Amazon Fire HD 8" (2017) Tablets - NEW


Amazon Fire HD 8" (2017) Tablets - NEW

Nice tablets…I have some. Amazon often sold them for $49.99 when they were current. I bought a three-pack lol.

The newer model is on sale for $59.99 at Amazon right now; it has 32 GB of storage, more RAM, faster CPU, USB-C. Might be worth $20 extra.

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When I told my daughter that I had ordered a Fire tablet, she said she wish she had known before I ordered it–that she would have given me hers…that she thought it would be a disappointment. I do not know which version she had; but, I LOVE my FIRE 8! Yes, I have other tablets, including an ipad. But, you can’t add an “SD” card to an ipad. Constantly, I had to clear apps to download anything & I buy extra storage for it. For what I use the “Fire” 8 for, I am very pleased & would highly recommend it for average home use.

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Definitely worth the $20 just for the USB-C, especially if you’re giving it to a kid. They just smash the micro USB in any way they can and destroy the port (and tablet) in short order.

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can you still side load the full google play store on to these?

Agreed on USB C, but for a different reason. Most new laptops charge with USB-C, as well as pretty much every single non iPhone. Having a tablet charge with the same charging cable as your phone and computer is so convenient and helpful. Every single device you own can charge with the same charger, which makes everything so much better for so many reasons.

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Based on the age, I would stay faarrrr away unless it’s for a child or someone with a LOT of patience.

ANY of the Amazon Tablet’s I’ve owned have DRASTICALLY slowed down after year 2. Yes, they still work, but verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyy sllllllloooooowwwwlllllllyyyyyyyy.

Based on the age, Woot should be paying us to take them from them and free up some warehouse space.

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yup. in fact there’s a really handy app for doing that (and a lot more) called FireToolbox. Highly recommend for any Fire owner.

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I’ll further echo some of the thoughts here; Getting a current/new model of this is the better way to go. Amazon tablets are so cheap, it is pretty easy to justify going current model for a little more change, rather than two generations old. But especially with this generation of HD8’s in particular. They got their first significant bump in hardware in a bit.

Since the hardware doesn’t change, perhaps having too many apps running is the problem?

I haven’t noticed much slowdown - I have one of these, and I still regularly use an HDX 8.9 and an HD 6 from 2014. And the latest update to this 2017 HD8 actually cleaned up the interface quite a bit… now it’s just three “home” screens instead of the nine or ten it had before. And installing the Play Store isn’t too tough if you follow the directions on Liliputing or AFTVNews.

The biggest problem with aging Amazon tablets (including these 2017 models) is battery longevity. The battery in my 2017 HD8 used to last about 8 hours when it was new, and now it barely breaks 2 hours. The battery life in the new HD8 and HD+ is much better, and they charge quicker with USB-C than these older ones do with MicroUSB.

I’ve definitely got my money’s worth out of Fire tablets over the years… they’re cheap and capable of basic browsing (I personally install Kiwi Browser on all of mine), reading (PDFs with Adobe Reader, EPUBS with Cool Reader, and CBZs with Perfect Viewer), and watching streaming movie apps (no issues with any of them). And if you have younger kids, the Freetime (or whatever it’s called now) is an amazing source of books and games.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend them for “heavy” use - serious games or productivity apps. They just don’t have the horsepower or flexibility that the $150-$250 tablets from Lenovo offer.

I’d love to hear about how to actually put Google playstore through the secret side door! Seriously, I am really hoping that it can be explained

Nope. Was running one (MAYBE two) apps at the same time.

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