For me, the Fire HD 8 tablet with 32GB RAM is a great balance of convenience, power, and price.
Already an owner of a Fire HD 6 and a Fire 7, the new 2016 Fire HD 8 is my favorite. It's running smoothly and handling all the applications I need. This past week I needed to commute by train downtown one hour each way, and I enjoyed watching Amazon Prime and Netflix videos offline that I'd downloaded to the SD card. A new feature I've been enjoying is Alexa, especially listening to my flash briefing as I brush my teeth each day. I also use it for web browsing, listening to music, playing Hearthstone and other games, and reading my Time magazine. Other apps I've installed include Facebook, Skype, Reddit is Fun, Olive Tree's Bible Study, ES File Explorer, YNAB, Any.DO, apps for 4 banks or credit cards, and Covenant Eyes.
A couple of times I used this tablet to read a book I was reading on my Kindle device. Amazon knew which page I was on and I did not have to search to find my place. That's a nice feature, but to be honest I greatly prefer reading books on a Kindle; there is less glare, and it is much easier to read, especially in sunlight. Also, I have the Amazon Photo app installed on my Samsung smart phone; it was a pleasant surprise to see all my photos and videos from that phone appearing on my Fire tablet without any action from me other than signing into my Amazon account. These are a couple of ways Amazon has optimized this tablet for Prime members.
Amazon has done a great job at making compromises to a tablet’s specifications to keep the cost down while still producing a tablet that is good enough for most purposes. Premium tablets such as Apple’s iPad Mini 4 or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2 outperform the Fire HD 8, no question; but while they cost four times as much as the Fire, their performance is not at all four times better. On the other hand, the Fire out-performs many tablets that cost much more. My own personal experience is that what the Fire 8 is capable of makes it a real bargain at the price. It runs the apps I need it to run, plays the games I want to play, and is sufficient for productivity in terms of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, and video-conferencing. (The included Docs app is capable enough I'm considering getting a cover with keyboard for taking notes at meetings.) Note that my Fire HD 6 doesn't really run Hearthstone well at all, for example, and it runs a bit too slow for me on the Fire 7; the performance improvement on this Fire HD 8 is noticeable.
Where this tablet risked losing a star is in the efforts made by Amazon to make it a platform for consuming Amazon content while steering the user away from Google. The Fire OS (based on Google’s Android OS) has no Google Play store, so only apps available on Amazon’s own store are available for download. Popular Google apps—including Gmail, Chrome, Youtube, Drive, and the like—are not offered from Amazon’s store, although they all work well enough through the Silk browser (which does allow you to set Google as your default search engine).
I get why Amazon steers users away from Google in such a heavy-handed manner: the Fire tablet is a loss-leader, sold at cost to stimulate the sale of Kindle books, Amazon Prime, and videos. But I really don’t like it when companies intentionally gimp their technology products like this. Will the Fire’s attractive price outweigh your desire for the Google Play store, services, and apps? That should be your prime question when considering the Fire HD 8, in my opinion. For me, it was worth it, and that's saying a lot.
It is possible to install Google’s Play store, services, and apps. Many people do. My experiences with a previous device were not entirely positive--sometimes updates don't apply as one expects, undocumented app interactions get you, or things just don't work as expected. As an Amazon Prime member wanting a Fire tablet primarily for consuming media I made the decision for myself not to modify the Fire OS. I take this tablet on its' own terms, and I like it.
I do recommend you become comfortable with one or more ways to side-load apps onto your Fire tablet. Although many of the apps I want are actually available from Amazon’s app store, I want too many apps on my tablet that are not available, such as apps for depositing checks to my bank accounts, YNAB, Dropbox, and the VPN I pay a fee to use on all my devices. Sometimes an app that is available in Amazon’s app store doesn’t seem to work, while the same app from Google’s Play store does. I load these apps by side-loading them. Let me add that the Fire's Email app capably handles several of my Gmail accounts and it is not difficult to switch between them, but it has a different "look and feel" from the native Gmail app I use on my other devices. Likewise, I can access Gmail and Google Drive fine via the Silk browser.
