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MagyarAmazon Fire HD 8 (2020) Tablet Review: Updated Fire Tablet offers significantly more power
The Fire tablets from Amazon may not align themselves to the latest design trends, but they are known for their extremely affordable prices. The hardware remains fairly weak, but the performance is sufficient for the in-house manufactured FireOS and all kinds of Amazon services. As always, the Android tablet's low price of, at the time of this review, around 100 Euros (~$118) brings with it "special offers," ie advertisements, on the lock screen. At the time of this review, the Fire HD 8 (2020) without "special offers" costs only a little more at around 112 Euros (~$132).
For this test, we not only compare the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) with its predecessor, the Fire HD 8 (2018), but also with the competing products listed below. Further devices from our database can also be added in each section for comparison.
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.8 % | 08/2020 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 MT8168, Mali-G52 MP1 | 355 g | 9.7 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 76.5 % | 11/2018 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, Mali-T720 | 363 g | 9.7 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 81 % | 01/2020 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD Helio A22 MT6762M, PowerVR GE8320 | 305 g | 8.2 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 79.6 % | 01/2020 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 SD 429, Adreno 504 | 345 g | 8 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 78.7 % | 03/2019 | Alldocube M8 T801 MT6797X, Mali-T880 MP4 | 345 g | 8.48 mm | 8.00" | 1920x1200 |
Case - Slimmer frames on the Fire HD 8 (2020)
The Fire HD 8 (2020) is enclosed in a plastic housing. The most noticeable innovation is the now evenly wide frame that runs around the display. Overall, the appearance of the Amazon tablet is rather simple and functional. Prospective buyers can also choose between a black and white design.
While the weight of the Fire HD (2020) has decreased slightly compared to the Fire HD 8 (2018), the more even frame construction means that the case is shorter and slightly wider.
Features - Amazon tablet offers a USB Type-C connection
Amazon installed a MediaTek-MT8168-SoC and 2GB of RAM in the Fire HD 8 (2020). An ARM-Mali-G52-MP1 GPU is responsible for displaying image content. There is also 32GB of eMMC flash memory, which can be expanded to 64 GB for an additional charge. A microSD card slot is available for memory expansion, which, according to the manufacturer, supports suitable memory cards with a size of up to one terabyte.
The charging port type has changed from the one used on the Fire HD 8 (2018). It still only supports the USB 2.0 standard, but it is now designed as a USB Type-C port rather than a microUSB port. A 3.5mm audio jack connection is also available on the new Amazon tablet. The Camera2 API is available with "Full" functionality. DRM Widevine L1 is also supported.
Software - Fire OS for Amazon customers
On the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020), users will use the manufacturer's own Fire OS, which is based on Android 9. The tablet comes with version 7.1.3 and, on the home screen, looks like a classic Android system. In addition, there are a number of tabs that grant access to various Amazon products. If the user's Amazon account is linked to the tablet, these tabs allow users to view music, audio books, videos and more. In addition, with Amazon Alexa, audio can be reliably used as an alternative operation method.
Applications can be obtained from Amazon's app store. Although the app store is quite extensive, it is still a far cry from the diversity of the Google Play Store. Installing the latter manually is now quite easy, and there are many uncomplicated instructions on the Internet.
Users who have opted for the cheaper option with "special offers" will see advertisements on the standby screen that are updated regularly. For a small surcharge, the Amazon tablet can also be bought directly without advertisements; these can also be removed for a fee using Amazon after the device has been purchased.
Communication - Fast WiFi for the Amazon tablet
The cheap tablet from Amazon can only establish wireless connections via WLAN and Bluetooth. Compared to the previous model Fire HD 8 (2018), the new model moves from WiFi 4 to WiFi 5 and from Bluetooth 4.1 to Bluetooth 5.0. This enables significantly higher data transfer rates, which are also reflected in our WLAN test.
With our Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router, the Fire HD 8 (2020) achieves average speeds of 330 Mbit/s when receiving data and 348 Mbit/s when transmitting data. It can therefore leave others in our test field in the dust and offers good WLAN performance.
Cameras - For simple recordings only
Amazon equips both the main and the front camera of the Fire HD 8 (2020) with a 2 MP sensor. As a result, picture quality is only moderate, so details and fine structures appear somewhat blurred. However, the resolution seems sufficient for simple video chats. Users can only influence the image result by activating an optional HDR mode. A timer function is also available.
