Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) Review
Pros
- Solid battery life
- Reliable construction
- Easy onboarding experience
Cons
- Tiny performance increase over the 2022 model
- Priced against vastly more powerful products
- Uninspiring display
Key Features
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Review Price: £99.99 -
13-hour battery life The non-descript battery is able to go the extra mile thanks to borderline ancient components.
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More memory than before Now packing 4GB of memory into the 64GB model, the 2024 Fire HD 8 tablet can help you do more at once.
Introduction
Updated for 2024, the latest Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet doesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel. Nor does it need to.
Now packing a little extra memory over what came before, the biggest upgrade to this year’s Fire HD 8 tablet is performance.
Still far from a powerhouse, it’ll do most of what you expect to use a cheap, small tablet for the same price as the last one. And if you want a smidge more performance, you can pay a little extra – that’s new for this year.
Design
- 4GB model only available in black
- Heavily rounded design
- Large bezels and uniform plastic chassis
Looking virtually identical to the Fire HD 8 tablet I’ve had cooped up in my attic for half a decade now, the 2024 model isn’t particularly exciting.
The all-black chassis features heavily rounded corners to avoid digging into your palms. The back panel has some natural grip, too, thanks to some thoughtful little dots, making this plastic, lightweight tablet particularly comfortable.
The rounded shape means it’s easier to pick up when laid on its back, but it’s easy enough to pinch and lift with your digits the other way, too. Flip it over to see the fingerprint-prone display with some wide bezels and a camera positioned on the long side of the device.
The swooshing Amazon arrow logo adorns the rear, cutting right through the middle. There’s no hiding what this is.
Along the edges of the device, things get a little unorthodox. Both long sides feature twin speakers or a storage expansion slot, with one short side featuring virtually everything else: the power button, volume rocker, microphone, USB-C charging port, and a headphone jack, leaving the other side barren.
When held in landscape mode for video calls, you only risk covering the headphone and charging ports. Stereo sound blasts from the top. This isn’t going to have the separation capable when sticking them on the short sides, but it works.
What’s odd is portrait mode. Unless you grip it firmly in the middle, you’re always going to cover one of the speakers. With the camera on your left, you’ll at least avoid having the power button awkwardly nestled by your palm.
This is all packaged into bright cardboard packaging entirely destined for the paper recycling bin. With no charger or accessories included, just slide it out and set it up.
Screen
- 800p resolution
- Dim LCD IPS panel
- 5-point multitouch
The 800p 8-inch LCD panel features wide viewing angles, suggesting IPS tech at its core, making for comfortable off-axis reading. And while it can’t get particularly bright, which means it struggles under sunlight or a bright lamp, it’s good enough for indoor and nighttime reading. A Kindle this is not.
Out of the box, it’s an acceptable, if uninspiring, display suited to the casual multimedia experience. Whether you’re holding it up on the couch or setting it down on a side table, it falling below full HD isn’t a huge red flag given its size, but it’s far from the best at this price point. Viewed from a distance, it’s fine.
Performance
- Barely noticeable core performance uplift over 2022 model
- 64GB Black model featured 4GB memory
- 3GB base memory as standard is more than the 2022 model
Now available with either 3-4GB of memory depending on your storage option, the 2024 Fire HD 8 model with 4GB of memory provided for review runs well enough on its custom Android 11 operating system.
Installing even small apps can take a little longer than more powerful devices, but it’s nothing to fuss over. Evidenced by its 10-minute long Geekbench 5 run, the 6-core MediaTek MT8169A processor powering the whole operation is a bit of a slug.
Still, the 12th-gen Fire HD 8 can put up a good fight in the <£100 price bracket. It’s the low-resolution display, grainy icons, and wide bezels that date it against the <£150 price point kings like the Honor Pad X9 or the Oppo Pad Air.
This moderate spec bump lets this tablet score 915 and 1001 in the Geekbench 6 single and multicore tests respectively— a 7% improvement over the 2022 model that could simply be down to the additional memory, which comes in at £25 more than the base 3GB model.
When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, the measly 2fps result on the 3DMark Timespy test doesn’t inspire much hope. Reaction-reliant Roblox games, for example, struggle, meaning it’s best to temper gaming expectations and stick to non-competitive titles or simple 2D adventures.
Camera
- 2MP front camera
- 2MP rear camera
- No flash, auto-focus, or depth sensor
Don’t expect much from the twin snappers. They’re for casual video calls, notes, and scanning QR codes rather than taking wholesome photos of friends, family, and foliage.
The 2MP camera on the back isn’t backed up with a depth sensor or even a flash, making lifelike photography virtually impossible. Without a strong light source, they’ll come out dark and with plenty of noise where the detail should be.
