As with many parents, my wife and I picked up an Amazon Fire tablet some time ago for our little one ahead of a big road trip. Those six hours in the car flew by as he watched shows, played games, and more, but it always felt like a tablet struggling under the weight of relatively menial tasks.
While it was never going to benchmark against the likes of an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab, it often felt sluggish, with a dull display that sacrificed just about everything to hit a low price. It was, in many ways, a toy, so when I got the opportunity to put the latest Fire HD 8 Kids Pro through its paces, I was intrigued.
Right from the unboxing, it’s clear that this is a more serious device for tech-curious little ones. And while it’s hard to recommend to anyone over the age of 12, it’s a much more usable device than Amazon’s prior small tablets, despite some caveats.
Design & Build
- Slim yet durable design
- Fun design options
- No water or dust resistance rating
One of the most noticeable changes when you take the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro out of the box is just how slim it is compared to its non-Pro predecessors.
It’s a drastically more svelte package, giving the feeling of being a more impressive product for more ‘grown-up’ kids, which my five-and-a-half-year-old son instantly recognised.
Lloyd Coombes / Foundry
On the outside, you’ll find some easy-to-press volume and sleep/wake buttons, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C charging port.
Amazon is continuing its two-year warranty that lets you swap a busted device for a fresh one with little to no friction, so I didn’t feel as cautious as I might have been otherwise handing a £150/$150 tablet to my child.
However, it’s worth noting that there’s no IP rating for water or dust resistance, so you’ll have to be careful in the bathroom or at the beach.
There’s no IP rating for water or dust resistance, so you’ll have to be careful in the bathroom or at the beach
My review unit includes the ‘Hello Teal’ case, but there’s also a pink alternative with a Jungle Cat rear print and a Marvel’s Avengers offering that my son has taken a shine to. You can pick up a whole host of third-party options, too, and each of the built-in options has a solid kickstand that’s ideal for playing games at a table.
Whichever case you go for, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro doesn’t creak like some of its predecessors, and feels comfortable to hold in both landscape and portrait orientations.
Screen & Speakers
- 8-inch IPS display
- 1280 x 800 resolution
- Single speaker
As you might expect from the name, the front of the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro features an 8-inch screen. However, it feels much bigger than 8 inches because of the sizeable bezel around the display, plus the additional edges of the included case.
Coming from the Fire 7 Kids, I’m pleased to see a sharper, brighter screen here, but only just – the resolution of 1280 x 800 is the same as a Steam Deck, but pales in comparison to the 10-inch screen found on the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, which hits 1920 x 1200.
Lloyd Coombes / Foundry
Essentially, you’ll be able to watch videos in 720p HD, but not Full HD or anything higher. It is an IPS panel, though, so colours are fairly accurate. However, the display attracts a fair amount of glare, so visibility in bright outdoor environments can be a struggle.
But overall it’s a pretty solid display that is ideal for just about any TV show your little one wants to watch.
It’s a pretty solid display that is ideal for just about any TV show your little one wants to watch
I’m also impressed by how punchy the speakers can get, too. When watching a movie, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro can hit some impressive volume without becoming noticeably distorted.
It’s not the same as you’d get from a more premium tablet, but enough that you’ll need to reach for those volume buttons when you’ve had quite enough of Peppa Pig for the umpteenth time.
Specs & Performance
- Unnamed 2GHz Hexa-core processor
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB of storage, expandable via Micro-SD
Despite the ‘Pro’ affixed to the name, there’s no real performance jump compared to the base Fire HD 8. The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro still uses the same Hexa-core 2GHz processor (Amazon doesn’t specify the model), pairing it with 3GB of RAM.
These are modest specs, but they represent a big upgrade compared to the Fire 7 Kids. That device would routinely stutter when switching between apps, downloading new ones, and even flicking between home screens.
Lloyd Coombes / Foundry
While the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro doesn’t offer anything rivalling flagship performance, many of those wrinkles have been ironed out, leading to a more responsive tablet that handles the variety of apps available on the Amazon Appstore or Kids Plus membership without issue.
On a device like this, benchmark figures don’t really matter. If you’re considering getting this for a child, it’s probably fast enough. I’ve tested Sonic Dash on the tablet, sprinting across maps with no discernible slowdown, even in a multiplayer setting, while the likes of Disney Coloring World are nice and responsive.
If you’re considering getting this for a child, it’s probably fast enough
Things only really tend to get sluggish when you open a handful of apps at once, but so long as your kid isn’t trying to write an email or something, everything works nicely.
The only model available offers 32GB of storage, of which around 25GB is available to the user. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro supports expansion via Micro-SD card all the way up to 1TB.
