Amazon’s 2023 version of the Fireplace HD 10 ($139.99) combines a premium design with good efficiency whereas costing barely lower than its predecessor, making it the very best pill you should buy for underneath $150. Like all Amazon tablets, the Fireplace HD 10 is proscribed by its give attention to the corporate’s personal software program, companies, and app retailer, although it is nonetheless a superb strategy to browse the web or stream music, films, and TV reveals. If you need a pill for productiveness or content material creation, you’ll should pay considerably extra for a mannequin just like the $259 Lenovo Tab P11 Plus or the $329 Apple iPad. However should you merely need an inexpensive slate for consuming media, the Fireplace HD 10 earns our Editors’ Alternative award for reasonable tablets.
The Goldilocks Fireplace Pill
The Fireplace HD 10 has traditionally acquired essentially the most succesful processor and largest display screen of Amazon’s tablets, however this dynamic was modified with the introduction of the larger and extra highly effective Fireplace Max 11 ($229.99) earlier this yr. The Fireplace HD 10 could not be Amazon’s flagship pill, nevertheless it’s nonetheless essentially the most versatile. It is available in varied bundles and configurations—together with kid-friendly variations—that are not accessible for the Fireplace Max 11.
The pill is available in Black, Lilac, or Ocean and begins at $139.99 with adverts on the lock display screen and 32GB of storage. If you need extra onboard storage, you might want to shell out an additional $40 to get 64GB, although you possibly can add as much as 1TB of storage to any configuration with a microSD card. You may select to take away the lock display screen adverts for an extra $15.
The 2 fashions for kids embrace the Fireplace HD 10 Children, which is meant for ages 3 to 7 and options an extra-large protecting case, and the Fireplace HD 10 Children Professional, which is supposed for ages 6 to 12 and features a slimmer case. Each variations value $189.99 and include a two-year, no-questions-asked guarantee and a one-year subscription to Amazon Children Plus programming (usually $5 per 30 days for Prime members or $8 per 30 days for non-Prime clients).
(Sarah Lord)The pill is skinny and lightweight, with rounded corners and a colourful matte plastic again. It measures 9.7 by 6.5 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.96 kilos. By comparability, the smaller Kindle Fireplace HD 8 ($99.99) measures 7.9 by 5.4 by 0.37 inches and is lighter at 0.74 kilos. The Fireplace Max 11, in the meantime, is bigger at 10.2 by 6.4 by 0.3 inches and heavier at 1.08 kilos.
As its title suggests, the Fireplace HD 10 contains a 10.1-inch show with 1,920 by 1,200 pixels in a 16:10 side ratio, for a pixel density of 224ppi. It appears to be like good when watching films and TV reveals, although the viewing angles aren’t nice; you’ll need to be sure you’re trying on the display screen straight on. Textual content on Kindle books seems clear and sharp, even when set to smaller font sizes. The Fireplace HD 8 compresses the display screen to eight inches with 1,280 by 800 pixels for a density of 189ppi, whereas the 7-inch Fireplace 7 drops to 1,024 by 600 pixels at a density of simply 171ppi. The big Fireplace Max 11 expands the display screen to 11 inches with 2,000 by 1,200 pixels at 213ppi.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)There are two audio system alongside the left facet of the pill that produce stereo sound. They reached 91.6dB in testing. That’s definitely loud sufficient to fill a small room, however not way more. The standard of the sound is okay for dialogue in films and TV reveals, however its slim soundstage means you gained’t have the ability to hear many particulars in music. You’ll undoubtedly need to join a pair of headphones if you would like the very best audio expertise, and whilst you can at all times use a wi-fi pair, you’re additionally in a position to plug in instantly by way of the three.5mm headphone jack on the higher proper nook.
The USB-C port for charging and transferring information sits subsequent to the headphone jack, whereas the raised quantity rocker and energy button are located within the higher left nook. That is additionally the place you’ll discover the slot for a microSD card.
