Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon Fire HD 10 review: A cheap, big-screen conduit to Amazon's digital content
Amazon's biggest tablet ever offers easy access to Prime TV shows, movies, music and games, and it even lets you download them onto a microSD card.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is the biggest, cheapest way to get Amazon Prime perks on a tablet.
Amazon Fire HD 10
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
If you're an Amazon Prime member, easy access to the throng of digital content that comes with your subscription is only a few swipes away. Not only can you stream Prime movies and TV shows, you can also download them for offline viewing -- onto your internal storage or a microSD card. The Prime membership isn't mandatory, but it unlocks an extra level of value for the inexpensive tablet.
The entire Amazon Fire tablet lineup boasts the same Prime benefits, and the range of models vary in size and price. Starting at $230 (£170 or AU$215, if converted), the Fire HD 10 is the biggest Amazon tablet available, and it's essentially a super-size version of the Fire HD 8 . However in this case, bigger doesn't necessarily mean better; their identical screen resolution looks fine on the 8-inch model, yet on the 10-incher it looks stretched out.
The smaller Fire HD will only cost you $150, and if you're really trying to spend as little as possible, the 7-inch Fire tablet costs a mere $50. To be sure, the Fire tablet feels as cheap as it costs, yet -- like the Fire HD 10 -- it's one of the best deals around for a tablet its size. You can't download apps from the Google Play Store; instead you have access to Amazon's curated app store. It still has a good number of apps available, including free ones courtesy of the new Amazon Underground feature, just not as many as Google's. Due to its big low-resolution screen, the Amazon Fire HD 10 isn't as impressive as the 8-inch model (which packs more pixels into its smaller screen), but it still has a lot of good going for it.
Editors' note: The Amazon Fire HD 8 is an almost identical version of the Fire HD 10 (reviewed here). Portions of their reviews are similar.
Editors' note, October 15, 2015 : The review has been edited to clarify that Amazon Underground is available to all Amazon users.
Design
The Fire HD 10 is Amazon's biggest tablet ever. It looks just like the 8-inch model, just larger. Unlike the Fire HD 8, the 10-inch version comes only in black or white color options.
Dimensions compared
| Tested spec | Amazon Fire HD 10 | Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 0.95 pound (432g) | 1.10 pounds (499g) | 1 pound (450g) |
| Width (landscape) | 10.3 inches (262mm) | 9.7 inches (247mm) | 9.5 inches (241.3mm) |
| Height | 6.3 inches (159mm) | 6.7 inches (171mm) | 6.6 inches (167mm) |
| Depth | 0.30 inch (7.7mm) | 0.35 inch (8.9mm) | 0.30 inch (7.5mm) |
| Side bezel width (landscape) | 0.75 inch (19mm) | 0.5 inch (12.7mm) | 0.5 inch (12.7mm) |
The tablet brandishes a plastic body with a polished sheen. The smooth and glossy back attracts fingerprints and smudges easily, though the finish feels comfortable when holding it. The slick plastic back can feel slippery if it's not gripped securely.
In landscape orientation, the right edge of the tablet is home to the power button, volume rocker, Micro-USB port and headphone jack. The expandable microSD card slot is located on the right, while the speakers are inconspicuously located on the bottom edge.
The Fire HD 10 is far from the thin and lightweight design of the Amazon Fire HDX 8.9. Contrary to the Fire HD tablets, the high-end 8.9-inch Fire HDX tablet is a performance powerhouse with a supremely skinny and sleek aesthetic. The Fire HDX 8.9 also costs almost twice as much as the Fire HD 10. This goes to show that design is often a compromise when manufacturers are trying to meet a low price point. That said, the Fire HD 10's dimensions are in the wheelhouse of comparable tablets in the same price range.
The glossy plastic design of the Fire HD 10 evokes a toy-like impression that's part fun and part chintzy. The polished aesthetic doesn't really feel high-end or premium. At its low price, the Fisher-Price vibe is no surprise.
