2022 Amazon Fire 8 HD tablet sports 30 percent faster CPU
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It's amusing that these $100 tablets come with a charger while Samsung and Apple won't do the same for their $1000+ phones.
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The Amazon 10+ is surprisingly snappy. Set it up to work with Google products and it is a great value.
The original 7 was horrible...just not enough horsepower.
The original 8 is better than the 7...but still only fair.
If the 8+ is as good as the 10+ is (in my hands), I think I would enjoy using it.
The original 7 was horrible...just not enough horsepower.
The original 8 is better than the 7...but still only fair.
If the 8+ is as good as the 10+ is (in my hands), I think I would enjoy using it.
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So you’re saying there’s a chance these aren’t a huge waste of time? I gave up on these after having to try and fix family members 7’s and 8’s, but if there’s a chance…
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I was hoping there would also be news on upgrading the 10" version...
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I can say, with certainty, that the 10+ is not a huge waste of time. It is my bedside tablet...I use it every night and every morning...for live radio and podcasts, email (six different gmail/google accounts) and medium web browsing using (signed-in) Firefox, web browsing that does include a bit of youtube.
It also plays nice with our NAS for (portions of) movie viewing.
I was not aware of the link in the article that lists specs for the various Fire devices...going there now.
EDIT: I neglected to mention battery life--for my use, it is great.
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My experience with the current Fire HD 10 is that it's decent for the price, especially if you get it on sale and/or have a trade-in. The HD 7 and HD 8 up to now have basically been e-waste right out of the box. If this new SoC still has all A53 cores like the MT8168 it's probably still going to offer a miserable user experience. If it has some "big" cores like the MT8183 in the HD 10, it will probably be decent. It really depends on finding out what SoC they actually used.
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These are Amazon-content-consumption devices. From the models I've handled, looked at in that light, they're competent and affordable. I just wouldn't expect them to be good general-purpose tablet/computers.
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I understand for this price point you can only ask so much but that screen resolution leaves me sad.
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The Amazon product page lists it as being a "Enhanced performance - Updated hexa-core processor for more responsive performance (up to 30% faster than previous gen Fire HD 8). "
Its a 6 core design ... so they can maintain some daylight between this and the HD 10.
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I think you might be surprised. I've owned the latest versions of all 3 and think the 7" is terrible, the 8" is fine and the 10" is better, but once you use something like Fire Toolbox to "De-Amazon" them and add Google services, they're actually great for the money. Mine are set up such that I never see anything Amazon, and they run pretty much everything I want to run on an Android tablet.
(Still, I think the best budget Android tablet may be the Lenovo M10 Plus 3rd Gen. Compared to something like the Samsung S6 Lite with which it's often considered, it's significantly less expensive, has a larger brighter screen, 4-speaker Dolby Atmos that sounds surprisingly good for something so thin, includes not only GPS but an actual FM radio [this is exceedingly rare these days, but great for listening while using no data and barely sipping battery] and is slightly lighter. Best bang for the buck, in my opinion.)
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The now previous gen HD8 wasn't that bad, you just had to manage expectations (i.e. don't try to multitask). I paid ~$35 for mine and use it solely as a platform for board games that require apps. Where it does a fine job (good speakers and a nice size if it has to be passed around).
The HD8 did need a spec bump now that a 4 core A53 chip has migrated down to the Fire 7.
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This is incorrect. The case can be removed, and you retain the two year no-questions-asked warranty. You can even disable kids mode. It is then similar to AppleCare+, but with no per-incident fee, and an unlimited number of incidents in the two-year period.
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Better to watch the Apple refurb store for an iPad. They had 7th gen base models for $209 a few days ago.
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What isn't amusing is that it's a 5 watt adapter which should be a crime.
I already have plenty of adapters so I don't need/want more than the cable which both Samsung and Apple do include.
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Sure, if you are going to spend 3x the price without considering the 20% trade-in and ignore any sales (especially Prime Day). Not to mention getting the latest new model instead of a 3 yr old probably refurbished model.
The latest gen are very good tablets for media consumption without even considering the price. There was noticable increase in performance between 9th (2018) and 10th gen (2021) 10 inch plus having USB-C. Also never had a problem with these so no idea what the OP is complaining about.
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Ugh yet another low end 8 inch tablet.
So currently the only high end 8 inch tablet are
1. IPad mini 6 (worldwide)
2. Lenovo legion y700 (China exclusive)
Last time Samsung made high end 8 inch tablet was galaxy tab s from... Eons ago...
