Amazon’s 12th Generation Fire HD 8 Tablet Offers Strong Value for Portable Daily Use

Amazon refreshed the eight-inch Fire HD 8 for the 12th-generation model, priced at $79.99 (was $130), while keeping the same compact body that has defined the line for years. Measuring 7.94 by 5.40 by 0.37 inches and weighing 11.88 ounces, the tablet stays easy to hold in one hand or slip into a bag for travel. Four gigabytes of RAM pair with 64 gigabytes of storage in this configuration, a clear step up from the 2-gigabyte memory found on earlier base models. A dedicated microSD slot accepts cards up to 1 terabyte, so libraries of books, music, or video can grow without forcing a higher internal capacity from the start.

The images are brought to life on an 8-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1280 x 800 and 189 pixels per inch. That means you can see text in books and articles from across the room, and video from streaming services appears sharp without becoming pixelated, even in typical household lighting. It’ll stay bright enough to use on a couch or tray table, but if the sun shines directly on it and you’re in a lower-end model, it may appear slightly washed out. When in landscape mode, sound comes from two speakers at the bottom, and they support Dolby Atmos, which should help dialog come through more clearly and make sound effects feel wider when viewing movies or listening to music.

The battery life is rated at up to 13 hours if you use it for reading, surfing the web, watching videos, and playing casual games. Realistically, if you’re using it at full brightness and viewing a lot of video, you’ll probably get about 9 or 10 hours before you need to charge it. It’s enough to carry you through a lengthy travel or a full day of moderate use before you need to recharge. The standard 5 watt USB-C charger takes roughly five hours to charge the 4850 mAh battery from empty, however a higher power 15 watt charger would significantly reduce that time.


This one is powered by a MediaTek MT8169A six-core CPU clocked at 2.0GHz. You’ll notice that completing everyday tasks like browsing the web in the Silk browser, reading a Kindle book, streaming Prime Video, and playing some simple games doesn’t require much pause. Jumping between a few open apps feels more seamless, but if you’re playing anything too serious or loading up a lot of apps at once, you may notice that it’s running low on battery life.


Fire OS 8 is built on top of Android 11, but it’s all organized around Amazon services for your convenience. You can get some extras from the Appstore if you like. Alexa can handle voice queries on its own, allowing you to manage music, your smart home, or obtain instant information without having to pull out a separate speaker. They also have a few additional features, such as a writing assistant that helps you polish your notes and emails, a function that condenses articles in the browser, and another that allows you to build your own personalized backgrounds using text prompts. They’ve also included some profiles for children and basic parental restrictions, allowing you to set it up for the entire family.


The rear camera records 1080p video, while the front camera handles 720p calls, both of which are adequate for the occasional video chat or sending some basic photos to your friends. Of course, you can charge and transfer data via USB-C, but for those who like wired audio, a 3.5mm headphone connector is still available. Bluetooth 5.2 connects wireless headphones or speakers, and dual-band Wi-Fi 5 gets you online no matter where you are.