Amazon announces new Fire HD 8 tablet line starting at $99

Amazon continues to be a budget-friendly alternative to the iPad with its new line of four HD 8 tablets.

4

Today Amazon revealed their latest lineup of consumer-friendly tablets would be going up for pre-order. The Fire HD 8, Fire HD 8 Plus, Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro were all announced and went up for pre-order on Wednesday Sep 21, 2022. This new line of tablets is not only notably inexpensive when compared to Apple’s iPad line-up, but also includes the new Tap to Alexa feature, which allows users to use touch commands instead of voice when controlling Alexa-integrated devices.

A promotional image of the Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet.
The new line of Amazon Fire HD 8 tablets are now available for pre-order online.
Source: Amazon

The news comes via Amazon.com, where pre-orders for all four new Fire HD 8 tablets went live earlier today. The Fire HD 8 comes with a price point of $99USD, runs 30% faster than the previous model and boasts a 13-hour long battery life. The Fire HD 8 Plus goes for $120USD, has a faster processor and camera than the standard Fire HD 8, only takes 3 hours to fully charge and can be wirelessly charged. Both the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro cost $150USD and both come with a year-long subscription to Amazon Kids+.

On top of every tablet in Amazon’s new HD 8 line featuring the new Tap to Alexa feature, the company will also make it available for their pre-existing Fire tablets as well. The Tap to Alexa functions as a non-verbal alternative to controlling Alexa-enabled devices, which should be helpful for non-verbal or speech-impaired users who have trouble with voice commands.

Amazon’s Fire tablet lines have always been more budget-conscious than Apple’s iPad and part of that reason is that Amazon sees their devices as more of an onboarding tool to their larger infrastructure while Apple relies mostly on selling hardware to consumers. Still, it really comes down to what individual consumers are looking for in a tablet device. Folks interested in pre-ordering any four of the new Amazon HD 8 models can do so now at Amazon.com. And be sure to keep up with all things Amazon right here on Shacknews.

Events Coordinator

Blake has been writing and making videos about pop-culture and games for over 10 years now. Although he'd probably prefer you thought of him as a musician and listened to his band, www.cartoonviolencemusic.com. If you see him on the street, buy him a taco or something. Follow him on twitter @ProfRobot

From The Chatty
Hello, Meet Lola