Even with one, every shot we transferred to a PC had a vintage haze to it. A one-touch tone correction brought the colour back, but this only made the digital noise and lack of detail more apparent.
On the front, the 2MP selfie camera isn’t going to do you any favours on social media. It’s fine for messing around with wacky filters for a bit of fun, but it’s really just there to show yourself on video calls. It won’t be your best self, but it’s better than nothing.
Software
- Older Android 11
- Simplified user interface
- Essential apps come pre-installed
Running Android 11 with a now-iconic Amazon flair, the Fire Tab 8 HD will unnerve the minimalists out there, but it’s exactly what casual or first-time users will appreciate. Rather than pages of tabs, it’s like the app drawer is always open. Just slide up or down to find what you want.
Before that, though: recommendations (ads) that appear as a carousel at the top.
Experienced users will scoff at the thought, but Amazon’s moderated app system means there’s little to no risk in absentmindedly tapping what it thinks you’ll like (or kids landing on things you’d rather they didn’t).
Pre-installed apps are almost exclusively Amazon products, but it won’t stop you from grabbing a competing streamer like Netflix from the search bar at the top.
Large and carefully worded buttons like a big “GET” replace the historically intimidating “install” button. Multitasking is simplified to a similar degree with “continue” prompts for previously used apps.
It’s these thoughtful tweaks that cementing FireOS as a means-tested solution for the older generation convinced that modern technology always includes at least five self-destruct buttons.
Parental controls like child profiles and app pinning can also ensure little ones can play and swipe to their heart’s content without risk of wading through dangerous waters.
Battery
- 13 hours of reported battery life
- 6% average Netflix drain
- Variable charging speeds
Like the 2022 model, it’s easy to get around 10-11 hours with light, average usage. Keep things dark to get closer to that 13-hour mark or survive the commute home. Forget to dim the screen, and you’ll manage quite a bit less.
An hour of Netflix drains around 6-7% at medium brightness. Getting through a limited series is a breeze, and even 12-episode seasons can be binged on a good charge. Light gaming, which is all this is capable of, shaves the counter down similarly.
Depending on the plug you use, charging speeds range from mediocre to downright abysmal. Without one in the box, you’re at the mercy of what you already own. A 15-watt plug nets 15% in 15 minutes, bringing a full charge from five hours on an ancient 2.5W charger to under two hours.
Should you buy it?
You want a tablet that's as simple as they come
For your tech-averse loved ones, the Fire HD 8 remains an easy recommendation thanks to its simple interface and wording. With more memory than before, it’s less likely to hold them back.
You know what you're buying
For anyone with a smidge of smart tech know-how, you can get much more for your money if you’re willing to drop the FireOS interface.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 Fire HD 8 tablet is an upgrade over the previous model. A minor one, and certainly not one to swap the 2022 model for, but an upgrade nonetheless. But is that enough in 2025?
The value proposition of the HD 8 line could be at its end. It’s still a great tablet for most people, but with better devices costing little more, it’s time that Amazon gave its cheaper tablet a more modest spec bump.
A sharper display, a more capable chip, or a better camera system – something to convince users of older models that sleeker devices needn’t break the bank while retaining the simple, familiar, and safe FireOS interface they seemingly can’t leave behind.
Again, it’s a capable tablet that’s likely all the tech-averse people in your life likely need. But if you’re a money-conscious individual looking for a bedside browser, check out our list of the best budget tablets or the best e-readers first. Outside of a fire sale (get it?), the competition can be surprisingly fierce.
Trusted Score
How we test
Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever accept money to review a product.
- Used for several weeks.
- Benchmarked with industry standard tools and tests.
- Tested the camera in various real-world conditions.
FAQs
Yes, there’s a USB-C charging port.
Yes, there’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack on the 2024 Fire HD 8 tablet.
Test Data
| Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) Review | |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single core | 192 |
| Geekbench 6 multi core | 913 |
| 1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR) | 7 % |
| 30 minute gaming (light) | 4 % |
| 15-min recharge (included charger) | 15 % |
Full Specs
| Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £99.99 |
| USA RRP | $99.99 |
| Manufacturer | Amazon |
| Screen Size | 8 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 32GB |
| Rear Camera | 2MP |
| Front Camera | 2MP |
| Video Recording | No |
| IP rating | No |
| Size (Dimensions) | 137 x 90 x 200 MM |
| Weight | 337 G |
| ASIN | B0CVDJ26VQ |
| Operating System | Amazon Fire OS |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| First Reviewed Date | 24/02/2025 |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C (2.0), MicroSD, 3.5mm |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT8169A |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Colours | Black (with 4GB), Emerald and Hibiscus (3GB only) |
| Stated Power | 15 W |
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