Amazon Fire HD 8 2024, MTK/MT8169A, 4GB, 64GB, Black

The Fire HD 8 is the best cheap tablet you can buy right now. Just don't expect it to replace your laptop, or even your iPad.

The hexa-core processor and 4GB of RAM make this feel snappier than any Fire tablet has a right to. Apps open without that painful lag older models were known for, and streaming video is smooth. But here's the surprise: the battery life is a weak spot. It ranks in the bottom third of tablets we track, which is wild for a device Amazon markets as a 13-hour marathon reader. Real-world use with video and games will drain it faster than you'd expect. The 8-inch IPS display is solidly average, nothing to write home about, but perfectly fine for Netflix in bed.

Against the Apple iPad 8th Generation, the Fire HD 8 loses on basically every performance metric, but it costs a fraction of the price. The iPad is the better tablet, full stop. But if you're buying for a kid or just want a couch streaming device, the Fire HD 8 does 80% of what most people need for 20% of the cost. The Lenovo Idea Tab and Xiaomi Redmi Pad are closer competitors in the budget Android space, and both offer better specs on paper, but they also cost more and lack Amazon's dead-simple Alexa integration. For pure value, the Fire HD 8 is hard to beat.

For USD 80 to USD 90, this is a steal. The Like New units are the move here, multiple owners report they arrive without a scratch and work perfectly. Amazon.com has the best deal in our database, and the price spread across vendors is only about USD 10, so you're not missing much by going with the big A. If you need a tablet for reading, streaming, and light gaming, this is the best money you'll spend all year.

The Amazon Fire HD 8 is the tablet equivalent of a reliable beater car. It won't turn heads, but it gets you where you need to go for shockingly little money. The one thing to know: this is a media consumption machine first, and everything else is a distant second. At USD 80 to USD 90, you're getting a 4GB RAM bump over the 2022 model, a hexa-core processor, and 64GB of storage that you can expand up to 1TB with an SD card. That's a lot of tablet for the price of a nice dinner for two.

If you need a tablet for real productivity, skip this. The productivity score is a dismal 19 out of 100, and Fire OS just isn't built for getting work done. Go grab an iPad or a Lenovo Idea Tab instead. Same goes if you're deep in the Google ecosystem, the lack of Play Store support will drive you nuts.

Buy it. Not because it's the best tablet, but because it's the best tablet for this price. The Fire HD 8 knows exactly what it is: a cheap, portable screen for reading, streaming, and casual games. It nails that job. If you go in expecting an iPad competitor, you'll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a USD 85 media machine, you'll be thrilled.