In some way, the flagrantly plastic construction is refreshingly unpretentious. To be sure, the design is one of its weakest aspects, but considering it's a tablet meant for entertainment rather than productivity, the playful aesthetic all kind of makes sense in a way.
Features
The new Fire HD tablets debut Amazon's latest Android-based operating system, Fire OS 5 Bellini. The updated user interface has a fresh design that's easy to navigate and new features to enhance watching video, gaming and reading. Though it runs a modified version of the Google OS, you don't get the full breadth of Android apps available in the Google Play store. Instead, you have the Amazon App store, which is highly curated and somewhat limited in its selection. It's a downside to the Amazon OS, but if you don't care for downloading many apps, it's not a big deal.
Fire OS 5 Bellini
Fire OS 5 Bellini is refreshingly different from previous iterations. Gone is the giant app carousel and gloomy black-and-gray motif of previous Fire OS versions, and in its place is a spruced-up, colorful, content-focused UI.
The home screen now consists of a row at the top of the page with new library content and an array of apps on the bottom. The top row is very useful if you subscribe to newspapers or magazines; whenever a new issue is released it automatically shows up on the home screen. A new screen with recently used apps is accessed by swiping right from the home screen, and if you swipe left from the home screen, you'll find that menu screens are organized by content. Books, videos, games, apps, music, audiobooks and newsstand each have their own separate page dedicated to that specific content type. There's also a search bar at the top of each page that automatically categorizes search results into three sections: search results from Bing, search results from the Amazon store, and matches in your content library. It's a one-stop-shop for your searching needs.
In addition to displaying media you own in your library, the menu pages also show Amazon's recommended content. Based on your previous purchases and downloads, Amazon tries to show you other Prime content you might enjoy. I found the recommendations pretty spot on, especially with music, but I wasn't being shown anything new, just things I liked that weren't in my library.
On that note, for the first time ever, Amazon has put microSD card slots in their tablets, and to make the deal even sweeter, you can download your Prime content on to the memory card. This allows your tablet more breathing room with its internal storage and increases the amount of media you can download.
In streaming-video upgrades, the new ASAP function (which stands for "Advanced Streaming And Prediction") tries to guess what shows and movies you'll watch before you even select them, based on your viewing habits, and prebuffer the video so you don't have to wait for it to load. Since it's a behind-the-scenes type of function, it's hard to notice the effects unless you're watching closely. When I was continuously streaming a TV show, I noted how quickly a new episode would start after the last one ended. But when I was choosing something new to watch, buffering still took a few seconds after I made my selection. The inconsistency might be because our review unit was running an early version of the OS. Either way, when it's working, the ASAP feature seems to competently live up to its name.
Let's not forget that Amazon tablets are also great for readers. The Fire HD 10's seamless Kindle integration now includes the Word Runner feature. It's a speed-reading function that displays individual words at a pace that you can control. You might have heard of the similar software Spritz, but Word Runner is built into the Fire's operating system and works with most English-language books. I can see how it can aid in reading comprehension, by making you focus on one word at a time, however I personally didn't enjoy it more than reading an entire page at my leisure. Maybe it's acquired taste -- or sight, in this case.
If you're already overwhelmed with what the Fire HD 10 can do, Mayday Screen Sharing is a useful feature for helping you figure it all out. When you call Amazon for assistance with your tablet, you can share the tablet's screen with the customer service rep so they can see what's going on and help walk you through solutions.
Amazon Underground
Amazon Underground allows you to download tons of games in the Amazon App store for free -- literally. Think of it as the gaming version of Amazon Prime Video. You get access to a bevy of different titles, and sure, the selection is limited, but it's free so you can't complain too much.
In order to differentiate themselves from regular apps, Amazon Underground apps have a little sash on the top left of their icons that says "actually free." There are a lot of popular games available through Amazon Underground -- like Badland and Fruit Ninja -- and games that are free downloads to begin with include free in-app purchases. Details on what in-app purchases are free are conveniently detailed in the description of the app's download page.