The main camera of the tablet from Amazon can take usable pictures in good light, though fine structures and details tend to blend together. While scenes can still be photographed well at close range, panoramas show clear blurring. Strong differences in brightness also cause colors to appear too dark. If the software-based zoom is used, this effect is further increased. Our test scene is no longer recognizable when photos are taken in low-light. The optional night mode delivers a better, but still rather mediocre, result. Users have the same setting options here as the ones described for the front camera.
The quality of the video recordings is similar to the quality of the photos. When switching between light and dark scenes, the camera needs a moment to adjust to the changed lighting conditions. In the settings menu, users can switch the quality between "HD 720p" and "SD 480p." A high frame rate mode or a similar option is not available.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
HauptkameraPanoramaZoom (Fire HD 8: 2-fach, Rest: 5-fach)LowLight
The camera in the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) can reproduce the ColorChecker Passport relatively well under controlled lighting conditions. The colors show only relatively small deviations; the colors can be either a little too light or a little too dark depending the color.
The picture of the test chart also has strong colors. However, there are blurred areas in the center of the image, and these intensify towards the edges. There is also a visible paleness in the corners.
Accessories and warranty - Compatible with QI charging stations
The Fire HD 8 (2020) only comes with a USB wall charger alongside a suitable USB Type-C cable. That said, Amazon offers more accessories for the cheap tablet.
Input devices & operation - Functional keyboard and solid touchscreen
The Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) has a simple keyboard app for entering text. If this is used in landscape format, it can be divided in the middle so that one half sits on the right edge and the other on the left edge of the display. The touchscreen reacts very directly to contact and reliably accepts inputs. Drag-and-drop and swipe movements are also easy to perform. There is also a position sensor, which adapts the tablet's alignment without any major delays.
Display - Bright screen without PWM
The 8-inch screen of the Fire HD 8 (2020) has the same resolution as the Fire HD 8 (2018) with a resolution of 1280x800. However, our measurements confirm that the new Amazon tablet has a significantly higher brightness of 501 cd/m² when the ambient light sensor is deactivated. With the sensor activated, brightness levels of up to 512 cd/m² are possible. In the APL50 test, this value sinks a bit, but is still very good at 495 cd/m², which means that the Fire HD 8 (2020) leads in our test field. The lowest brightness level possible is 4.48 cd/m².
Our measurements also show that Amazon does not use PWM to control the brightness of the Fire HD 8 (2020). This makes the tablet suitable for users with sensitive eyes. Flickering starts at a very low brightness level of less than 6 percent. However, with a frequency of 65,790 Hz, the flickering frequency is high and should not pose any problems.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 501 cd/m²
Contrast: 2004:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
79.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.17
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 IPS, 1280x800, 8.00 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 IPS, 1280x800, 8.00 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD IPS, 1280x800, 8.00 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 TFT, 1280x800, 8.00 | Alldocube M8 T801 IPS, 1920x1200, 8.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -153% | -54% | -94% | -105% | |
| Brightness middle | 501 | 359 -28% | 379 -24% | 377 -25% | 317.5 -37% |
| Brightness | 463 | 358 -23% | 346 -25% | 372 -20% | 320 -31% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 89 5% | 88 4% | 87 2% | 94 11% |
| Black Level * | 0.25 | 0.85 -240% | 0.21 16% | 0.29 -16% | 0.5 -100% |
| Contrast | 2004 | 422 -79% | 1805 -10% | 1300 -35% | 635 -68% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.6 | 6.8 -89% | 3.8 -6% | 6.1 -69% | 6.12 -70% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.4 | 17.3 -106% | 7.5 11% | 10.9 -30% | 13.72 -63% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1 | 7.6 -660% | 5 -400% | 6.6 -560% | 5.8 -480% |
| Gamma | 2.17 101% | 2.19 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.13 103% | 2.12 104% |
| CCT | 6473 100% | 7160 91% | 7514 87% | 7861 83% | 7633 85% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 65790 Hz | ≤ 6 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 65790 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 6 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 65790 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18704 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
With a contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and a black value of 0.25 cd/m², the Fire HD 8 (2020) is also significantly better than its predecessor and, once again, leaves the competition we chose in the dust.
The CalMAN analysis also shows that the color reproduction is very well calibrated by default, so colors are displayed without any significant deviations. Using a mode called "BlueShade," users can reduce the amount of blue output by the display.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 27.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 64 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.8 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 47.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 23.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 24 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 79 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.3 ms). | ||
Thanks to the relatively good brightness value, users can use the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) outdoors without too much trouble. Shady places are better, though, because direct light causes reflections on the display.
