If you would like a tablet but don’t have many dollars to throw around, then it’s likely you’ve considered Amazon’s Fire devices. The Amazon Fire HD 10 is that the biggest and better of its Fire tablet range. It doesn’t sound like quite the maximum amount of a bargain because the Fire HD 8 at $80 or the hearth 7 at $50, but a 10.1-inch screen for just $150 is sort of noteworthy. Amazon has also made some welcome improvements over the 2017 model, including a touch more grunt under the hood — both in terms of processing power and battery life — and a switch to USB-C for faster, easier charging.
You can expect some compromises at this price, but the hearth HD 10 might be the perfect family tablet for those on a budget.
Budget build
Slip the hearth HD 10 from its simple cardboard packaging and you’ll find a minimalist design that’s all about the ten .1-inch screen. The body is chunky plastic that curves into the glass front while the rear bears Amazon’s logo and therefore the optical lens at the highest left. Large bezels round the screen make the tablet easier to handle, albeit it does look a touch dated. the highest bezel houses the front-facing camera.
Holding the tablet in portrait, the facility button is at the highest right with the USB-C port next thereto . We’re glad to ascertain Micro USB disappearing as USB-C cables are always right side up and that they leave faster charging. Moving further left along the highest edge there’s a 3.5mm audio port and volume controls. On the proper edge there’s only a flap that opens to reveal the MicroSD card slot.
The Fire HD 10’s stereo speakers are on the left side, or rock bottom once you hold the tablet in landscape, as you'll presumably do when gaming or watching a movie. this is often something you've got to observe out for, because the speakers are easy to dam if you rest the tablet on something soft to observe a movie in bed. the hearth HD 10 Kids Edition comes with a thick case that solves this problem by redirecting sound to the front and it's a inbuilt stand, too. A grown-up version of that case would actually be really handy.
The design is minimal during a cheap way; we’re talking plain plastic, instead of the metallic minimalism of higher-priced tablets, but the hearth HD 10 is made tolerably that it feels sturdy. It’s comfortable to handle, but it’s a touch heavy to carry up for long periods, so a tablet stand may be a good idea.
The 10.1-inch screen features a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, which works bent 224 pixels-per-inch. That’s almost as sharp as Apple’s entry level iPad, which boasts 264 pixels-per-inch. the hearth HD 10’s screen can’t match the vivid color or brightness of Apple’s tablet, but it’s quite capable read, enjoy movies, or play games. Brightness was a problem in direct sunlight and therefore the screen is annoyingly reflective, but tucked up in bed in the dark or sitting on the couch faraway from a window, it's great. This isn’t just the most important screen Amazon offers, it’s also the sharpest.
All Amazon, all the time
If you’re an Amazon Prime member ($119 annually or $13 per month) then the hearth HD 10 comes with a well-rounded package of content for you to enjoy. There are thousands of flicks and television shows in Prime Video, 2 million songs in Prime Music, quite thousand magazines, comics, and ebooks — some with Audible narration — in Prime Reading, and thousands of apps and games within the Amazon app store. No other device really offers this much content out of the box without you having to place your hand in your pocket again.Amazon also offers subscriptions to other channels and services; you'll buy and download a number of flicks , TV shows, books, and music not contained in its Prime offering. the hearth HD 10 may be a simple window to a world of content, but without Prime membership its limitations inherit sharp relief.
There is another big advantage to going with Amazon’s tablet, though, and that’s Alexa. If you wish the thought of a sensible speaker with a display like Amazon’s Echo Show, then you’ll have an interest in Show Mode on the hearth HD 10. Swipe down on the notification shade and tick the Show Mode box, then prop your HD 10 on a stand and it'll function a bit like an Echo Show. you'll ask Alexa questions and issue commands to play content; the screen will stay showing you relevant news and weather supported your location. Buying an easy stand can give your Fire HD 10 an entire new purpose and it’s tons cheaper than buying a separate smart display.
I used it in Show Mode within the kitchen, which seems like the natural home for an Echo Show. It proved handy for enjoying music and television shows while I cooked and cleaned, and if you plug into the wall, the always-on screen gives you weather and time at a look . Plus, the youngsters enjoyed getting visual feedback for questions and song lyrics on-screen once they requested music. It also can do video calls, which is that the only sensible reason you’d ever want to use the 2-megapixel front-facing camera on the hearth HD 10.
