Amazon is announcing a quartet of new 8-inch Fire tablets today led by the Fire HD 8, which the company claims is 30 percent faster than its predecessor from 2020. Its starting price is also $10 more expensive at $99.99 this time around. Alongside the Fire HD 8, the ecommerce giant is also announcing new Fire HD 8 Plus, Fire HD 8 Kids, and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablets. They’re all available for preorder today for $10 more than before and will ship next month.
Aside from the speed increase, with the new Fire HD 8 being powered by an unspecified six-core rather than a quad-core processor this time around, the new tablet’s specs are very similar to the 2020 model. (Amusingly, Amazon also said its 2020 model was 30 percent faster than its predecessor.) RAM still sits at 2GB, storage options include 32 and 64GB with the option to expand that with a microSD card by up to 1TB, and the tablet continues to charge over USB-C (though battery life is now rated at 13 rather than 12 hours).
Stepping up to the $119.99 Fire HD 8 Plus model gets you an additional gigabyte of RAM for a total of 3GB, and an “improved” 5-megapixel rear camera. It also offers better charging options with support for wireless charging, or via an included 9W wired charger (the standard Fire HD 8 comes with a 5W charger). Storage options are the same, with a choice of either 32GB of 64GB of built-in storage.
Finally there are the kids versions, the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro. Both start at $149.99, but are aimed at different age groups; 3-7 year olds for the regular Kids, and 6-12 year olds for the Kids Pro. Both include a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus, which offers ad-free access to games, videos, books, and educational content, as well as an included kid-friendly case and two-year guarantee. The difference is that the Kids Pro tablet has access to a digital store where eBooks and apps are available for purchase (though Amazon’s press release says the tablet’s parental controls mean that kids will need to ask permission to make purchases).
As well as the standard kids models, Amazon also has Disney Design bundles available with Mickey Mouse and Disney Princess-themed cases available for $159.99. Cases for the non-kids Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus are also available for $29.99.