Amazon updated its Fire HD 8 lineup on Wednesday. The 2024 version of the budget tablet has more RAM, a better rear camera and some built-in AI. The device, which will usually start at $100 (with lock-screen ads), is already on sale for October Prime Day.
As its name suggests, the new Fire HD 8 has an 8-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution (189 ppi). One of the 2024 model’s big upgrades is 3GB of RAM in the base storage tier (32B). Meanwhile, the 64GB variant slides up to 4GB of RAM. Of course, this is a budget tablet, so those aren’t close to barrier-breaking numbers. But that’s still 50 to 100 percent higher than the 2GB of RAM in the 2022 model.
Amazon rates the Fire HD 8 for up to 13 hours of battery life. The tablet’s rear camera is 5MP. (That’s the same as the “Plus” version of its 2022 predecessor, but it’s higher than the 2MP in the old standard version.)
The tablets will include some generative AI capabilities. Like Apple’s early take on AI in its 2024 updates, these include a Writing Assist feature that can jot out messages based on prompts. It can also summarize web pages, make grammar suggestions and tweak brevity.
There will also be two kids’ versions of the tablet: the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro. As you’d expect from Amazon’s child-focused variants, these versions will include a “kid-proof” case in Disney-branded designs (including Pixar Cars, Disney Princess or Marvel Avengers). They also come with a subscription to Amazon Kids+, the company’s content delivery service (including mobile games!) for the kiddos.
The Fire HD 8 is available now from Amazon, starting at $55 for Prime Day (usually $100). The Fire HD 8 Kids tablet will typically start at $140 but is on sale for $70 for Prime Day.
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