Succesful Efficiency
The Fireplace HD 10 has an eight-core CPU with two Arm Cortex-A76 cores at 2.05GHz and 6 Arm Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0GHz. Each the 32GB and 64GB fashions include the identical 3GB of RAM, which is simply sufficient to allow mild multitasking with out inflicting a difficulty. I did not expertise any lag whereas I had a number of tabs open in Amazon’s Silk browser nor once I was working a number of apps at a time within the background.
The processor is greater than able to dealing with streaming companies, Zoom video conferencing, Kindle functions, and shopping the web. I used to be even in a position to play fundamental video games like Hungry Shark and different less-intensive fare. I encountered some playability issues in NHL Blast on Roblox, the place I confronted stuttering and slowdowns when performing fundamental maneuvers like making an attempt to maneuver my participant throughout the ice. This pill is not made for even reasonable gaming, so these searching for prime gaming efficiency ought to take a look at extra highly effective options exterior of the Amazon ecosystem. The Fireplace HD 8 and seven are much more sluggish, whereas the Fireplace Max 11, although extra strong typically, nonetheless lacks the facility wanted for stutter-free gaming.
(Credit score: Geekbench 5)On Geekbench 5, the Fireplace HD 10 scored 515 on the single-core check and 1,516 on the multi-core check. The Fireplace HD 8 couldn’t run Geekbench 5 with out crashing, whereas the Fireplace Max 11 bested the Fireplace HD 10 with scores of 691 and 1,914. By comparability, the $479 OnePlus Pad, a midrange Android pill, scored 810 and a couple of,123 on the identical assessments.
Battery life on the Fireplace HD 10 is nice. Amazon doesn’t specify the scale of its battery, nevertheless it carried out properly in our assessments, lasting 10 hours and 18 minutes whereas streaming HD video over Wi-Fi with the display screen brightness set to the utmost. That is about the identical end result we received from the Fireplace HD 8 (10 hours and three minutes) however is considerably longer than the Fireplace Max 11 (7 hours and 55 minutes). Even the entry-level iPad (5 hours and 59 minutes) doesn’t maintain a candle to the enduring juice of the Fireplace HD 10.
Amazon features a 9W charger within the field, which totally prices the pill in about 4 hours, although you possibly can shorten that to about three hours when you’ve got a 15W charger.
The pill related seamlessly to the web by way of Wi-Fi 5 and to Bluetooth units by way of Bluetooth 5.3. It received related obtain (26Mbps) and add (16Mbps) speeds over the community as my laptop computer and iPad. I do want the Fireplace HD 10 supported the newer and quicker Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E protocols, nevertheless it did not make for a noticeable downturn in real-world use.
Unexciting Cameras
Most individuals don’t use tablets for taking footage, and also you definitely gained’t need to use the Fireplace HD 10 to take many, if any, of your pictures. Snaps from the pill’s 5MP rear digicam look grainy, uninteresting, and washed out, even in broad daylight. You may use it in an absolute pinch whenever you don’t have some other choices however don’t count on to share your outcomes on Instagram. Your entire pictures sync mechanically to the Amazon Photographs app, so that you’ll simply have the ability to inform if any of your pics are value saving.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)Amazon upgraded the entrance digicam from 2MP on the older Fireplace HD 10 to 5MP right here, however extra megapixels don’t do an excessive amount of that can assist you look nice on Zoom. It is definitely a purposeful digicam and folks will have the ability to see you on the opposite finish of the decision, however you’re nonetheless going to seem grainy and washed out, particularly in low-light environments. The Fireplace HD 8 and Max 11 take photographs of comparable high quality.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)Fireplace Pill Equipment
Amazon sells a $49.99 keyboard case and a $34.99 stylus individually for the Fireplace HD 10 (the keyboard case for the 2021 Fireplace HD 10 is not suitable with the 2023 pill). Amazon launched its stylus alongside the Fireplace Max 11 earlier this yr and it really works with each tablets.
