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Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 might be one of the best cheap tablets out there
July 25, 2025
Amazon has finally updated its Fire HD 8 tablet with some significant changes. It’s beenyears since the last upgrade, so it’s definitely time the cheap tablet line sees a refresh. The update brings with it some incremental tweaks, a new price, and some disappointing things that stayed the same.
The companyposted the new tablets on its websitewith a breakdown of the features. Some of them are quite appealing for the price, making this a device that might be worth picking up for anyone in need of a device with a relatively large screen that’s cheap.
New Amazon Fire HD 8
The originalAmazon Fire HD 8is getting a boost to its specs just about everywhere. Rather than the 1.3GHz quad-core processor that was in the original to a 2.0GHz chip, Amazon says the new processor is 30% faster than the one in the original tablet. Amazon is also adding a small boost to the RAM. It’s pushing the tablet to 2GB up from the 1.5GB that came in the original. Lastly, internal storage is doubling, with models available in 32GB and 64GB. For even more storage, the device now supports a microSD card with up to 1TB. The tablet also has USB-C for faster charging.
For all the exciting improvements to the base model, there are a few disappointing things that have remained the same. First of all, the device features the same 8-inch 1,280 x 800 screen. Considering it’s called the Fire HD 8, we’d expect the same size, but it would have been nice to see a higher-resolution panel. The battery life has improved slightly, as Amazon says the tablet should get around 12 hours of juice on a charge.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus
There’s also theAmazon Fire HD 8 Plus, which adds some pretty exciting improvements such as Qi wireless charging, 3GB of RAM, a 9W charger included, and six months ofKindle Unlimited. It’s a bit more expensive, but those are some fairly substantial upgrades for the cost.
The refreshed Amazon Fire HD 8 tablets are available forpre-order now, with the company planning to ship them on June 3. The standardAmazon Fire HD 8has jumped from $79.99 to $89.99. The higher-endFire HD 8 Plusis $109.99, which is a reasonable jump in price for the amount of improvement it offers. Amazon is offering a bundle with awireless charging dock made the Fire HD 8 Plusfrom Angreat.
For $139.99, Amazon is also releasing aFire HD 8 Kidsbundle that includes a case made for children, a two-year extended replacement program, and a year of Amazon’s FreeTime service.
As is always the case with Amazon, those prices include special offers. For an extra $15, the devices are available without them.
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