Amazon drops new Fire HD 8 tablets just in time for the Prime Big Deal Days sale

It’s been a couple of years since we last saw a refresh of Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet series but the retail giant has snuck in a new generation just in time for the Prime Big Deal Days sale. The three new tablets are nothing we haven’t seen before, with a standard Fire HD 8 model joined by two kid-friendly variants, but interestingly the slightly beefed-up Plus model doesn’t make a return here.

Considering I thought the Fire HD 8 Plus (2022) wasn’t really worth the upgrade, this is no big loss. Instead, the main model has been upgraded to match most of the Plus’ specs, while keeping things nice and affordable. So let’s get into what exactly is new for the 2024 release.

READ NEXT: Best iPads

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024): What’s new?

In pure contradiction to that subheading, I’m going to start with something that is actually not new, and that’s the price. The standard Fire HD 8 starts at a price of just £100 – exactly the same as the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2022).

That gets you the model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, but there’s also a 4GB/64GB variant going for £125, which is actually £5 cheaper than its 2022 counterpart. Both of those prices come with ads on the lock screen and ad-free versions cost an additional £10.

If that doesn’t sound like enough storage space, the Fire HD 8 will once again support microSD cards, allowing you to expand the internal storage by up to a further 1TB. Also returning is the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the rear camera is now a slightly sharper 5MP unit. The selfie camera remains at a grainy 2MP.

Unfortunately, that’s about it for the upgrades, with the same hexa-core processor as the previous generation and the same 8in, 1,280 x 800 display. The latter lack of upgrade in particular is disappointing as I found the 2022 model’s screen to be a weak point in what was otherwise a fairly solid budget tablet.

Even the dimensions are the same, measuring 202 x 9.6 x 137mm (WDH) and there’s no change in the weight, which remains at 337g. We have the same thick bezels around the display but the plastic on the rear is at least the crosshatched style used on the Fire HD 8 Plus (2022), as opposed to the cheap-feeling matte variety used on the non-Plus.

The only thing that has changed is that the colour choices are marginally different this time around. Joining the standard black is another pink version (here called Hibiscus) and the dark blue has been replaced with a vibrant Emerald green – that’s only for the 32GB model, however, with the 64GB sticking to plain old black.

There was no word on what software version the new Fire HD 8 tablets would be running but considering last year’s Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) ran FireOS 8 based on Android 11 the best we can hope for is an upgrade to something running on Android 12 – nearly three generations behind the current version. Amazon’s clunky and obtuse software has long been my biggest bugbear with the Fire tablets so bear that in mind before snapping up one of the below deals.

READ NEXT: Best smartphones

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024): Kids and Kids Pro models

Technically speaking, the Kids models are the exact same tablet, with a few child-friendly additions. The standard Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) is aimed at children aged three to seven, while the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro (2024) is for older kids of 6 to 12.

Both tablets start at the same price of £150 – there are no versions with ads on the kids models – with the Fire 8 Kids coming in either Blue or Grape (purple) colours and the Kids Pro coming in the simple Hello Teal or the Jungle Cat style, which has a painting of a Lion on the rear. For an extra £10, you can also get the Fire HD 8 Kids in the Disney Princess style or the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro in the Disney Avengers style.

Beyond the more pop-culture-friendly colourways, the tablets are more suitable for kids in a couple of ways. First, both have protective cases, with the Kids model coated in a thick non-toxic and shock-absorbent foam, and the Kids Pro getting a sleeker plastic covering that older kids hopefully won’t be embarrassed to be seen with. You also get two years’ warranty, no questions asked, with Amazon promising to replace broken tablets for free within that period.

Finally, included in the purchase is a free year of access to Amazon Kids’ Plus. This digital subscription gives you unlimited access to thousands of books, games, apps and videos, ranging from the fun and silly to the challenging and educational. You can also monitor your child’s usage and limit screen time via the Amazon Parent Dashboard. The subscription will be set to renew automatically to begin with and costs £5/mth after the free trial, but you can set it to not renew in the Parent Dashboard.

READ NEXT: Best Amazon Echos

Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024): Introductory offer

As alluded to up top, the timing of these new Fire HD 8 tablets is no coincidence; Amazon has unveiled its latest batch just in time for the Prime Big Deal Days sale, running on the 8th and 9th of October 2024.

While these tablets aren’t technically included in the mass of Prime Day discounts, they are heavily discounted in an “introductory offer” that just so happens to coincide with the big event. That’s even better because it means you can pick one up at a massively reduced rate without having to be an Amazon Prime member.

The introductory offer runs until 16 October 2024 and all models are included. Here’s a quick rundown of the discounts you can get if you pick one up before that date:

• Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) 3GB/32GB with ads: Was £100, now £50
• Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) 3GB/32GB without ads: Was £110, now £60
• Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) 4GB/64GB with ads: Was £125, now £75
• Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) 4GB/64GB without ads: Was £135, now £85
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) Blue/Grape: Was £150, now £80
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) Disney Princess: Was £160, now £90
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro (2024) Hello Teal/Jungle Cat: Was £150, now £80
• Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro (2024) Disney Avengers: Was £160, now £90

While my first impression is that the new Fire HD 8 seems a lazily tweaked “refresh” that barely makes any changes to the core hardware after two years – I have even less faith in the software being any better – even I can’t deny that these introductory prices are tempting. Considering that, at time of writing, the 2022 Fire HD 8 is on sale for £45 – I’d say that the modicum of improvements offered here are probably worth the extra fiver.

I’ll have a definitive verdict on the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) soon enough, so check back to see if my testing turns up any surprises. Otherwise, we’ll also be bringing you plenty of the best offers during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, so watch this space for more bargain discounts.