Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020): Do we really need two Fire HD 8 versions?

When you place the Amazon Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 8 Plus next to each other, you cannot see any difference. Their insides also contain the same Mediatek MT8168 SoC and ARM-Mali-G52-MP1 graphics unit. In addition, there are either 32 GB or 64 GB of working memory, depending on the selection of the customer. Our measurements also attest similarly good values to the displays of both models, and the camera equipment is identical.

The "large" difference lies in the amount of working memory, which is 3 GB in the Plus version and only 2 GB in the standard version. In addition, there is the option to be able to charge the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) also wirelessly. Owners of a QI charging pad can also use this for their Fire tablet, and the Amazon charging station can be used for other QI-capable devices as well.

Wireless charging and more working memory sound like a useful addition, which currently costs interested buyers only 16 Euros more (~$19) with the ad-supported price that includes "special offers." The price difference for the Fire HD 8 versions without ads is also only 20 Euros (~$24). 

After our tests of both tablets only show a very small additional value in the system performance from the additional working memory, the question remains why Amazon offers these two versions at all. One possibility would be that in this way, the price of the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) with ads could be below 100 Euros (~$118) which would make it more attractive for very price-conscious buyers. Our test shows what buyers of the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) can expect from the tablet for the slightly higher purchase price.