Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus tablet

I have the Fire HD 8, which is the HD plus without wireless charging, only 32GB of internal storage, and only 2GB of RAM. I mostly use it for a Kindle ebook reader, but I did put the Google Play store on it (yes, very easy). Battery life is pretty good. The non-Plus version is only $45 on sale today, which is a crazy good deal for a cheap Android tablet once you add the Google Play store. I can live without the extra RAM, and storage is expandable with a microSD card.

Is there much lag time with the 2GB version? And can you put apps on the SD card so not to use up too much on the internal storage?

How about bluetooth? How well does it work?

I have the smaller one, the Fire 7 16 GB, and just looked and it is currently on sale for $34.99. You can’t beat that price!! I just use it for searching the internet and have a few games and books installed to keep me entertained on the plane. For those purposes, it works great. Sorry, can’t help with the SD card or Bluetooth questions. But, since they are so cheap, I suggest just getting one while they are on sale and play around with it and see if it does everything you need it to do.

if it fits your needs it sounds like a great bargain..

I just had a squint at my Amazon Prime page and the best deal I see here is Fire HD 8 Tablet, 32 GB, Red—with Ads (Previous Generation - 8th) for £100.

....

wow your prices sehr gut.

Since the current "8" model's prices are so low, and they are fro 2020, I get the feeling they are trying to get rid of inventory for a new line of tablets. Just a feeling.

I'm going to order one and if I don't like it I can always return it.

I have the HD 7 and love it, especially for travel. I have an SD card installed which enables me to download lots of content from Netflix and Amazon Prime to watch while I'm traveling.

Has anyone used Google Voice on the HD 8 tablet? We are looking for a small travel tablet to surf the web, store some files, but also to make a call, if need be. It is reassuring to know that we could call the US or a hotel for that matter while travelling. Would the HD 8 suffice? Should I stick with an Android (non-Amazon modified Android) tablet? OR if Google Voice is not an option, is there another app, other than Google Voice, that someone has used to make a phone call from the HD 8?

-- Jerry

Jerry:

Has anyone used Google Voice on the HD 8 tablet?

OK, I had installed it but never tried making a call with Google Voice...but just tried it and it seems to work fine, at least as a speaker phone. I have't used bluetooth with it yet but I assume that would work fine for making calls. You do have to hack the tablet one time to install the Google Play store (very easy for me, just a list of instructions to follow, but some might find it a little intimidating).

Frank:

Is there much lag time with the 2GB version?

Not much but I haven't opened a dozen apps at once with it. It's mostly for ebooks though I have Chrome and a few other apps installed. When I travel I might use it more. I'm willing to live with the lag. It certainly has less lag than my previous Fire tablet that had only 1GB of RAM.

And can you put apps on the SD card so not to use up too much on the internal storage?

Not sure but I'd guess so given this version of Android. I have an SD card installed now as extra storage not as "internal storage."

How about bluetooth? How well does it work?

Haven't tried it yet.

Speaking of Fire, I have one and travelled with it a few years ago. I found that even though it's based on Android, it was just different enough that every time there would be a choice of Android or Apple, it wouldn't fit into either category. Had a heck of a time at Bradley Airport in Connecticut just connecting to the wifi.

Perhaps that has changed. Amazon tablets are considered an incredible value for what you get, but as you already know you have to do workarounds to get to apps you may need or want.

l'll give you my update on the Fire HD 8. I paid $65 for it but the price is now back up to $120.

Its made to play Amazon apps and Amazon content. I was able to sideload the Google Play Store to get full android apps.

It is slow loading. I'm able to play most streaming services without a problem. Connecting to Wifi has been a hassle in a couple of hotels because the machine is just slow.

I was able to connect my bluetooth earbuds and keyboard. It supports casting. I don't play heavy graphic laden games but I have a feeling it would be slow.

If you are looking for a low cost Android style tablet, and it goes back on sale, buy one.Leave the expensive stuff home.

I'm surprised you've had issues with WiFi. I actually don't even have the WiFi turned on all the time (because I mostly use mine as an ebook reader), but when I do connect to WiFi I've had no issues connecting. I don't use many apps at once, especially as mine has only 2GB of RAM, but it seems quick enough to me. The battery life on mine is quite good.

I just bought another Fire HD8 32GB since I cracked the screen of my other one that I had for 2 years. I primarily use it as a Kindle for reading but do have some games on it if I am bored. I do check my email and have the Rick Steves audio app on it. Put in a 64gb card. Never have an issue with storage, speed or wifi when I've been on vacation or at home. I don't stream anything, watch movies, listen to music or generally take pictures with it though. I'm an avid reader and just don't want to muck it up with a ton of stuff.

I also have a small Samsung tablet which is straight Android, well actually no it has the Samsung UI on top of it but it has no problem doing anything anywhere, is always cheap at Costco with a bundled storage card, and can access anything from Google.