To side-load an app, the main thing that’s needed is the app’s apk file. These are often available for download online, but because I’m so suspicious of malware I tend to use the apk’s I have from the apps on my Android mobile phone that originated from Google's Play store. I use ES File Explorer (a file manager available from both Amazon’s app store and Google’s play store) to “back up” the apps in question on my phone, which provides me with a usable apk; then I transfer that to my Fire tablet via e-mail (if it’s small enough), Google Drive (remember you can access it via the Fire’s web browser), or Dropbox (once you’ve got it installed), or one can save the file to an SD card on the phone and then insert the card into the Fire tablet and run it from there. (It's not enough to have the APK on the tablet--it must be "run" to install the app.)
I’ve just spent the last couple of paragraphs describing ways to live with Amazon’s decision to keep us away from the Google Play store, and considered dropping a star for that reason. But Amazon fully discloses its' "Fire OS" rather than claiming to be plain Android, and did I mention the price? (I got my 32GB Fire HD 8 for $89 on Black Friday.) Another minor annoyance that did not manage to knock off a star was the screen glare (makes it difficult to watch videos while on a train--I had to choose my seat carefully). Other compromises you should know about are the screen resolution (720p rather than today's higher-resolution choices), cameras (still good enough for Skype or depositing checks), and processor speed.
My bottom line: This tablet is huge in terms of bang for your buck. On top of that, the compromises it does make don't prevent me from doing what I need to do. I'm so glad to have such a powerful and affordable tablet solution for my needs!
Try Prime free for a month
If you haven't tried Amazon Prime in the past, we'll give you a 30-day free trial. Experience what millions of members already enjoy—unlimited streaming of thousands of hit movies and TV episodes, ad-free access to over a million songs, reading a Kindle book a month for free, and Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items. Learn more
Unlimited reading on any device
Prime Reading gives you unlimited access to over a thousand books, current issue magazines, comics, Kindle Singles, and more. With access from any device – including your phone, tablet, or Kindle – you can read however you want, whenever you want.
Stream thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video
With Amazon Prime, members enjoy unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes at no additional cost, including award-winning Amazon Original Series Transparent, top HBO shows; like True Blood, Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and more popular movies and TV shows; like Downton Abbey, Under the Dome and Transformers: Age of Extinction.
No Wi-Fi, no problem—Prime Video downloads
Exclusive to Prime members, download thousands of Prime Video movies and TV episodes. Watch downloaded videos anywhere—on a plane, on vacation, in the car, or wherever you don't have a wireless connection. Prime Video offers offline viewing, included at no additional cost.
Over a million songs free with Amazon Music
Amazon Music gives Prime members unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs, more than a thousand playlists, and hundreds of stations with unlimited skips. Find more music from your favorite artists, your favorite genres or let Amazon’s personalized recommendations introduce you to your next favorite band.
Add SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more to Prime
Prime members can add SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more to their Prime membership. These subscriptions are ready to watch anywhere, anytime—no cable or satellite subscription required. Starting as low as $2.99 a month, Prime members can go to Amazon Video to pick and choose their favorite channels to subscribe to, giving them instant access to episodes the same time they air on TV, including Homeland and The Affair from SHOWTIME, and Outlander and Ash vs Evil Dead from STARZ. Prime members can try any or all of these subscriptions with a free trial, and can cancel anytime.
Hundreds of Thousands of movies and TV episodes to stream, buy, or download
Whether you're a Prime member or not, enjoy a huge selection of TV episodes and movies, plus exclusive features like ASAP and Amazon FreeTime. Fire Tablets are an easy way to enjoy Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO NOW, Hulu Plus, and low-cost movie rentals.
Looking to cut the cord or get more from your cable?
Now you can watch TV without cable with subscriptions to apps like HBO NOW and Showtime, and with Sling TV—which includes ESPN and CNN—you can watch the big game or live news. Or use your cable subscription to stream what you love with on-demand through apps like HBO GO, Showtime Anytime, and Watch ESPN.
Watch on the big screen
Fling Amazon movies and TV shows from your tablet to your big-screen TV using Second Screen. This turns your TV into the primary screen, freeing up your Fire tablet to provide playback controls, a customized display for X-Ray, or simply be a place to email, browse the web, and more while you watch a movie. Second Screen is available for Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.
