Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing Deal for the Price
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2019
I bought the tablet on Prime Day for a discounted price.
For $50 I knew it was not going to be better than my previous tablet which was an iPad Air (1st generation)
for which I paid 16 times more than the Fire HD 8. Since I gave my iPad to my daughter for school,
I needed a tablet for myself. I didn't want to spend more than $500 on a tablet for sure, so this tablet was perfect
for my budget. All I use my tablet for was to watch videos and reply to emails, so I knew I didn't need a
powerhouse like the new iPad Pro. And most definitely I needed something portable, which the iPad Pro definitely isn't.
So I decided to try out the Fire HD8. Honestly I am genuinely surprised with how much the HD8
has to offer. For $50 I was able to do a lot, so here are the cons and pros after using it for 1 month.
Pros:
Very affordable (get the one with ads, ads are only on the lock screen totally not intrusive, you save $15.00, close to 20% off total price)
Alexa hands-free (amazing feature to control all my smart appliances at home)
720p video
SD Card (unlike the iPad)
Feels sturdy (I feel that if I drop the tablet it won't break fairly easy)
Battery life (pretty solid battery for a small tablet, about 10 hours from my experience)
Cons:
Limited amount of apps from the Amazon app store (absolutely no google apps at all, made from google anyways, only knock-offs)
Speakers (they are not very loud and it's very apparently once you start to consume media, but they are ok)
Cameras (every time you open the cameras you'll feel as if you're back to 2005, but not a deal breaker for me though)
Not a full Android experience (you will need to install the Play Store APK in order to get android apps, but not a lot of people will be able to)
Laggy (it is laggy at times, especially if you have multiple apps open in the background, so try to close any apps you're not using)
SD card slot is a very difficult to pop open... seriously (might have been just my unit though)
Screen (resolution is adequate, especially considering the price, but it doesn't get too bright)
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I would totally recommend the HD 8 because I feel that for the price you are getting a lot.
That being said, don't go in and expect the performance of an iPad because you won't find it.
If you go in and know what to expect, you will enjoy the experience like I have.
6 Weeks Later:
The tablet broke down on me. It got stuck on the booting screen.
I called Amazon and the lady who helped me was absolutely not knowledgeable on how to fix the problem.
She sent me a replacement instead, which I was happy for. 2 days later I receive it on my door.
I opened the package and it was a refurbished unit sent to me. How do I know it was a refurbished unit?
Well, it said so in the box it came in LOL. I paid for a brand new unit the day I bought it, and
6 weeks later it breaks down and now I am stuck with a REFURBISHED tablet.
Needless to say, I am very disappointed that Amazon sent me a refurbished HD8 instead of another brand new one,
but at least it works, for now anyways.
I will post a follow up to see how the refurbished replacement holds up.
Follow up:
I have been using my HD8 for a while now and after the replacement was sent I have had no issues whatsoever. Battery lasts 2 days for me and I am pleasantly surprised. Definitely recommend it!