Cameras
- 5Mp rear camera
- 2Mp front-facing camera
- Both support Full HD (1080p) video recording
You’re probably not buying the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro for its photographic abilities. If you are, I wouldn’t bother.
You’re probably not buying the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro for its photographic abilities. If you are, I wouldn’t bother
The device puts almost all of its eggs in the single rear-facing 5Mp sensor, and it’s not great.
It’s fine for quick snaps of pictures and friends, but even my son was reaching for my phone instead when we were taking pictures of things out and about. As you’d expect, there’s little to no image processing here – photos are shadowy, dark areas lack detail, and any movement contributes to significant blur.
amazon fire hd 8 kids pro camera sample 5
Selfies from the 2Mp front-facing lens are basic at best, but they do the job for any apps that call upon them, like doodling games and the like.
It can be used for video chats, but only with parental authorisation. Even then, the lens isn’t good enough to see the benefit of Full HD 1080p video.
Battery Life & Charging
- No battery capacity quoted
- Up to 13 hours of battery life claimed
- Supports wired charging up to 15W
While it’s been an issue on older Amazon tablets, I’m pleased to say that the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro steps things up a notch when it comes to battery life.
Amazon won’t say what size the battery is, but its estimate of 13 hours of usage holds up to scrutiny in my testing. Gaming will naturally bring things down a bit more, but you can expect around 10 hours of streaming movies, or more if you download something for offline usage rather than streaming it.
The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro steps things up a notch when it comes to battery life
Charging is slow, though. The power brick in the box is a 5W charger, and you can expect it to take upwards of 4.5 hours to charge fully. I’d recommend getting a compatible 15W charger, which Amazon claims will reduce that to under 2.5 hours.
Thankfully, the better battery life than older models means it’s more likely to be ready to go when your child needs it – I was pleasantly surprised to find it with charge more often than not, whereas the older Fire 7 tablet would seemingly run dry while it was on standby.
Software & Apps
- Amazon Fire OS
- At least four years of security updates
- Good parental controls
Like all Amazon tablets, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro runs Amazon’s Fire OS software. While technically an Android skin, it takes a very different approach.
The main thing you need to know is that there’s no Google Play Store. Instead, you’ll have to make do with the Amazon Appstore, which has a much more limited selection of third-party apps.
Lloyd Coombes / Foundry
I don’t find the software to be nearly as easy to use as Android or iOS. Everything feels a tad clunky, so expect to spend some time getting used to things – even if you’re relatively tech-savvy.
Also, Amazon’s own ‘Silk’ browser is the de facto browser here, and it’s very basic. I’d have preferred the option to add Chrome (especially since that could sync between Google accounts so I could monitor what my little one was up to), but it does the job.
Expect to spend some time getting used to things – even if you’re relatively tech-savvy
Elsewhere, parental controls are really impressive. Parents can set time limits and bedtimes on the tablet, and lock off certain apps between users. This can cause some confusion for little ones looking to jump into an app on their profile only to find out they need parental advice, but the 30 seconds it takes to move between profiles and authorise something is better than the alternative.
Amazon’s Kids Plus membership offers ad-free books and apps for a low monthly price, and you get a year included with the tablet, too. Amazon has also committed to at least four years of security updates, which is decent for a device that’s so affordable.
Price & Availability
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is available from Amazon, starting at £149.99/$149.99.
This includes 32GB of storage and the aforementioned year of Kids Plus. After that, plans start at £4.99/$5.99 per month if you’re a Prime member and £6.99/$7.99 per month if not.
It’s very much a budget tablet, and will only appeal to young children who don’t mind its limitations.
Should you buy the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro?
It won’t dazzle tech aficionados, but for young children, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is a great portable tablet that will do everything they need it to.
Compared to the Fire HD 7, the screen is brighter and sharper, the performance is slightly better, and the battery is very solid for a device in this price range.
Provided you’re aware of its limitations, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is a good buy – especially if you know a Marvel fan.
Specs
- Processor: UNISOC SC9863A (reported)
- Security: Passcode
- Internal storage: 32GB built-in
- Expandable storage: Up to 1TB via Micro-SD card
- Memory (RAM): 3GB
- Battery: ‘Up to 13 hours’, non-removable
- Display: 8-inch HD display – IPS
- Resolution: HD (1280×800) | 189 ppi
- Aspect ratio: 16:10
- Rear camera: 5Mp
- Front camera: 2Mp
- Dimensions: 212 mm x 162 mm x 17 mm (8.3” x 6.4” x 0.7“)
- Weight: 506g (with case attached)
- Ports: USB-C port