Exclusive titles at the lowest prices
Over one million exclusive titles that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Shop the Kindle Store for millions of books, newspapers, and magazines. Over one million titles are priced at $2.99 or less. Over two million are $9.99 or less.
Read as much as you want with Kindle Unlimited
Choose from over one million titles and thousands of audiobooks. From mysteries and romance to sci-fi and more, freely explore new authors, books, and genres on any device for just $9.99 a month. Create virtual bookmarks with Whispersync, so your Fire tablet picks up right where you left off. Try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days. Learn more
Enjoy vibrant magazines
Our interactive magazine experience allows you to start reading in just a few seconds with access to any back issue at any time on the cloud. Plus, most Kindle Magazines come with a 30-day free trial.
Share with friends on Goodreads
Fire tablets are integrated with the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations, with over 40 million members, 1.1 billion books added, and 43 million book reviews. See what your friends are reading, share highlights and rate the books you read with Goodreads on your Fire tablet.
NEW—Flip through books while saving your place
Page Flip makes it easy to find pictures, charts, maps and even your notes and highlights from different parts of a book. While you swipe to other pages or zoom out to see page thumbnails, Page Flip automatically saves the page you’re reading, pinning it to the side of your screen so you’ll never lose your place.
Over 400,000 apps and games
Fire tablets feature instant access to thousands of the most popular free and best-selling games, social media, premium TV and movie providers, and so much more.
The best games
Enjoy best-selling games such as Game of War - Fire Age, SimCity BuildIt, Candy Crush Soda Saga, Monument Valley, and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.
Huge music selection
With millions of songs from thousands of artists, the Amazon Digital Music Store brings all your favorite music to your fingertips. Music you buy on your Fire tablet is saved to Your Music Library for free, and you can play or download it anytime.
Ad-free access to over a million songs with Prime Music
Prime members can enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs, over a thousand playlists, and hundreds of stations. Find more music from your favorite artists, follow along to lyrics with X-Ray, or let Amazon's personalized recommendations introduce you to your next favorite band.
Listen to your favorite books
Audiobooks are great for your commute, while cooking, working out—all those times you can listen but can't read. Audible, an Amazon company, offers more than 180,000 titles, including best sellers, romances, thrillers, and much more. Every book is read by a professional narrator, including leading Hollywood actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal (The Great Gatsby) and Kate Winslet (Matilda).
Sync books across multiple platforms with Immersion Reading
Fire tablets can synchronize Kindle text with companion Audible audiobooks with real-time highlighting to create a more immersive reading experience, as well as deepen learning and comprehension. More than 60,000 Kindle books and companion Audible audiobooks are available across a wide array of genres.
Introducing Amazon Music Unlimited
For just $7.99/month for Prime Members (non-Prime price: $9.99/month), stream tens of millions of songs and explore curated playlists, stations, and weekly new releases—on-demand and always ad-free. Plus, with offline listening, your music is always at your fingertips.
