They were unveiled last month and it’s rare to see Amazon offering brand new products. At the same time, they have been significantly improved since before. Amazon updated the Fire HD design with smaller (but not yet small) bezels, a slimmer profile, faster 2GHz quad-core MediaTek 8168 chips, USB-C charging, and up to 12 hours of battery life.
Fire HD Plus adds 3 GB of RAM (instead of 2 GB in the normal Fire HD model), faster cable charging and wireless charging through an optional dock. However, the package with the wireless charging base does not appear to be discounted.
These are solid tablets for the price, making them ideal as Alexa devices, Kindle readers, and Netflix / Prime Video entertainment machines. The downside (and it’s a big one) is that Fire HD tablets don’t come with the Google Play Store or Google apps. That means you’re stuck with Amazon’s AppStore and generic app replacements like Gmail, though you can still get Play if you’re not afraid to download it. In any case, Fire HD tablets are only for sale today, so if you’ve been looking to get one for yourself or a family member, now is the time to act.