Shaky software and missing apps
Fire OS runs the show on the hearth HD, which is employing a version supported Android 9.0 Pie, but with Google apps stripped out. Amazon utilizes an easy carousel interface that divides content into tabs; you'll take a glance at books, videos, games, apps, music, and more. There’s also a Home tab together with your last accessed content and basic apps just like the Silk browser, a Maps app, and a Calculator. At the left , a For You tab provides suggestions for belongings you might want to try to to next.Dip into the settings and there’s no mistaking the Android heritage, but it does feel very bare bones. It’s like peering behind a movie set to seek out simple, unfinished wooden planks hammered together to carry up the facade. The interface also can be a touch slow and laggy sometimes . If you were to modify to the hearth HD 10 from an iPad, as an example , the difference would be jarring. Fire OS lacks polish and it rarely feels slick.
There also are problems with the shortage of choice in Amazon’s app store. I wanted to check the hearth HD 10 out with a challenging game, but you won’t find Call of Duty: Mobile or Shadowgun Legends here. i ultimately settled for Asphalt 8: Airborne — Asphalt 9 has not made it into Amazon’s store yet — and that i played some Minecraft. Occasional dropped frames and stutter aside, the hearth HD 10 has enough muscle to play games, but this is often a weak part compared to higher-end tablets just like the iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S5e.
It’s possible to urge Google’s Play Store on a fireplace tablet, but it does require a touch of technological know-how. If you recognize you aren’t getting to be content with Amazon’s ecosystem it's going to be better to shop for a special tablet.
Passable performance
Amazon says the upgraded processor within the Fire HD 10 is 30% faster than the old one, though it’s backed by an equivalent 2 GB RAM. If you’re switching from an older Fire tablet, you’re getting to enjoy the improved performance. While things are noticeably faster, this tablet can still feel under-powered sometimes . Apps and games are often slow to load, there are pauses switching between them, and occasional lag are often expected here. the bottom model only offers 32GB of storage and therefore the performance gets much worse when that space fills up, so you’ll want to feature a MicroSD card.If you’re primarily getting to use your Fire HD 10 for movies, reading, and casual gaming then it’s getting to be adequately fast for you.
Plenty of stamina
I’m pleased Amazon managed to pack a much bigger battery into the hearth HD 10. the corporate suggests you’ll get 12 hours of mixed use from a full battery and that i think that’s fairly conservative. While gaming chews through battery quickly, movie streaming and reading doesn’t seem to. It’s the type of device you’ll likely use within the home most of the time anyway, but it’s nice that it’s capable of easily seeing you thru a long-haul flight.Even better, we now have a USB-C port. The charging cable is far easier to plug and it charges faster. Amazon only gives you a 9-watt charger within the box, which takes around four hours to completely charge the hearth HD 10, but you'll use a 15-watt charger with a USB-C to USB-C cable and charge it in three hours. There’s an inexpensive chance you have already got one among these if you’ve purchased a replacement phone recently; i used to be ready to use my Pixel 4 charger for the higher results.
Price, availability, and warranty information
The Amazon Fire HD 10 costs $150 direct from Amazon for the 32GB model with lock screen advertisements. Jumping up to 64GB adds $40 to the worth , plus it costs $15 to urge obviate the ads, which you'll do at any time.It comes with a typical one-year limited warranty that covers you for defects in materials and workmanship under ordinary use.
Our take
The Amazon Fire HD 10 is one among the simplest Android tablets you'll buy. It’s a true bargain at $150 and it'll prove irresistible for Prime members seeking a replacement slate with an outsized screen. There are inevitable compromises during a device at this price, but if you'll accept the restrictions it’s a compelling tablet.Is there a far better alternative?
A $150 tablet with a ten .1-inch screen may be a bargain. If you'll stretch a touch further, then there are similar-sized options from Lenovo and Huawei for around $200, but if $150 is your limit you won’t find anything better than the hearth HD 10.
There’s little question that the essential iPad is best in every way, but it starts at $329. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is additionally tons better than the hearth HD 10 by every measure, but it starts from $400.
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