So currently the only high end 8 inch tablet are
1. IPad mini 6 (worldwide)
2. Lenovo legion y700 (China exclusive)
Last time Samsung made high end 8 inch tablet was galaxy tab s from... Eons ago...
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...believe you me, I understand your point here...and it is a good one if one considers the 'regular' price for the 32GB 10+.
Unlike Apple products (which I have been buying since the mid-1980!?), these cheap Amazon tablets are regularly discounted.
https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B08F6FYN6B
I found the bottom of the market several months agoand was able to trade in a very-painful-to-use Fire 7HD in the deal.
The 10+ is a very useful device...for me.
I actually like the form factor for the 8 more than the 10...if I knew the 8 was as snappy as the 10+ I currently own I might pick up a couple.
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Why. So Amazon can record your exact location with 99% accuracy instead of the 95% they already have on the tablet?
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I'm intrigued by these. They seem like good options for watching stuff at the gym, on the train, and other places where I'd be worried about losing or dropping a $500 iPad or whatever.
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I picked up the HD 8 (8th generation) on sale back in the day. Wanted a cheap and cheerful tablet for basic internet browsing, news app and ebook reading, streamer viewing and the occasional game - all without seeing my bank account flash before my eyes if it fell off a table.
Thanks to some research, I enabled Google's Store and, more importantly, bypassed the Fire's truly awful adware Launcher. And it's served me well for those needs.
The new tablet sounds attractive, but is probably more tablet than I need, and for more price. Then there's still that Launcher - not sure the tech exists to get rid of it in newer devices.
Thanks to some research, I enabled Google's Store and, more importantly, bypassed the Fire's truly awful adware Launcher. And it's served me well for those needs.
The new tablet sounds attractive, but is probably more tablet than I need, and for more price. Then there's still that Launcher - not sure the tech exists to get rid of it in newer devices.
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They are totally fine as media consumption devices. Just wait until Amazon sticks them on sale as you can usually get them for $40 then.
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I got a Fire HD 10 on Prime Day. I traded in a 2017 model, which was insufferably slow and no longer supported with software updates. After the the $30 gift card and 20% off a new Fire tablet from the trade in, 10% back from my Amazon Prime Visa, and 20% cash back offer from RetailMeNot, my total out of pocket cost was $4.12.
When I can get an iPad for $4.12 plus the trade in of a practically useless tablet, do let me know.
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$209 is not 3x $99. And sure, the refurb store only sells refurbs. Refurbs in like new condition with new batteries and full 1 year warranty.
And for that, you get a 3 year old device which absolutely wipes the floor with the latest new HD Fire. With an up to date OS with an app store leaps and bounds ahead of the Amazon catalog.
And considering the half dozen Fire/Fire HD tablets we've owned have all been mediocre at best when new, and absolute horse crap past that, what with screens prone to cracking, massive slowdowns over the years (even after a reset), terrible micro-USB ports (at least that is fixed), and a gimped OS?
Yeah, an older iPad is far better than the eternal hope that the most recent crap offering will be good.
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Your right, so go an buy yourself a cold one or two with the change!
$59.99 * 3 is $196.17 (or $177 with a prime credit card). You cut that price significantly especially Prime Day and probably Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
The rest is your personal opinion that frankly is wrong but expected when you refer to a gimped OS.
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I have a previous generation (2020) HD8+ and can say that for watching video or listening to music it's fine, but otherwise I'd agree - the HD10/10+ is a better overall device for regular use.
I did that that the 4x A53 cores in it felt snappier than Samsung's recent small tablet with 8x A53 cores (A7 lite, I think?), but that really isn't saying much except Amazon somehow has less bloat in their software than Samsung did.
Curious about the updated SoC too - A53 is a decade old at this point, and it boggles my mind to see it still in use in new SoCs and devices in 2022. At least move the budget devices to A55 already. But a pair or quartet of A7x cores would do wonders for the HD8's overall usability. Wouldn't mind a nicer GPU, too, but I can't see that being a big priority.
[edit] the Amazon developer site was updated. The new SoC is a MediaTek MT8169A, with 6x A55 cores @ 2GHz and a Mali-G52 2EE MC2 GPU, this up from a MediaTek MT8168 with 4x A53 cores @ 2GHz and a Mali-G52 3EE MC1 GPU.
(If I understand Arm's decoder ring properly, the MC2 means it's the same GPU but with 2 execution units instead of the single EU on the MC1, but I'm not sure what the 2EE vs. 3EE part means, anyone have a link as to how to actually read these names?)