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Reviews with images
Amazon did it right this time, really enjoying my tablet! (4 updates) -- 4th update has some tips
I am thrilled with the new Fire HD8 - even before it gets Alexa! At that time I will likely be ecstatic! I am far from a tablet novice - I had the original fire; the $50 fire; the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3; and the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. My phones have always been Samsung flagship phones, currently the S7 Edge. I say this to show that I 1) have experience with kindle fires, and 2) generally tend to have high standards for my most used devices -- I KNOW what is a good tablet and what is a so-so tablet. Admittedly, my previous fires have been "so-so", but I wanted something inexpensive yet adequate to take places with me instead of my Galaxy Tab S 10.5.My HD8 is the 32gb option, with offers. Most users will likely be fine with 16gb and perhaps an added 32gb or 64gb SD card. However, I know how I use my devices, so went with the 32gb option, as well as a 64gb micro SD card. In the 48 hours I have had my new Fire, it has become my device of choice, even over my $500 samsung (more convenient size). I use the large samsung tablet as a computer replacement; whereas the new Fire replaces my two 7 inch tablets as the "go to" device.Before receiving it, I wasn't sure about the low resolution (1280 x 800) on this tab, but honestly, it's not a problem! Sure, it's not bright and beautiful like my Tab S ... but its crisp, clean, and clear. The colors are sufficient, but not vibrant, sadly. (The comparison photo below is the HD8 (2016) and Fire 7 (2015).Sound is quite good, with good volume. The speakers are on the left side when portrait, on top (or bottom) in landscape. I prefer them on top. The sound is good enough that you can enjoy a movie without having to use earphones, unless in a noisy environment, in which case you would likely want to use earphones anyway. Music was okay, but I prefer listening through bluetooth headphones for premium quality, and it delivers there also.Whatever chip is used for the cpu is zippy and responsive. I have tested and used a variety of apps, games, and functions in trying this tablet out, and there has been no lag whatsoever, no hesitation, no hangups. Using the silk browser, surfing the web was quick and easy. At most, there was a half second lag for some graphics heavy pages (note that my high speed router is in my room, but even so, the $50 fire lags, not so this one!)The only feature that is "less than" on this tablet, are the cameras. The rear facing camera is only 2mp, and photos with it are about what I expected ...slightly pixelated, washed out colors, print is readable but not crisp. It's usable in a pinch, when the alternative is no picture/video, or for reference/documentation; but it's not what you would want to use for travel or family photos that are of importance. For reference photos, pet photos, posting to facebook, it's adequate, but "just".Battery life is excellent. I multi-task and heavily use tablets, with a lot of twitter (have found it to be battery intensive on all devices); a lot of web use, music streaming, texting (on messenger) and watching you tube. I've already gone through two battery cycles (100% to 15%) and the first one was ten hours (actual use time) and the second nearly 11, so it's very close to the maximum advertised.Overall, this is a super tablet, and the bargain price makes it that much more so. It has exceeded my expectations and hopes in most all functions, and will be a welcome alternative for throwing in my backpack.UPDATE: October 30, 2016 The Alexa update was pushed to my device on Oct 29th (verified with amazon customer service) and it "bricked" my tablet, rendering it unusable, will not turn on. After several hours on phone with four reps at customer service, it is being returned for a refund. Replacements are always refurbished items, so I chose refund instead. I still think it's a great tablet, but sometimes there are issues, and in the interest of honesty and full disclosure, needed to add this.2nd UPDATE: November 10, 2016 Okay, apparently this is the "Goldilocks" of my tablets (just right!) and I could not live without it. By the 10th day without it, I was really, REALLY missing it, so I ordered a new one, this time investing in the extended warranty "just in case". I received the new one today, everything is perfect with it, and it feels so, SO good to have a Fire HD8 back in my hands. I know it sounds silly, but even though the specs of this are less than one of my tablets, and slightly better than two 7" ones - the 7" ones now feel too small, and the 10.5" one I have is just too large for most uses. The 8" Fire is just the right size for everything short of computer replacement. In the few hours of use, I've checked everything out and all is well. I will, however, update again, in about two months, to make sure this review is kept current. Right now, despite the issue with one tablet, it's still at least 4.5 stars in my book, but I won't hesitate to revise if that changes.3rd Update: December 31, 2016 It's now been 7 weeks with my second Fire HD8 tablet. All is working well, and I now rate it a solid 4 stars. I use the playstore and several google apps on my device, and there are no issues. I also had several apps that frequently updated throughout the day, like periscope, facebook, twitter, news aggregators. With all of these apps, the tablet began lagging badly at least once a day, sometimes twice, and even with an app like Cleansweep on it, I would have to reboot. Finally, I uninstalled periscope and the news aggregators; but kept facebook and twitter and a few others similar. That made a huge difference in the lag. There just isn't enough