Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) review - How good can a $90 tablet be - Android - Canadian apps and news

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) review - How good can a $90 tablet be - Android

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How good can a $90 tablet be? The Amazon Fire HD 8 might surprise you.

It’s surprising to see the $89.99 Amazon Fire HD 8 launching in 2020. Android tablet numbers have plummeted and most manufacturers don’t even bother making them anymore. iPads have taken the throne with over 60% of the global tablet market as of May 2020, according to Statcounter. The only serious Apple competitor is Samsung, which has a lowly 20.91% share of the market. Then there is Amazon. It has an even lower 5.45% marketshare, and yet it releases tablet after tablet with no end in sight.

Amazon owns the market for low-cost hardware, but that isn’t its only secret to staying alive. Much like Apple, Amazon has a whole ecosystem backing its Fire tablets. From shopping to music listening, video streaming, and reading, the Amazon Fire HD 8 is a convenient hub for everything the online retail giant has to offer. But is it really worth your $90 bucks? Let’s figure that out.

About this Amazon Fire HD 8 review: I wrote this Amazon Fire HD 8 review after spending over a week using the device. Amazon supplied the device for review. The unit was running Fire OS 7.3.1.4, which is based on Android, for the duration of the review.

Who is the Amazon Fire HD 8 for?

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

It should go without saying that the Amazon Fire HD 8 focuses on those entrenched in the Amazon ecosystem. This tablet was conceived purely to be a hub for Amazon shoppers, Prime streamers, and Kindle readers. The user interface is designed to guide users towards Amazon products and services.

Amazon Fire tablets are hubs for the Amazon shoppers, Prime streamers, and Kindle readers.
Edgar Cervantes

The Amazon Fire HD 8 could also be for the casual user who simply wants an affordable device with a screen larger than their phone. Using it as a full-on Android tablet isn’t the best idea, however. Here’s why.

See also: These are the best Android tablets you can buy

Amazon Fire HD 8 Design: Fun that will wear out

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

The Amazon Fire HD 8 has a textured plastic back that feels almost rubberized, which ensures a good grip. Thankfully it isn’t a fingerprint magnet, though it most certainly is a scratch magnet. I used it gently for a week and began to see signs of gashing. The scratches were nearly unnoticeable, but this shouldn’t happen to a device that spent most of its time either on my desk or my bed. I never dropped it, nor hit it against anything.

Even if the outer layers of the back cover are delicate, the device itself feels pretty sturdy. The unit might even handle drops well, but don’t torture it too much as it has no official rugged certification. The power and volume buttons have a slight wobble, but they offer acceptable feedback and don’t feel like they will wear down too easily.

The Amazon Fire HD 8 offers a good grip and isn't a fingerprint magnet. It sure is a scratch magnet, though.
Edgar Cervantes

When you get past the small things you will find the Amazon Fire HD 8 to be a minimalist tablet with no fanfare. It touts a lonely Amazon smile logo in the back. The tablet can also be playful, offered in a selection of colors, including black, plum, twilight blue, white, and slate (gray).

The placement of the camera, buttons, and rear logo makes it seem like the tablet was intended to be used in landscape mode, which is odd considering the UI was mostly designed to be used in portrait mode.