The charging stand holds the tablet at the perfect viewing angle for video calls or watching videos, but our favorite part so far is that it auto activates Show Mode, a feature that turns the Fire HD 8 into what amounts to be an Amazon Echo Show, complete with cycling through weather reports, alerts and standing by to respond to Alexa commands. Instead of using a bare plastic design, Amazon covered the stand in a cloth-like material that won’t be an eyesore, whether you place the charging stand in your kitchen, bedroom or living room. It’s hard to find wireless charging pads for $30, let alone one of this size and design.
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Instead of paying $109.99 for the tablet, you can buy the HD 8 Plus and the wireless charging stand for $139.99. Naturally, Amazon sells a wireless charging stand that perfectly fits the Fire HD 8 Plus. Specifically, the Fire HD 8 Plus will work with any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad. We’re huge fans of the new design and can’t wait to see it trickle down to more Fire devices.įor a $20 premium, the Fire HD 8 Plus comes with a couple of extra features, one of which is wireless charging. On the bottom is a microSD card slot that accepts up to 1TB of additional storage. There are two speakers along the top of the Fire HD 8, with the volume rocker, power button, USB-C charging port and a headphone jack on the right side. The new camera position invites people to place the tablet in landscape mode for calls, which gives them a wider viewing angle. It’s a small, but smart change, as most of us take part in more video calls than ever. The front-facing camera has been moved from the top of the screen when you’re holding the tablet in portrait mode, to centered when you’re using the Fire HD 8 in landscape mode.
We’re into the rounded corners and edges that make the device easier and more comfortable to hold. The new Fire HD 8 and HD 8 Plus have the same new design, a gentler overall look that reminds us of Amazon’s approach to its Kindle devices. They, frankly, looked as if Amazon didn’t put a lot of thought into the overall design as an effort to cut as many costs as possible. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN accountĪmazon’s Fire tablets have always had a rectangular and boxy look to them.