Like awaiting the boom of a firework right after it's lit, I kept expecting to have bust out my credit card and pay up, but it never happened. I downloaded a few games priced at $10 and I kept waiting for a catch. The ball never dropped. You actually do get these games and in-app purchases for free.
Amazon Underground is a great incentive for playing games on the Fire tablets. Not heavy-duty games with lots of flashy graphics, but simple mobile games, like the ones with a fun, cute or angry animal protagonist. (More on that in the Performance section of the review) If you're sharing your tablet with your kids, I have a hunch that this might be one of their favorite fetaures.
Coming soon
A few of the new features -- On Deck and Activity Center -- won't roll out until the next over-the-air update for Fire OS 5 Bellini. According to Amazon, that'll be sometime in the next few months. Our review unit ran an early version of the operating system and didn't have any of those features for us to try out. We'll update this review with more details and impressions as soon as the update is released.
On Deck automatically downloads Amazon recommended video onto the tablet, if your available storage space allows. Amazon Prime TV and movie recommendations will systematically download on to your tablet for offline viewing. This way, if you're ever stranded without Wi-Fi, you'll at least have something new to watch on your tablet. The number of episodes or movie length will depend on how much space you have available, and if you happen to need that space for anything else, the downloaded content will automatically be deleted.
Activity Center is an extension of Amazon's already comprehensive parental controls. It'll allow parents to see exactly how kids are using the tablet. Information on which apps, videos or games are used and for how long are a few of the details the feature will provide.
Amazon's Fire OS is maturing nicely with thoughtful enhancements to the user experience and better organization. The new features sound promising and give the OS a unique appeal to shoppers. Look forward to an update to this review when the rest of the features are available for us to try out.
Hardware
The Amazon Fire HD 10 houses a MediaTek ARM Cortex A15 quad-core CPU; two 1.2GHz and two 1.5GHz, PowerVR Rogue G6200 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot expandable up to 128GB.
Performance
The Fire HD 10 performs smoothly for most of the activities it's designed for; swiping to the next page of a book is swift, apps launch seconds after the initial tap, and browsing the Web is smooth as butter -- unless you're downloading anything. Performance is sluggish when downloading anything, from an app to a video. Response to swipes and taps are delayed, menu pages take longer to load, and apps are sluggish to launch. Considering one of the best things about this tablet is the ability to download tons of Prime content, this is unfortunate. In order to avoid this, I simply downloaded what I wanted when I wasn't using the tablet.
Depending on what type of games you're into, the Amazon Fire HD 10 may or may not be suitable for your needs. If you're into high-end games with lots of moving graphics and fast action, you're barking up the wrong tree. If you like simple mobile games that require a lot less horsepower -- think Angry Birds and Candy Crush -- the Fire HD 10 tablet will do you just fine.
Although you can download big games like Deer Hunter and Dead Trigger 2, you don't get the best gaming experience on the Fire HD 10. The games take a long time to load (as do the levels), and graphics, including screen transitions and moving objects, can further slow things down. The sluggish performance occurred when gameplay exceeded half an hour and when many apps were open or downloading in the background.
Unsurprisingly, this isn't a tablet for heavy gamers. In contrast, I didn't have any issues playing simpler games like Monument Valley and Cut the Rope. As long as I wasn't downloading any files, gameplay was smooth sailing. When it comes to gaming, the best advice I have is to keep it simple. One the bright side, it performed slightly better in 3DMark benchmark testing than its similarly priced competition.
| Device | CPU | GPU | RAM | OS tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Fire HD 10 | 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A15 | PowerVR Rogue G6200 | 1GB | Android-based Fire OS 5.0.1 |
| Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 | 1,7GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A53 | Mali T760 | 1GB | Android 5.0.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A | 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ 8016 | Adreno 306 | 1.5GB | Android 5.0.2 |
3DMark Ice Storm (Unlimited)
Graphics score
Physics score
The Fire HD 10 has the same 1,280x800-pixel resolution as the Fire HD 8 , but since it's stretched out over a bigger screen, the display resolution doesn't look as sharp as it does on the smaller model. The 10-inch model has 149 pixels per inch (ppi) whereas the 8-inch model is a little more dense, at 189 ppi. (PPI is a standard calculation that determines the sharpness of a screen. The more pixels that can be packed into a screen, the sharper the image is.) The difference is noticeable; HD video isn't as crisp, and pixelation in text is easily visible.