So... not a bad update.
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I have a 3yo 10, it is serviceable. It's been upstaged by newer toys, but it runs Clash of Clan and simpler games (but not 3D stuff), a browser, and of course media just fine. It's a remarkably balanced tabled w/ OK wifi, screen, sound, battery, which not so long ago was hard to find in that price range. The Launcher sicks though, it's about as bad as Apple's and can't be changed.
I try to steer people up to Lenovo M10 FHD or even P11 when I can though, they're in a whole other league, and when on sale not that much more. The litmus tests is the CPU: Core A7x works, Core A5x isn't enough for a main core.
Younger kids love the 8" format.
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and the 20% trade-in is 20% off the list price. i recently got the hd10 when it was on 50% discount ...
- received the 20% trade-in promo which turned that into a 70% discount
- got $25 for my pre-2020 hd8
- got 10% back for using my amazon card
so i upgraded an old hd8 to a new hd10 for $18
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The Fire 8 has for the most part been a passable device, the Fire 7 has always been too cut down to meet a price point to the point of being barely usable when new and unusable within a year or so. That said won't be buying one of these due to my desire to not give Amazon any of my money unless absolutely necessary (ie can't find the product anywhere else even at a slightly higher price)
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It's not even a hack. Allow Sideloading, download 4 files, and then the hard part: you've got to click on them **IN THE CORRECT ORDER**. Not in any other order. Not in a random order. Exactly in the order they tell you. Also not all at the same time, but one after the other (in the order they tell you). *
There ! Collect your Master Hacker badge at the reception !
(*) worst thing is: a couple of my relatives managed to fail at that oO
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I have an HD 10 3rd generation I got in 2020. I use it solely for watching movies on planes, which works because I was able to get Google Play installed. With a Moko case, it fits almost exactly into the seat back magazine holder in front of me. It works better than just about anything else I've come across for that purpose.
For any other purpose, its performance inspires fits of frustrated rage. I'm not sure even a 30% increase would be enough to make it usable for anything other than watching movies.
(edit- typo)
For any other purpose, its performance inspires fits of frustrated rage. I'm not sure even a 30% increase would be enough to make it usable for anything other than watching movies.
(edit- typo)
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Too bad they didn't give it a pair of Cortex-A7x cores... (I like the portability of 8" more than 10")
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Arm's marketing has the A55 as 18% more powerful than the A53.
6x A55 versus 4x A53 ... I'd say Amazon's 30% faster claim is fair.
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Hmm. So according to that the only difference is in clock speeds, as the lithography of the part would be dependent on however Mediatek is making the 8169A, right?
I've also found uncited information saying the "2EE" means 2 EUs per core and the "3EE" means 3, so that would mean 4 EUs in the new part vs 3 in the old one?
Arm, this shouldn't be so difficult. Can't you post a "how to read our GPU names" somewhere?
Unrelated but not entirely: maybe next year's refresh of the HD10 will move on to newer cores, too. A73 is... fine, but it's also 6 years old now.
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Here is the problem with your ipad. It has the stereo speakers positioned at the bottom. As you hold it in landscape mode to watch your favorite sitcom, they uncomfortable vibrate from sound and create an obvious right side audio bias.
All Fire HD tablets(except for the 7 which is mono) have the stereo positioned at the top of the tablet in the same landscape mode. Stereo separation better. Much better audio experience than the base ipad. Perfect for watching videos.
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Are there any opensource firmware hacks for these or are they pretty locked down?
I know you can sideload the Google Play Store, but any other ways to remove the Amazon bloatware or install a plain-vanilla variation of Android?
I know you can sideload the Google Play Store, but any other ways to remove the Amazon bloatware or install a plain-vanilla variation of Android?
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Last I checked you could get old versions of Lineage running on the 2015-ish tablets. I had a 2017 model that wasn't supported at all, but I seem to recall the previous generation was.
I don't think that has changed - there are definitely no AOSP builds for the 2020 HD8 or 2021 HD10 models, so I'd expect the same for this one.
Either amazon has them very thoroughly locked down, or there isn't enough interest, or some combination of the two. I expect if they released a tablet with a higher end spec that was more appealing to AOSP power users there would be more interest in trying to open it up for such things. As it is, there's not a lot of overlap between "power users who want to run AOSP" and "cheap android tablets".
(There's not a lot of AOSP support for any recent tablets, though, so that may also be a function of how little love the form factor gets in Android form anyways).
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