Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet Review: Still Gotta Jump Through Hoops
Retail Price: $149.99
Product Specs +
- 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 1080p display (224 ppi)
- Octa-core 2.0 GHz
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB storage (microSD expandable)
- USB-C charging port
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 2 MP front selfie camera
- 5 MP rear camera with 720p HD video recording
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Sold in four colors: black, olive, lavender, denim
The Fire HD 10 is Amazon's newest tablet. Combining portability and a generous screen size, the Fire HD 10 is a no-frills but solid tablet for those on a budget. This version features a 10.1" 1080p Full HD screen with 32 GB of storage in a black colored frame. A 64 GB storage capacity is available as well as 3 other colors: denim, lavender and olive. An expandable microSD storage slot up to 1 TB comes standard in every Fire HD 10. All in all, from a specifications standpoint, that’s quite a solid offering for $150.
Limited Software Capabilities
In my everyday use of the Fire HD 10, I find it a great option for those looking for an affordable and basic tablet. Let me explain why. This tablet is about as simple as it can get, especially considering the easy setup. Amazon preloads many of the apps that it thinks its users will access. For those who operate their tablets like me, everything I (almost) need is available straight out of the box. I know there are many of you out there who may not be fans of pre-installed software, but for those who are gifting this tablet to seniors or younger children, Amazon bloatware actually makes setup incredibly quick. Most of the apps from Amazon simply require one Amazon account to log into. That’s a benefit to being locked into an ecosystem from one giant organization. However, do not expect the app store to be comparable to the magnitude of the enormous Google Play or the refinement of the Apple App Store. Apps on the Fire tablet are actually very limited, which may reduce productivity since many of us rely heavily on Android apps with our smartphones and expect syncing capabilities to our tablets. As a result of this, using the Fire HD 10 requires users to depend on Amazon’s proprietary internet browser to do the majority of tasks. In many ways, this is a double-edged sword. The tablet has convenient access to Amazon apps and Alexa integrations, but the Fire HD 10 cannot replace your laptop. While that isn’t the intention from Amazon, the lack of productivity apps sets this behind other tablets that can potentially handle more laptop workloads. Apps really do make or break a modern technology experience. This tablet should really only be viewed as an alternative device when you’re away from your laptop or don’t want to use a smaller smartphone screen when viewing media content.
Although I enjoyed the Fire HD 10’s screen and overall lightweight package, I oftentimes found myself switching between this tablet and one with Google Apps (GApps), simply due restrictions caused by Amazon’s smaller app library. The loss of being able to sync accounts across apps between smartphones and tablets really hampered my overall experience. While it is possible to sideload the Google Playstore with relatively minimal headache, this is an extra step of resistance that requires some technological knowledge to accomplish. That eliminates the reason why the Fire tablets became popular in the first place.
Great for Any Age
Limited software capability aside, the usability of the Fire HD 10 is surprisingly good. Many of the tablet settings and functions work in ways one would expect from a modern day tablet. This is my exposure to a Fire HD tablet, but I have used many tablets in the past (Android and iOS). I was able to pick this tablet up and start using it without having to search for specific functions or adapt to any learning curves. The Fire HD should be fairly easy to maneuver for users of any technical knowledge. This is a major continued selling point for the company behind Alexa. The Fire line of products have always been championed as a device for anyone. Let’s be honest, anyone usually means everyone that doesn’t follow technology closely. That means kids and older parents who just want to buy something and have it work right out of the box with minimal effort. Amazon has been great at this game for many years now.
Solid Usability and Features
Being a 1080p Full HD display, the screen resolution of the Fire HD 10 is excellent with terrific viewing angles. When it comes to battery performance, I averaged about 6 hours of screen on time, which is much shorter than the advertised 12 hour battery life. As I said before, since I did not add the Google Playstore on here, the apps I used for this review were all relatively simple Amazon applications. That 6 hours can be dissected to really just browsing the internet and streaming videos. I hope Amazon improves the battery life in future iterations. When it comes to power, the tablet’s octa-core processor with 3 GB of RAM is sufficient for everyday use, as long as you’re not running ultra intensive apps. While you can use the Fire HD 10 as a media device, the sound performance from the speakers is adequate at best. Yes, you can still use it to stream your favorite TV shows, but the sound becomes distorted when the volume is raised above 75%. I would not recommend using this tablet as a music listening device without the aid of headphones.
Final Thoughts
While the Google Play store can be installed through a little extra homework, the Fire HD 10 does not come with it out of the box. To be honest, if I had to fuss around with installing software to get the tablet to function the way I want it to, I’d probably just pick up an Android tablet from a different OEM instead of going with Amazon’s ecosystem. You’re paying less money in order to get what the Fire HD 10 is: a basic tablet with limited capabilities. In this day and age where ‘there’s an app for that’, it’s hard to get around Amazon’s software limitations since many of us use Android based applications on a daily basis for work and leisure. Having to readjust your app usage while using the Fire HD 10 ultimately creates more obstacles than what otherwise could have been an excellent tablet for the money. It’s a little baffling that after all these years of Fire tablets, we still have to jump through hoops to get access to what should be there from the start.
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Ben
The complex integration of buildings and automobiles always intrigued Ben. So much so that he dedicated his life to further his knowledge of technological development in building design. Whether he’s on a job site with new homes or in a studio designing a home, Ben understands the smarts required inside a home.