Read more: 10 best tablets from Apple, Android, Windows and moreĪnother design note: Amazon has switched from microUSB to USB-C for the connector you use to charge the tablet. The smooth plastic is matte-finish, which makes it less likely to slip from your hands, with one central patch of gloss: the Amazon smile logo is etched into the tablet. The back of the tablet is plastic and while this keeps the device light, it reminds you that this is not a premium tablet (although it’s worth bearing in mind with this tablet that it’s an absolute snip at the price). This means you can add up to 1TB extra storage if you buy a separate memory card. Neither is huge but Amazon has included something Apple does not: a memory card slot. Storage on the Fire HD 8 Plus is either 32GB or 64GB. Unlike some iPads, this tablet has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can listen to what you’re watching, or to an audiobook, in privacy. That said, reading a book on the tablet works well. It’s detailed and immersive, but sometimes graphics lack definition. Pixel density on the iPad is 265 pixels per inch (ppi) but here it’s 189ppi and the difference is noticeable. The eight-inch display is effective and colourful, although the resolution is no match for that of the iPad. Read more: 8 best compact cameras for the perfect shot every time Although, of course, the display is a sumptuous viewfinder for framing your shot.

There’s also a camera on the back of the tablet, though like all tablets, the flat slab of glass is not ergonomically suited to being a camera replacement. On the long edge at the front, there’s a front-facing camera peeping out of the bezel. Where some tablets, such as the Apple iPad, have a Home button on the front, this does not, so there’s a better screen-to-body ratio here. Still, this means you’re less likely to brush the touchscreen accidentally.

The bezel around the screen is not huge, but certainly noticeable. All controls are done through the display. The only buttons on the Fire HD 8 Plus are the power button and volume rocker on the short edge. Like many tablets, this is essentially a small, flat touch-sensitive screen.

Fire 8 hd plus