The IPS panel of the Fire HD 8 (2020) has very stable viewing angles. Image content can be read from almost any angle without being distorted or displayed with incorrect colors.
Performance - Competitive performance
The "new" SoC of the Amazon tablet is the MediaTek MT8168 from 2015. Compared to the Fire HD 8 (2018), the clock rates of the four cores increased from 1.3 to 2.0 GHz. The RAM increased from 1.5 to 2 GB, though there is a model of the Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) with 3 GB of RAM.
In the benchmarks, the Fire HD 8 (2020) achieved a system performance between 70% and 80% higher than the Fire HD 8 (2018). The difference is even clearer in the graphics-heavy benchmarks where there is an increase of over 300%. This makes the tablet from Amazon competitive and, depending on a user's needs, potentially even better than the Lenovo Tab M8 HD and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019.
| Geekbench 5.5 | |
| Single-Core | |
| Average of class Tablet (140 - 1898, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (141 - 144, n=3) | |
| Multi-Core | |
| Average of class Tablet (312 - 9803, n=54, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (499 - 504, n=3) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| OpenCL Score 5.1 | |
| Average of class Tablet (1219 - 10879, n=8, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Vulkan Score 5.1 | |
| Average of class Tablet (1237 - 9073, n=9, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Geekbench 4.4 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (745 - 6597, n=12, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (833 - 837, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (1418 - 15310, n=12, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (2463 - 2476, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| Compute RenderScript Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (4172 - 9930, n=9, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (1726 - 1733, n=2) | |
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (5620 - 6311, n=3) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| Work 2.0 performance score | |
| Average of class Tablet (6937 - 11351, n=2, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (4454 - 4753, n=3) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (14 - 120, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (15 - 873, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Average of class Tablet (8.1 - 120, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (7.3 - 494, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (4.8 - 118.3, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (5 - 340, n=49, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (90422 - 90442, n=2) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| VRMark - Amber Room | |
| Average of class Tablet (1352 - 8816, n=3, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
In our browser tests, the Fire HD 8 (2020) did at least 20% better than the Fire HD 8 (2018). Compared to the rest of our test field, though, the performance falls a bit behind, so the tablet from Amazon must be content with the penultimate place in our test field.
However, surfing the Internet works without a hitch. Only websites with a lot of media content take longer to load.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (57.3 - 436, n=12, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (23.6 - 24, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 (Silk Browser 66.2.10.3359.126.10) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - --- | |
| Average of class Tablet (34 - 342, n=41, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (30 - 30, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 (Silk Browser 66.2.10.3359.126.10) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Tablet (14.7 - 376, n=43, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (5022 - 74614, n=55, last 2 years) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (4115 - 4222, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 (Silk Browser 66.2.10.3359.126.10) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 (Silk Browser 66.2.10.3359.126.10) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Average MediaTek MT8168 (11103 - 11254, n=2) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Average of class Tablet (451 - 34733, n=52, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
With the base model, users of the Fire HD 8 (2020) have 32 GB of storage space available. There is also a model with 64GP of storage space for an extra charge. Our storage benchmark shows increased storage performance compared to the Fire HD 8 (2018). The read and write speeds are on the same level as our selected competing devices from Samsung and Lenovo.
The Amazon tablet also allows the use of a microSD card. According to the manufacturer, this can be used to expand the internal memory by up to 1 TB. With our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference memory card, the card reader also achieves read and write speeds on a par with other devices in our test field.
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | Alldocube M8 T801 | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -46% | -2% | 1% | -41% | -9% | 278% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 315 | 158.5 -50% | 297.1 -6% | 291.9 -7% | 142.8 -55% | 242 ? -23% | 926 ? 194% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 103.9 | 41.89 -60% | 79.6 -23% | 108.5 4% | 103 -1% | 100.5 ? -3% | 599 ? 477% |
| Random Read 4KB | 67.6 | 26.98 -60% | 77.4 14% | 57.8 -14% | 19.5 -71% | 43.1 ? -36% | 173.7 ? 157% |
| Random Write 4KB | 15.72 | 12.25 -22% | 15.84 1% | 16.89 7% | 10.01 -36% | 22.1 ? 41% | 155 ? 886% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 84.1 ? | 51.4 ? -39% | 83.8 ? 0% | 87.1 ? 4% | 71.8 ? -15% | 79.4 ? -6% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 62 ? | 34.03 ? -45% | 64.3 ? 4% | 69.9 ? 13% | 52.9 ? -15% | 38.4 ? -38% |
Games - Only simple games are playable
An ARM Mali-G52 MP1 is used to display image content on the Fire HD 8 (2020). This is suitable for simple games and applications with low graphical demands. The titles we tested with Gamebench performed radically different from one another. While "Arena of Valor" was playable at a smooth 30FPS on low settings, the same game terminated unexpectedly after the start of a match when using higher graphical settings.
