All-new Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet

The All-new Amazon Fire HD 8 is like a portable entertainment center that’s perfect for travel, and it also doubles as an e-reader. You can watch from various show platforms and apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and more, plus play games and video chat with friends.

Editors’ Note: There is a new version of the Fire HD 8 available. Check out the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2022 Release).

Amazon has sold its low-cost Fire tablet lineup for years now, and it isn’t shy about making it clear that it’s a way to enjoy Amazon content on the go, letting the company offer a quality product for a relatively low price. The Fire HD 8 ($89.99) is a cute, easy-to-use 8-inch tablet that works entirely within Amazon’s walled garden. For basic streaming video, picture books, kids’ games, and Zoom calls, it’s the best sub-$100 tablet available today, with a faster processor and more RAM than the 2018 model. But because Amazon restricts the Fire HD 8 to its own inadequate app store, you don’t get nearly the range of services you’ll find on other Android and Apple tablets.

Our Editors’ Choice overall for an inexpensive tablet is the bigger Fire HD 10. It has a faster processor and more RAM, giving it better performance all around, although it uses the same limited app store.

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Features and Performance

The Fire HD 8 comes in black, blue, purple, or white. The base $89.99 model has 32GB of storage and ads on the lock screen; you can remove the ads for $15, or upgrade to 64GB of storage for $30. (All models have a microSD card slot for media storage that supports all current card capacities.) You can add wireless charging and more RAM, making the tablet a Fire HD 8 Plus, for an extra $20. There’s also a Kids’ Edition, with a rugged case, an extended warranty, and an Amazon Kids+ content subscription, for $139.99.