bit dull. (Check out the HD 8 review for a more up-to-date evaluation of the screen.)
Hardware and key components
Aside from the differences in their displays, the Fire HD 8 and 10 essentially have the same hardware, which include a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, expandable storage up to 128GB, and dual speakers with Dolby Audio technology.
For your photography needs, the tablets have a 5-megapixel rear camera that can record 1080p full HD video and a 720p front-facing shooter.
Software features
The devices run Amazon's new Fire OS 5 Bellini operating system, which is based on Google's Android Lollipop software. Besides an updated user interface, Amazon has introduced a few other software goodies.
One is On Deck, which automatically loads your tablet with current popular movies available on Prime. This is especially useful when you go off on a trip at short notice and haven't yet taken the time to load your device with movies you picked out yourself. On Deck also clears out the storage it takes up when you need space for your own chosen content.
Another is Word Runner, a speed-reading feature that lets you read text one word at a time, and trains your eyes and brain to read faster. Activity Center, meanwhile, lets parents see how their children are using the tablet. This includes a report on how long they spend reading and playing games, and parents can view their children's browser history. Then there's Amazon Underground, an app portal that gives you access to free apps that would normally cost money on Google's Play Store app.
The Fire devices also have access to Amazon's free 24/7 customer-service platform Mayday. Though this service was originally introduced in 2013, a new feature with these tablets include Mayday Screen Sharing, which features (you guessed it) screen sharing to help Amazon representatives troubleshoot your problems.
Outlook
With the addition of the Fire HD 8 and 10, Amazon offers you more variety in its line of budget tablets. Though the number of apps available on Amazon trail behind that of Apple and Google's app store, the devices are priced competitively compared to other big-name companies.
The Google Nexus 9, for example, costs $400 and the cheapest Apple iPad, the 7.9-inch iPad Mini 2, has a $269 starting costs that is still $119 more than the Fire HD 8. As for big-screen tablets, the Fire HD 10 is more affordable than the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, which can run to $300 or more.
Those who are already enrolled in Amazon's membership service Prime will stand to benefit most from the tablets' bundling of digital content and services. Though these two devices may not be the most powerful pair of tablets around, they will most likely appeal to people who want a big screen without a big price tag.