I had a terrible experience with the Amazon Fire 7 (bad speaker, bluetooth tuned low, poor screen), but the Kindle 8 has been a terrific device. That extra .5 RAM makes a difference as it loads apps with no issues compared to the Kidnle 7 and my two Asus tablets from 5 years ago that have some of the worst lag I have ever seen @ 1 GB RAM. Good speakers, no issues with bluetooth, and is a great screen to watch Netflix and read websites and books.
I like the 8 so much that I ended up buying a new Fire 10 and put Google Play on it with so issues whatsoever. I plan on getting rid of those old Asus machines once I do the same with the Kindle 8.
As for the 7, it was actually a gift to my Mom from my sister. She doesnât use it anymore.