RAM to handle heavy updating every half hour or so, nor does the tablet recover ram well. I also run 10 email accounts on the tablet (I use "bluemail") and set most of them to sync once daily, just two of them sync every hour. With the tweaks I have done, I am happy with the Fire HD8, and it runs smoothly most of the time.4th update (and perhaps final) and tips -- April 22, 2017I use the Fire HD8 daily, all day long, going through a battery cycle a day, sometimes more. With recent firmware updates, my Fire tablet is running smooth and fast, and I very rarely experience any lag. I used to reboot it daily, now I do so once a week or less. Apparently the firmware updates made a difference. I also have tweaked this tablet to the max, and thought I would share a few basic tips. (I really feel like, at this point, I should just write a Fire HD8 guide ... but I digress.)Tips:Get to know your tablet. Go through every single setting and sub setting and sub-sub setting and tweak anything you want. You can always go back and change it later.Turn off everything automatic, unless it's a feature you like. Turn off: on-deck, adaptive brightness, automatic navigation, recommendations and most notifications. This streamlines the ram usage.Keyboards are apps, email is an app, if you don't like the ones on the tablet, go to the amazon appstore and install an alternative one.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
Digital Storage Capacity: 32 GBOffer Type: With Special OffersColor: BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2016
My HD8 is the 32gb option, with offers. Most users will likely be fine with 16gb and perhaps an added 32gb or 64gb SD card. However, I know how I use my devices, so went with the 32gb option, as well as a 64gb micro SD card. In the 48 hours I have had my new Fire, it has become my device of choice, even over my $500 samsung (more convenient size). I use the large samsung tablet as a computer replacement; whereas the new Fire replaces my two 7 inch tablets as the "go to" device.
Before receiving it, I wasn't sure about the low resolution (1280 x 800) on this tab, but honestly, it's not a problem! Sure, it's not bright and beautiful like my Tab S ... but its crisp, clean, and clear. The colors are sufficient, but not vibrant, sadly. (The comparison photo below is the HD8 (2016) and Fire 7 (2015).
Sound is quite good, with good volume. The speakers are on the left side when portrait, on top (or bottom) in landscape. I prefer them on top. The sound is good enough that you can enjoy a movie without having to use earphones, unless in a noisy environment, in which case you would likely want to use earphones anyway. Music was okay, but I prefer listening through bluetooth headphones for premium quality, and it delivers there also.
Whatever chip is used for the cpu is zippy and responsive. I have tested and used a variety of apps, games, and functions in trying this tablet out, and there has been no lag whatsoever, no hesitation, no hangups. Using the silk browser, surfing the web was quick and easy. At most, there was a half second lag for some graphics heavy pages (note that my high speed router is in my room, but even so, the $50 fire lags, not so this one!)
The only feature that is "less than" on this tablet, are the cameras. The rear facing camera is only 2mp, and photos with it are about what I expected ...slightly pixelated, washed out colors, print is readable but not crisp. It's usable in a pinch, when the alternative is no picture/video, or for reference/documentation; but it's not what you would want to use for travel or family photos that are of importance. For reference photos, pet photos, posting to facebook, it's adequate, but "just".
Battery life is excellent. I multi-task and heavily use tablets, with a lot of twitter (have found it to be battery intensive on all devices); a lot of web use, music streaming, texting (on messenger) and watching you tube. I've already gone through two battery cycles (100% to 15%) and the first one was ten hours (actual use time) and the second nearly 11, so it's very close to the maximum advertised.
Overall, this is a super tablet, and the bargain price makes it that much more so. It has exceeded my expectations and hopes in most all functions, and will be a welcome alternative for throwing in my backpack.
UPDATE: October 30, 2016 The Alexa update was pushed to my device on Oct 29th (verified with amazon customer service) and it "bricked" my tablet, rendering it unusable, will not turn on. After several hours on phone with four reps at customer service, it is being returned for a refund. Replacements are always refurbished items, so I chose refund instead. I still think it's a great tablet, but sometimes there are issues, and in the interest of honesty and full disclosure, needed to add this.
2nd UPDATE: November 10, 2016 Okay, apparently this is the "Goldilocks" of my tablets (just right!) and I could not live without it. By the 10th day without it, I was really, REALLY missing it, so I ordered a new one, this time investing in the extended warranty "just in case". I received the new one today, everything is perfect with it, and it feels so, SO good to have a Fire HD8 back in my hands. I know it sounds silly, but even though the specs of this are less than one of my tablets, and slightly better than two 7" ones - the 7" ones now feel too small, and the 10.5" one I have is just too large for most uses. The 8" Fire is just the right size for everything short of computer replacement. In the few hours of use, I've checked everything out and all is well. I will, however, update again, in about two months, to make sure this review is kept current. Right now, despite the issue with one tablet, it's still at least 4.5 stars in my book, but I won't hesitate to revise if that changes.
