2022 Amazon Fire 8 HD tablet sports 30 percent faster CPU

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  The new Fire 8. It looks just like the old Fire 8. [credit: Amazon ]

Two years after the previous version, Amazon is introducing a new Fire HD 8 tablet for 2022. Amazon claims the new model is "faster, lighter, and powered by all-day battery life." As usual, the price is dirt cheap: $99.99 for the Fire 8 HD and $119.99 for the higher-spec "Fire 8 HD Plus" model. Amazon didn't supply a full spec sheet ahead of the launch, but there should be details on the Amazon Developer site eventually.

Here's what we do know. There's some kind of eight-core SoC (probably a Mediatek), which Amazon says is "30 percent faster" than the MT8168 in the 2020 Fire 8. The base model has 2GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of storage, and a MicroSD slot. Amazon promises "13 hours" of battery life, but the old Fire 8 HD had the same hour rating from a 4,850 mAh battery. The tablet charges in five hours via a bottom-of-the-barrel 5 W USB-C power adapter.

The "Plus" model raises the bar a bit for $20 more. You get 3GB of RAM, wireless charging, a whopping 9 W USB-C charger, and "sharper images" from an improved 5MP rear camera. The wireless charging dock holds the tablet in an upright position and will let it kick over into an Alexa smart display mode, just like an Echo Show. From the outside, the Plus model looks identical to the normal Fire 8.

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