Top positive review
93 people found this helpful
A great update to the Fire tablet line
By citan-uzuki on Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020
This Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus is a great complementary device for those who already have a real computer. This is true whether that real computer is a desktop or a laptop. Windows 10 or Mac Os, it doesn't matter. As long as you have a "real" computer, this Fire HD 8 Plus table is a great companion device. Perhaps the best companion device for most people. I work in the IT field. In my opinion, most people overbuy and overspend on technology devices. Which is fine, buying that new toy can be fun. For a while. But know this. A lot of you what buy, you can do without. Let me explain. A computing device like a desktop or a laptop gives you the most versatility. Add a smart phone and those are all the tech needed by the majority of people. Most do not need a writing tablet to draw on or take notes on. Most just need a secondary device for portability and quick access. A Fire tablet will do that. I own a Windows 10 and a Macbook laptops. I also own an iPad. Occasionally, I would use my Kindle reader and my old Fire HDX 7. I only need three to meet all of my needs. One laptop, my smart phone, and a tablet. I only use the ipad to pick fights on Twitter, make quick purchases on Amazon, and check my email. I may go on Facebook once in a while. Guess what. Any Windows 10 or Macbook would do those and with more versatility. My smart phone would do all of those, although with a lot less versatility and more aggravation. An Amazon Fire tablet will do all of those things, with more finesse and ease than a smart phone. And just as well as an iPad. I bought this new Fire to replace a 2015 Fire HDX 7. The HDX 7 is still in perfect shape. The battery holds as much charge as when it was new. But it no longer runs the Amazon shopping app. That's the only thing wrong with it. My Kindle is also of 2015 vintage. That Kindle is also still in perfect condition. But this newer model has updates that I wanted. Like front and rear facing cameras. The HDX 7 only has a front facing camera. I wanted to run the Amazon shopping app, for ease of use. I also wanted to start a relationship with the charming Alexa. It doesn't mean I'm dumping Sirri though. I can readily recommend this Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus for most people who already have a true computer, whether it's Windows or Mac. This is a great companion device for those who already have a computer. It is a lot less expensive than an iPad and does almost as much. It is also a lot more durable. Most tablets are used for media consumption and social interactions. You can do those on this Fire. The only thing you might miss is a browser like Safari or Edge. Silk works fine and it has gotten better over the years, but I still prefer a traditional browser. I did not order the wireless dock. This Fire will be carried with me to work. Charging with the USB is fine for now. I bought the Amazon protective sleeve that was made for this device. You want to keep your Fire in some kind of a protective sleeve so the screen does not get scratched. When you buy tech toys, find the sweet spot. Always buy something that can be upgraded. I have added more RAM as well as upgraded the hard drive to solid state on my 5-year-old Windows 10 laptop. It still runs great after five years. It is a high-end Lenovo model. Likewise, I bought the Fire HD 8 Plus because you can add additional storage easily. You cannot really upgrade an iPad. I am not saying buy high end, but pay more up front and keep the device for a lot longer. This Fire HD 8 Plus is a fine device. No, it will not meet the needs of the artists who wants to use a pen/stylus to draw. It will not meet the requirements of the busy college student who wants to take precise notes by hand on a tablet. But it will capably do email, twitter, facebook, Amazon purchases, take pictures, make videos, ebooks, audiobooks, just fine. The Silk browser has gotten better and works well.
Top critical review
53 people found this helpful
Fire HD 8 Plus vs Ech Show 8
By Adam on Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2020
So much has already been said about the Fire HD 8 Plus, but I was really trying to decide between the Fire HD 8 Plus and the Echo Show 8, and I couldn't find a very comprehensive overview of the difference, so I decided to try out both to see the difference. First, the screens are virtually identical in size and shape. Side-by-side, when the screens are off, it's somewhat hard to tell which one is the Fire and which one is the show. The most telling difference is the placement of the camera, which is top and center of the Fire and top and right on the Show (more on the cameras later). The screen specs are the same (8” high-definition touchscreen; 1280 x 800 resolution), but the Echo screen is considerably brighter. I wouldn't notice if they weren't side-by-side, but it's a marked difference (see photo). The Show also has more customizable wallpaper options. On the show, you can select from a number of different wallpaper options, but on the Fire, you an only customize by selecting your own photos. This may not be an issue for many, but it's one more small perk of the Show. The camera on the Fire is considerably better (2 MP vs 1 MP on the Show), but for the purposes of dropping in on another Echo device, that is pretty minor. Certainly for the purpose of using it as a tablet, this is better, but I suspect most people will have a cell phone with a better camera than that, so I don't see the 2 MP camera being a deal-breaker for most people. The placement of the camera on the Echo is a bit awkward as it is to the right of the screen, so when you're looking at the screen, it always looks a little like you're looking to the left. If you are getting this device for the purpose of having regular phone conferences, that could be a deal-maker for the Fire. However, for me, one major win that the Show has over the Fire is the physical privacy shutter. You can close it and even if someone could hack into the Show, they could still not see you because there is a physical piece of plastic in the way. This is especially comforting if you are going to have this in a bedroom or somewhere else where privacy is especially important. By far, the biggest difference for me in these two is the sound quality. As some have said, the sound on the Fire is worse than most cell phones, and much worse than any speaker on the Echo line. And, in the opposite direction, the Echo Show speaker is spectacular. The volume is extraordinarily loud (to the point where, if it is on full volume, it actually hurts my ears to listen to). The attached video shows the difference in volume. The first few seconds are of the Fire at full volume, and then it switches over to the Show, and then back. On a different song, the max dB reading for the Fire was 67.1 dB, whereas the max for the show was 89.5 dB. The bass on the Show is substantial, and the overall quality, though not the best speaker you will ever hear, far outstrips the quality and volume of the Fire. There are a few other differences that are possibly somewhat minor to some. For example, Spotify is not native to the Fire Show screen, so if you want to play music on Spotify, it will switch you to the Fire OS, where you will have to install Spotify and play from there. Not a big deal, but it's somewhat nice that Spotify comes out of the box for the Show. There are other similar things, and I haven't explored them all, but it is to say that the Fire version of an Echo Show is not 1:1 of the actual Echo Show. As far as the tablet itself, again, this has been reviewed somewhat exhaustively, but I'll say (as many others have) that it pales in comparison to a higher-end tablet such as an iPad. I got my iPad 7 for $250 new at Best Buy, so for a little over double the price, I was able to get 10x the performance over the Fire HD 8 Plus and double the screen size. There are definitely things to like about the Fire, and for a budget e-reader/video streamer/audiobook player, then this could be a great deal for you. But, then again, you could get all of that from the Fire 7 for half the price. It's all about your priorities and your budget, but the wireless charging and more RAM didn't win me over enough to justify this tablet in my arsenal of screens. It might for you, though. Bottom line, if you are looking for a Fire tablet that also works as an Echo, this may be what you're looking for. It is a nice enough tablet (if you know what you're getting into), and it definitely functions as an Echo to do things like turn on smart home devices and tell you the weather. However, if you are looking for an Echo that is also a tablet (as I was), I highly recommend going with the Echo Show 8 instead. There are a lot of other good tablet options out there, and the speaker difference alone gives the Show much more value in my opinion.
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