Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) Review

Amazon has again released another new version of its Tablet Fire HD 10. Now in its 11th generation, the 2021 model brings small improvements and is even touted as a productivity device.

You read that right: Amazon is now selling a Fire HD 10 for productivity, with a Bluetooth keyboard cover and a one-year Microsoft 365 subscription so you have Word, Excel, and other apps. Of course, this does not appear to be available in Europe.

Surprisingly, it works well as a small laptop if you don’t have to use it for more than reasonably basic tasks.

And if all that doesn’t interest you, the Fire HD 10 is a good one. Tablet for entertainment with a starting price of 149.99 $. There are many different versions of the Tablet, including a new Plus model (not available in Europe), which is basically the same, but also has wireless charging and an additional 1GB of RAM.

In some countries the Productivity Pack is also available, and this is the version that Amazon sent us for it. see again.

Design and manufacture

Rarely, a Tablet The new one is drastically different from the previous ones, but it’s clear that Amazon has made several changes to it compared to the previous version of the Fire HD 10, which went on sale in 2019.

First of all, it’s a bit lighter at 465g instead of 504g, which makes it more comfortable to use. I like the matte finish and the Fire HD 10 is available in black, denim, lavender and olive (in Europe, only black).

Keep in mind that the Plus model they sent me is only available in a gray color called Slate (the Plus model has not arrived in Europe).

Amazon touts it for landscape use with small changes you might not notice at first, like placing the webcam on the longer side, like you’ll find on most laptops. It looks sleeker with slightly more rounded angles and narrower bezels.

Part of the reason for this change in landscape is that in some countries Amazon sells the Fire HD 10 with an optional Bluetooth keyboard (from Fintie), making it a mini notebook. The typing experience is good and there are shortcuts, but not all of the ones we’d like.

It is useful if the Tablet It can be removed from the keyboard through the use of magnets, but when it’s in place, you can’t adjust it too far back. In addition to the keyboard, the Productivity pack comes with a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal.

Specifications and performance

As the name suggests, there is a 10.1 “display with Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. It’s not much different from the 2019 Fire HD 10 display and it’s a decent display considering from the low price.

The IPS panel offers good viewing angles, vibrant colors and lots of brightness (it is 10% brighter than the previous generation according to Amazon).

Inside, we have the same 8-core processor, but Amazon has increased the RAM by 50% to 3GB (4GB in the Plus model), giving it more capacity to support more than one task at a time.

Is Tablet it is also presented as more than just a Tablet to watch videos and use social networks. A cheap alternative to the Microsoft Surface Go or even an iPad, maybe.

In general, the Fire HD 10 and Plus models are fast and can switch between apps without much hassle. But remember it’s a Tablet cheap, so don’t be hopeful: performance doesn’t match the iPad.

We use Microsoft 365 at work and I was able to log into my account like I would on a laptop and had immediate access to all of my files. We have a very heavy spreadsheet to plan and surprisingly the Fire HD 10 handles it well.

What does not go so well is that if you use the Tablet With a work account, you may need to encrypt your storage to use Outlook. A message will warn you that this could have a negative impact on performance. However, it is not intended for corporate use, but for Microsoft 365 Personal.

The rear camera has gone from 2 MP to 5 MP, but it is still poor in quality and performs poorly in low light environments. The front camera can be more useful and is still 2 MP. It’s good enough for video calls, even better than some laptops we’ve tested recently.

Regarding connectivity, USB-C is used for charging and has a port jack for headphones. Inside, it hasn’t been switched to Wi-Fi 6, but that’s understandable given the price. Yes, it supports Bluetooth 5.0 LE.

The stereo speakers are on the top when using the Tablet in landscape mode and the audio is quite good, although nothing special. The bass is missing as usual and there is distortion at very high volumes. They are compatible with Dolby Atmos, but do not offer a very wide sound field.

The battery life is always advertised as 12 hours and I think you will get it with average use. When playing video, it follows the line of the previous model with 10 o’clock.

Unfortunately, this USB-C port doesn’t offer fast charging, and the included 9W charger will fully charge the Fire HD 10’s battery in about four hours. The Plus model I tested comes with wireless charging; a little difficult to place one Tablet on a charging basis, but it turned out faster than wired at 15W.

Amazon mentions a wireless charging station for the Anker Fire HD Plus, but it’s not available at this time.

Software

As you probably already know, Amazon uses its own operating system called FireOS, which is based on Android. Surprisingly, it’s Android 9 Pie. Not even close to Google has already released Android 12. However, this is irrelevant at all if you don’t even realize that you are using Android.

User interface is very different from others tablets Android and, unsurprisingly, revolves around Amazon services and content.

Whether it works for you or not depends on whether you are an Amazon customer or if you plan to subscribe to services like Prime or Kindle Unlimited.

Even if you are used to tablets Normal Android, you will get used to the Amazon version over time. The big problem (as always) is that there is no Google Play Store. So don’t assume that the apps you normally use will be available.

There are many popular apps like Netflix, Facebook, Spotify, TikTok, Sonos, Disney +, and more. But you won’t be able to officially install Google Chrome (or other Google apps), Slack, Fortnite, or banking apps like Monzo.

Alexa, of course, is in hands-free mode, so you can ask her questions even when the Tablet It is locked and the screen is turned off.

Echo Show mode is also back, which the previous Fire HD 10 didn’t have. This allows you to use the Tablet like a smart d isplay

from Amazon. There’s a switch in the drop-down menu to turn it on, or you can ask Alexa to turn on View mode. Works best when connected to power.

Pricing and availability

The 2021 Fire HD 10 is still insanely inexpensive, starting at $ 149.99 if you settle for 32GB of storage and lock screen advertising. You can pay $ 189.99 for the 64GB model, although you can use the microSD card slot to add more space.

For more options, check out our selection of the best tablets cheap and better tablets Amazonian fire.

Verdict

The Fire HD 10 is still one of the best tablets cheap, you can buy today, offering a lot at a low price.

It has an improved design, slightly better performance, and minor updates, although not many people will appreciate the higher-resolution rear camera and Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility.

If you want a 10-inch tablet to use popular entertainment and social media apps, it’ll do just fine, as long as it’s compatible with the apps you use the most. We believe so, although some very popular mobile games are not available.

And what about as a productivity device? The Fire HD 10 Plus performs surprisingly well, as long as productivity for you means using a word processor, spreadsheet, and emailing – basically using Microsoft 365.

Of course, working with a keyboard and a small screen can be a sacrifice you’re not ready to make. You’ll have to compromise a lot more than with a cheap Google Chromebook, and even more than with a laptop or Microsoft Surface.

But that’s not the biggest problem: and it’s that there aren’t enough productivity apps. You’ll have to use Google, Slack, and the like through the browser, which isn’t ideal at all.