The keyboard case is made by Fintie, a third-party keyboard maker. It has a small piece of leather-based that you simply pull as much as act as a stylus holder or pull down to cover it should you don’t want it. The pill matches securely into the book-shaped case and closes tightly by way of a magnetic connector that may additionally mechanically wake the pill or put it to sleep. You may modify the keyboard positioning by flipping the underside half of the pill into the magnetic groove simply above the keyboard, which locks the system into an upright, type-ready place.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)Sadly, the keyboard doesn’t mechanically hook up with the pill; it’s a must to toggle it on and off by a small change on the again of the case. It prices by way of USB-C and Amazon claims you’ll stand up to 200 hours of use on a single cost. The keyboard is somewhat cramped, however I didn’t have any issues typing. Amazon doesn’t specify the journey distance of the keys, however typing does produce a satisfying click on.
The black metallic stylus feels premium and comes with a programmable motion button close to the tip. It gives 4,096 factors of stress sensitivity and would not require pairing with the pill. It is powered by a AAAA battery, which Amazon claims will last as long as six months. Sadly, the stylus would not magnetically connect to the facet of the Fireplace HD 10 prefer it does to the facet of the Max 11. As an alternative, Fireplace HD 10 customers might want to preserve monitor of the pen on their very own or use the leather-based stylus holder on the keyboard case.
The most important disadvantage of the stylus is that Amazon doesn’t make a local note-taking app for it. When the pill first registers the stylus, you’ll see a pop-up information supplying you with a rundown of all its options, together with pen gestures that assist you to cross out a phrase to erase it. On the tutorial’s conclusion, you’re taken to a choice of apps within the Amazon Appstore that assist the stylus. These embrace some apps I’ve heard of, like Microsoft OneNote, however many are unfamiliar, equivalent to Squid and MediBang Paint. I downloaded Squid and rapidly discovered that Amazon’s pen gestures weren’t really supported. The pen labored properly by itself and I didn’t discover any lag when writing, however I used to be disillusioned that I could not use gestures the way in which Amazon described within the tutorial.
Software program on Amazon’s Phrases
Amazon’s Fireplace OS could also be primarily based on Android, nevertheless it’s a closely forked model tuned by Amazon and aimed squarely at its personal software program and companies. Fireplace customers shouldn’t have entry to the Google Play Retailer and should depend on apps which can be accessible within the Amazon Appstore as a substitute. That is significantly tough for productivity-minded of us or content material creators, as all of Google’s merchandise (equivalent to Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Calendar) are lacking in motion.
Fortunately, you will see many of the streaming and studying apps you’ll have to be glad. Disney+, ESPN+, Netflix, Max, and Spectrum TV are all right here, as is Libby from Overdrive so you possibly can obtain books out of your native library. Sadly, you are not capable of finding Alto’s Odyssey, Apple TV+, or Marvel Limitless.
(Credit score: Sarah Lord)Good show followers can be glad to know that the Fireplace HD 10 helps Echo Present mode, which successfully turns the pill into a sensible show. You may discuss to Alexa with out utilizing your fingers and see the climate forecast, time, trending matters, and extra. Those that get pleasure from good shows will discover this to be a pleasant additional.
Amazon doesn’t make any public commitments to software program updates for the Fireplace HD 10 however does say that it’s going to provide 4 years’ value of safety updates.
A Good, Reasonably priced Pill for the Fundamentals
The Amazon Fireplace HD 10 has construct, a stable display screen, and simply sufficient energy to browse the net, play informal video games, learn, and stream movies. You may join your favourite headphones by way of Bluetooth or the usual headphone jack and get by most bus, automobile, airplane, or prepare rides because of the long-lasting battery. The most important draw back is Amazon’s restricted app choice. Even so, you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a higher pill for $139.99. The $99.99 Fireplace HD 8 is extra moveable, but additionally extra sluggish. The $229.99 Fireplace Max 11 is quicker and has a sharper display screen, however suffers from shorter battery life. That makes the 2023 version of the Fireplace HD 10 the highest mannequin in Amazon’s pill lineup, in addition to the very best pill we have examined underneath $150, incomes it our Editors’ Alternative award.