The game "Asphalt 8: Airborne" ran smoothly on medium graphical settings, but did not allow users to change any of the automatic graphical settings. The middle graphics preset was automatically selected every time the game was restarted. The somewhat more demanding "PUBG Mobile" ran at around 19FPS on the lowest graphics setting, so it was only moderately playable. Here, too, higher graphical settings caused the game to crash.
The games could be controlled using the touchscreen as well as the position sensor. Occasionally, swipe movements were not entirely smooth due to the slightly increased resistance of the display surface.
PUBG Compare
Emissions - The Fire tablet has usable speakers
Temperature
The surface temperatures of the Fire HD 8 (2020) rises to a maximum of 30.5°C under load in our test. This means that the tablet never gets too hot and can be held comfortably at any time.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 30.4 °C / 87 F, compared to the average of 34 °C / 93 F, ranging from 21.2 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 30.5 °C / 87 F, compared to the average of 33.5 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
Speaker
The loudspeakers of the Amazon Fire tablet only produce a mediocre amount of sound, but have a relatively wide sound spectrum. This makes them well suited for playing media content, so users do not necessarily have to rely on external speakers or headphones.
Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 29% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 21% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 74% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Lenovo Tab M8 HD audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.9% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 12.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 81% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 23%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 81% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Power Management - The Fire HD 8 (2020) offers good battery life
Energy Use
In our test, the Fire HD 8 (2020) not only performed better than the Fire HD 8 (2018), but also used less energy. The power consumption of the new model is around 24% lower than its predecessor. In a direct comparison, the competing devices, the Lenovo Tab M8 HD and Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0, consume less energy. Only the Alldocube M8 T801 consumes more power.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.18 Watt |
| Idle |  0.72 / 2.97 / 2.99 Watt |
| Load |
4.02 / 5.1 Watt |
    
| |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 4850 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 4750 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | Alldocube M8 T801 5500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -24% | 27% | 13% | -139% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.72 | 0.97 -35% | 0.66 8% | 0.62 14% | 3.4 -372% |
| Idle Average * | 2.97 | 3.26 -10% | 2.15 28% | 2.68 10% | 5.1 -72% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.99 | 3.37 -13% | 2.18 27% | 2.7 10% | 5.3 -77% |
| Load Average * | 4.02 | 5.68 -41% | 2.48 38% | 3.61 10% | 6 -49% |
| Load Maximum * | 5.1 | 6.21 -22% | 3.49 32% | 4 22% | 11.5 -125% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
The Fire HD 8 (2020) has double the battery life of its predecessor. In our practical WLAN test, we achieved almost exactly 15 hours of runtime, which exceeds the manufacturer's specification of 12 hours.
The included wall charger has an output power of 5 watts and takes about 5 hours to fully charge the Fire HD 8 (2020).
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 4850 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 2018 4750 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | Alldocube M8 T801 5500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -35% | 43% | 7% | -53% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2661 | 1168 -56% | 3581 35% | 3132 18% | |
| H.264 | 949 | 498 -48% | 1696 79% | 934 -2% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 902 | 490 -46% | 1124 25% | 831 -8% | 420 -53% |
| Load | 286 | 316 10% | 374 31% | 342 20% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - All around improved
The 2020 version of the Fire HD 8 has significant performance improvements and a slightly more modern design than its predecessor, the Fire HD 8 (2018). For the price quoted, the equipment is not only on par with the competition, but can also surpass them in some areas like WLAN speed. In addition, the new model has significantly better battery life that allows for over 15 hours of runtime, which totally surpasses its previous model.
Amazon improves the Fire HD8 in every way, but still retains its low price.
Regardless of whether the user chooses to have or get rid of the "special offers," thanks to the heavily adapted FireOS, the Fire HD 8 (2020) is mainly worthwhile for Amazon customers who also make extensive use of the company's services. Since there are now good alternatives such as the Lenovo Tab M8 HD in this price range, users who want a cheap and high-performance tablet do not necessarily have to get a Fire device. But if you own a Fire HD 8 (2018) and like to use it, it is worth switching to the 2020 model since the performance has improved all around.
Amazon Fire HD 8 2020
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08/04/2020 v7
Mike Wobker
Pricecompare