3rd Update: December 31, 2016 It's now been 7 weeks with my second Fire HD8 tablet. All is working well, and I now rate it a solid 4 stars. I use the playstore and several google apps on my device, and there are no issues. I also had several apps that frequently updated throughout the day, like periscope, facebook, twitter, news aggregators. With all of these apps, the tablet began lagging badly at least once a day, sometimes twice, and even with an app like Cleansweep on it, I would have to reboot. Finally, I uninstalled periscope and the news aggregators; but kept facebook and twitter and a few others similar. That made a huge difference in the lag. There just isn't enough RAM to handle heavy updating every half hour or so, nor does the tablet recover ram well. I also run 10 email accounts on the tablet (I use "bluemail") and set most of them to sync once daily, just two of them sync every hour. With the tweaks I have done, I am happy with the Fire HD8, and it runs smoothly most of the time.
4th update (and perhaps final) and tips -- April 22, 2017
I use the Fire HD8 daily, all day long, going through a battery cycle a day, sometimes more. With recent firmware updates, my Fire tablet is running smooth and fast, and I very rarely experience any lag. I used to reboot it daily, now I do so once a week or less. Apparently the firmware updates made a difference. I also have tweaked this tablet to the max, and thought I would share a few basic tips. (I really feel like, at this point, I should just write a Fire HD8 guide ... but I digress.)
Tips:
Get to know your tablet. Go through every single setting and sub setting and sub-sub setting and tweak anything you want. You can always go back and change it later.
Turn off everything automatic, unless it's a feature you like. Turn off: on-deck, adaptive brightness, automatic navigation, recommendations and most notifications. This streamlines the ram usage.
Keyboards are apps, email is an app, if you don't like the ones on the tablet, go to the amazon appstore and install an alternative one.
Digital Storage Capacity: 32 GBOffer Type: With Special OffersColor: MagentaVerified Purchase
Amazon did it right this time, really enjoying my tablet! (4 updates) -- 4th update has some tips
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2016
I am thrilled with the new Fire HD8 - even before it gets Alexa! At that time I will likely be ecstatic! I am far from a tablet novice - I had the original fire; the $50 fire; the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3; and the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. My phones have always been Samsung flagship phones, currently the S7 Edge. I say this to show that I 1) have experience with kindle fires, and 2) generally tend to have high standards for my most used devices -- I KNOW what is a good tablet and what is a so-so tablet. Admittedly, my previous fires have been "so-so", but I wanted something inexpensive yet adequate to take places with me instead of my Galaxy Tab S 10.5.Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2016
My HD8 is the 32gb option, with offers. Most users will likely be fine with 16gb and perhaps an added 32gb or 64gb SD card. However, I know how I use my devices, so went with the 32gb option, as well as a 64gb micro SD card. In the 48 hours I have had my new Fire, it has become my device of choice, even over my $500 samsung (more convenient size). I use the large samsung tablet as a computer replacement; whereas the new Fire replaces my two 7 inch tablets as the "go to" device.
Before receiving it, I wasn't sure about the low resolution (1280 x 800) on this tab, but honestly, it's not a problem! Sure, it's not bright and beautiful like my Tab S ... but its crisp, clean, and clear. The colors are sufficient, but not vibrant, sadly. (The comparison photo below is the HD8 (2016) and Fire 7 (2015).
Sound is quite good, with good volume. The speakers are on the left side when portrait, on top (or bottom) in landscape. I prefer them on top. The sound is good enough that you can enjoy a movie without having to use earphones, unless in a noisy environment, in which case you would likely want to use earphones anyway. Music was okay, but I prefer listening through bluetooth headphones for premium quality, and it delivers there also.
