Amazon drops all-new Fire HD 8 tablets in broadside blow to iPad

Amazon has unveiled a range of all-new Fire HD 8 tablets. A trio of devices with upgraded specs and a slightly higher price tag (although still among the cheapest tablet options around), the range comprises of the new Fire HD 8, a Fire HD 8 Plus and Fire 8 HD Kids Edition.

The previous generation of Fire HD 8 tablets were great value budget tablets for reading, games, light web browsing and the Show mode, which retains all the functionality of Amazon's brilliant Echo Show 5. The new range goes one step further, with improved specs, content, longer battery life and easier, faster charging. 

• Pre-order the Amazon Fire HD 8 here
• Pre-order the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus here
• Pre-order the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition here

Amazon Fire HD 8: What's changed?

Amazon's new 8-inch screen base model costs £10 more, but has received an upgrade in the specs department. For starters, the memory has improved, moving from 1.5GB to 2GB RAM and options of 32GB or 64GB internal storage, which has doubled from the 16GB base model. The display remains the same: a crisp, clear 1280 x 800 high definition screen. A new quad-core CPU clocked at 2.0 GHz is said to improve performance and power by 30%.

The new Fire HD 8 Plus (£109.99, £20 more than the standard Fire HD 8) takes things further by packing in a total of 3GB RAM, while keeping the same chipset and internal storage options. Both tablets now offer Game Mode, said by Amazon to be a "distraction-free, optimised gaming experience that lets you focus on your game without interference from notifications". 

The Fire HD 8s now have 30% more battery life, said to run for up to 12 hours with mixed use, and use "easy charging" USB-C connections to be ready in as little as five hours. The Fire HD 8 Plus also has wireless charging capabilities, and can be bundled with a specialist wireless charging dock for £139.99. IT also arrives with three months of Kindle Unlimited absolutely free.

The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition (£139.99) is the same principle as Amazon's previous Kids Edition tablets: the all-new device in a brightly-coloured, kiddie-proof case with parental controls, a two-year worry-free guarantee and a year's worth of Fire for Kids, pre-loading the iPad with loads of entertainment and educational content.

The new Fire HD 8 models look set to up Amazon's tablet credibility and compete with the similarly-sized 7.9" iPad Mini. Even though prices have gone up, the tablets remain relatively inexpensive when compared to competitors such as Apple and Samsung. 

If you're looking equal parts Kindle, Echo Show and web browser, the new Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus is probably the perfect tablet for you. 

Amazon Fire HD 8: When can I get one?

All three devices are available to pre-order now, and will begin shipping on June 3rd. You can head to Amazon right now and reserve yourself a top-of-the-range new Fire HD 8, Fire HD 8 plus or Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, and have it delivered next month. 

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