Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet Review: Is Bigger Really Better?
Most people say bigger is better, so is the Fire HD 10 (Amazon’s biggest tablet) Amazon’s best tab so far? From our Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet Review, its 10.1-inch Full HD display sits at the top of the list of Amazon tablets. But it’s also the priciest, costing thrice as much as the Fire 7 and $70 more than the HD 8. Still, Amazon fans that constantly stream with Prime video will be pleased to have a screen finally worth the expense.
Features:
- 1.8-GHz CPU
- 2GB of RAM
- Color- black, orange and blue (matte shell)
- Weight – 1.1 pounds
- Thickness- 0.4 inches
- 10.1-inch screen
- 1920 x 1200-pixel
- Alexa
DISCUSSION
The Fire HD`s shell is made from plastic, which is more trustworthy than it appears as regards protecting the tab.
The power and volume buttons rest on the top edge of the tablet while its microSD slot is tucked beneath a flap on the right. Its speakers are located on the left side, which faces upward when the HD 10 is inside Amazon’s $40 case or when the tab is in landscape mode.
The HD 10’s pixel panel displays crisp, bright and vivid images enhanced by the 10.1-inch screen. It also displays text in high resolution and the tablet size is also identical to a hard copy paperback, making reading a breeze.
Navigating through different apps to the home screen and back is also smooth as silk, and it was made better by the Fire HD 10’s ability to precisely track touch input while you’re flipping from section to section.
Amazon includes its once smart-speaker-exclusive assistant – Alexa, in the HD 10. Alexa does the same things she does as on the Dot and Echo units, from opening apps to setting alarms to playing music.
The Fire HD 10’s stereo speakers give off a just average sound. So, although that quality of sound is fair for Movies and TV shows, our Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet Review reveals a Bluetooth speaker is necessary to amp up the fire tab’s sound in a setting that requires louder sound.
In terms of battery life, the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet hits a somewhat unimpressive score – 9 hours and 4 minutes. The reason is probably because its wide display sucks up considerable power.
For camera quality, the HD 10’s cameras are fair for video cells but horrible for shooting pictures or videos.
If you’re an Amazon Prime lover and you depend on /use a lot of prime services (eBooks, TV shows, audio and movies, then the Fire OS is perfect for you.
Despite the fact that the Fire OS is create on a Google Android provided framework, it still does not support Google apps. Of course, there’s the option of downloading the apps from external sources but there’s the danger of reduced security and more risk.
However, the Fire OS app store offers the usual standard apps- Candy crush, Netflix, Spotify, Pandora but it’s also packed with useless junk apps and games.
Google Docs and Gmail can be used through the HD 10’s Silk browser. But its YouTube version is awful and doesn’t support HD streaming, which is a shame because the tablet’s lovely screen would have delivered magnificently.
Drop In calling and Announcement messaging are available on the Fire HD 10 due to an update from Amazon.
To activate these options, swipe down from the top of the screen to expand the options menu. Click on Settings, select Alexa and switch on Alexa and Hands-Free Mode.
Next, select Communications choose Calling and Messaging on, set Drop In to on for permitted contacts and/or ‘My Household.’
Finally, select Announcements and set that option to Enabled.
For $150, you can get the entry level Amazon Fire HD 10 that comes with 32GB worth of storage, and for an extra $40, you can get the 64GB model. Also, same as other Amazon tablets, an extra $15 is the price tag for stopping ads/ retail offers from popping up on your lock screen
CONCLUSION
The Amazon Fire HD 10 scores high in performance and absolutely high screenwise. Sadly, its battery life is quite unimpressive and its inability to support Google apps is a dampener on our excitement.
Still, the tablet is a very good buy for Amazon (prime) users who are consistently and constantly streaming videos. The awesome display and widescreen would give good value for the money spent.