Screen specs compared
| Tested spec | Amazon Fire HD 10 | Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum brightness | 433 cd/m2 | 360 cd/m2 | 401 cd/m2 |
| Maximum black level | 0.40 cd/m2 | 0.25 cd/m2 | 0.38 cd/m2 |
| Maximum contrast ratio | 1082:1 | 1440:1 | 1055:1 |
| Screen resolution | 1,280x800 | 1,920x1,200 | 1,024x768 |
| Pixels per inch (ppi) | 151 | 224 | 132 |
In comparison to similarly priced Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 , the Fire HD 10 is even less impressive. The 10-inch Lenovo has a sharper 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution (224 ppi), and the colors on the screen are more vivid and saturated than on the Fire HD 10. Between the two, the Lenovo provides a more captivating visual experience for watching movies and playing games. The Amazon tablet's screen just looks dull and washed out in comparison.
One thing the Fire HD 10's screen gets right is brightness settings. It's brighter than comparable tablets its size, which helps make the screen more visible outdoors and in bright rooms. However, the HD in-plane-switching (IPS) screen (strengthened with Gorilla Glass) still suffers from harsh glare and reflections depending on your environment, though that can be said of most tablets.
The pair of booming speakers on the Fire HD 10 are a plus for those interested in a tablet for heavy media consumption. Coupled with Dolby Atmos technology, the speakers provide crisp audio and loud volumes. When watching video, dialogue sounds clear, and soundscapes as well as sound effects travel between the two speakers for an immersive listening experience. The Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 is also billed as a tablet with powerful speakers, however in comparison to the Fire HD 10, its audio sounded tinny and shrill at loud volumes. The Amazon tablet provides a fuller sound with a bit more bass.
The Fire HD 10 houses a pair of cameras. The front-facing one has a very low resolution and takes grainy photos with a soft focus. It'll do for video chatting with relatives, but you'll want to skip any selfies. The 5-megapixel camera on the back produces photos that look fine on the 10-inch tablet's screen. If you transfer them to your computer, the lack of detail and soft edges becomes more obvious. Overall, the cameras are underwhelming, though for most tablets, this is a familiar story.
Amazon says that the battery should last up to eight hours for mixed use. After testing it in the CNET Labs -- consisting of looping a 720p video in Airplane Mode at a medium brightness -- the Fire HD 10 averaged 7.6 hours.
Conclusion
Typically relegated to entertainment purposes, big-screen tablets are currently having a moment. The recently announced
Pro, Google Pixel C and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 are making waves in the tablet scene as high-end, productivity-geared powerhouses. In contrast, the Amazon Fire HD 10 is an inexpensive media consumption-centered tablet. However, its big display and low screen resolution combination isn't the best for enjoying movies and games. If you're interested in a big tablet for play, not work, you have a few other affordable options.If a big screen is what you have your eye on, the $199 (roughly £130 or AU$255) Lenovo Tab 2 A10-70 and the $299 (about £190 or AU$416) Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 are comparable alternatives. As previously mentioned, the Lenovo tablet has a sharper screen, and it houses a pair of powerful speakers, but they're not as full-sounding as the Fire HD 10's. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7's screen is comparable to the Fire HD 10, yet the Tab A's design rivals some of the thinnest tablets out there. Both feature heavily modified Android skins, however the Samsung and Lenovo models have access to the Google Play store and the full variety of Android apps -- something the Fire HD (and all Amazon tablets) lack.
The Fire HD 10 is a great way for Amazon Prime members to take advantage of the free TV shows, movies, music and games that come with a subscription. However, for media consumption, the Lenovo Tab 2 A10 has an edge over the Fire HD 10 with a sharper screen and a lower price.