Whatever chip is used for the cpu is zippy and responsive. I have tested and used a variety of apps, games, and functions in trying this tablet out, and there has been no lag whatsoever, no hesitation, no hangups. Using the silk browser, surfing the web was quick and easy. At most, there was a half second lag for some graphics heavy pages (note that my high speed router is in my room, but even so, the $50 fire lags, not so this one!)
The only feature that is "less than" on this tablet, are the cameras. The rear facing camera is only 2mp, and photos with it are about what I expected ...slightly pixelated, washed out colors, print is readable but not crisp. It's usable in a pinch, when the alternative is no picture/video, or for reference/documentation; but it's not what you would want to use for travel or family photos that are of importance. For reference photos, pet photos, posting to facebook, it's adequate, but "just".
Battery life is excellent. I multi-task and heavily use tablets, with a lot of twitter (have found it to be battery intensive on all devices); a lot of web use, music streaming, texting (on messenger) and watching you tube. I've already gone through two battery cycles (100% to 15%) and the first one was ten hours (actual use time) and the second nearly 11, so it's very close to the maximum advertised.
Overall, this is a super tablet, and the bargain price makes it that much more so. It has exceeded my expectations and hopes in most all functions, and will be a welcome alternative for throwing in my backpack.
UPDATE: October 30, 2016 The Alexa update was pushed to my device on Oct 29th (verified with amazon customer service) and it "bricked" my tablet, rendering it unusable, will not turn on. After several hours on phone with four reps at customer service, it is being returned for a refund. Replacements are always refurbished items, so I chose refund instead. I still think it's a great tablet, but sometimes there are issues, and in the interest of honesty and full disclosure, needed to add this.
2nd UPDATE: November 10, 2016 Okay, apparently this is the "Goldilocks" of my tablets (just right!) and I could not live without it. By the 10th day without it, I was really, REALLY missing it, so I ordered a new one, this time investing in the extended warranty "just in case". I received the new one today, everything is perfect with it, and it feels so, SO good to have a Fire HD8 back in my hands. I know it sounds silly, but even though the specs of this are less than one of my tablets, and slightly better than two 7" ones - the 7" ones now feel too small, and the 10.5" one I have is just too large for most uses. The 8" Fire is just the right size for everything short of computer replacement. In the few hours of use, I've checked everything out and all is well. I will, however, update again, in about two months, to make sure this review is kept current. Right now, despite the issue with one tablet, it's still at least 4.5 stars in my book, but I won't hesitate to revise if that changes.
3rd Update: December 31, 2016 It's now been 7 weeks with my second Fire HD8 tablet. All is working well, and I now rate it a solid 4 stars. I use the playstore and several google apps on my device, and there are no issues. I also had several apps that frequently updated throughout the day, like periscope, facebook, twitter, news aggregators. With all of these apps, the tablet began lagging badly at least once a day, sometimes twice, and even with an app like Cleansweep on it, I would have to reboot. Finally, I uninstalled periscope and the news aggregators; but kept facebook and twitter and a few others similar. That made a huge difference in the lag. There just isn't enough RAM to handle heavy updating every half hour or so, nor does the tablet recover ram well. I also run 10 email accounts on the tablet (I use "bluemail") and set most of them to sync once daily, just two of them sync every hour. With the tweaks I have done, I am happy with the Fire HD8, and it runs smoothly most of the time.
4th update (and perhaps final) and tips -- April 22, 2017
I use the Fire HD8 daily, all day long, going through a battery cycle a day, sometimes more. With recent firmware updates, my Fire tablet is running smooth and fast, and I very rarely experience any lag. I used to reboot it daily, now I do so once a week or less. Apparently the firmware updates made a difference. I also have tweaked this tablet to the max, and thought I would share a few basic tips. (I really feel like, at this point, I should just write a Fire HD8 guide ... but I digress.)
Tips:
Get to know your tablet. Go through every single setting and sub setting and sub-sub setting and tweak anything you want. You can always go back and change it later.
Turn off everything automatic, unless it's a feature you like. Turn off: on-deck, adaptive brightness, automatic navigation, recommendations and most notifications. This streamlines the ram usage.
Keyboards are apps, email is an app, if you don't like the ones on the tablet, go to the amazon appstore and install an alternative one.
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