Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021: What’s New in Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen)?

Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) was announced on September 18, 2003, and will be shipped from October 18. You may wonder what's new in Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen).

This Fire Tablet Guide explains the top 10 new differences between Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021, including a faster chipset (Mediatek MT8186A), 5MP front-facing camera, 13-hour battery life, stylus (active) support, lighter and thinner, Fire OS 8, new button layout, Bluetooth 5.3LE, no plus version, and $10 cheaper. We also explain some key features and specs remain unchanged.

Please do not confuse Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) with Fire Max 11 (2023). The latter is not in the Fire HD 10 series.

What's New in Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen): Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021?

Now let's go through these differences between Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021 one by one.

1. Stylus (active pen) support

Fire HD 10 2023 (13 Gen) now becomes the 2nd device with active pen support in the Fire tablet product line (after Fire Max 11). This is one of the most practical (especially for note-taking users) new features of Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021.

You can use any USI 2.0 pen on the Fire HD 10 2023, including the one for Fire Max 11.

Please check this guide on what the active pen can do on Fire HD 10 2023, how to use it, and whether you need to get it or not.

2. A faster chipset (Mediatek MT8186A) in Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen)

In each generation of Fire HD 10, Amazon bumped up the processing powers moderately.

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) has the MediaTek MT8186A chip. The octa-core processor has 2 ARM Cortex-A76 cores at 2.05 GH and 6 A55 cores at 2.0 GHz. It is in the top spectrum of entry-level chips for tablets and Chromebooks.

The raw performance is 25% faster when you compare Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021.

3. 5MP front-facing camera

Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) improved the front-facing camera. The 2MP camera sensor found in Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen) was updated to a 5MP one.

The new camera sensor now supports 1080p (full HD) video recording. It is enough for most video meetings and calls. The previous generation of Fire HD 10 only supports 720p.

Of course, there is no auto-focus for both front and rear cameras.

4. 13-hour battery life

Amazon claimed the Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) has a battery life of 13 hours, which is 1 hour longer than the Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen).

5. Lighter and thinner

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) is noticeably lighter than Fire HD 10 2021 (434g vs. 465g).

Compared to the previous Gen, Fire HD 10 2023 is also 0.6mm thinner (8.6mm vs. 9.2mm).

6. Fire OS 8

Since the 12th Gen, Amazon introduced Fire OS 8 in Fire 7 2022, Fire HD 8 2022, and Fire Max 11.

Fire HD 10 2023 is also running on Fire OS 8. In comparison, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen) is on Fire OS 7.

There are some new features introduced in Fire OS 8, e.g., dark mode, native screen recorder, and one-time permission. You may check this post for details of Fire OS 8. If you sideload Google Play Store to Fire HD 10 2023, you may have more choices of available apps.

Please note Amazon only issued security updates to their tablets in recent years and did not update the major version of Fire OS. For example, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen) was released with Fire OS 7. It will probably never be updated to Fire OS 8.

7. Bluetooth 5.3LE

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) supports Bluetooth 5.3 LE. Compared to Bluetooth 5.0 LE, LE audio is one of the most prominent new features. This means you may get far better audio quality when using a compatible Bluetooth headset.

8. New button layout

Since the 12th Gen of Fire tablets, Amazon adopted a new button layout for the power and volume buttons. In the landscape orientation, the power button is near the top, and the volume button is below it. In previous generations (e.g., Fire HD 10 2021), the volume button is above the power button.

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) adopted this new button layout.

9. No Plus version

Until now, Amazon has not mentioned the Plus version of Fire HD 10 2023.

So, if you expect wireless charging or 4GB RAM on Fire HD 10 2023, you will be disappointed. These two features were available in the Plus version of Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen).

Please note Fire Max 11 does not support wireless charging either, as explained in the limitations and missing features of Fire Max 11.

10. $10 cheaper

Surprisingly, Amazon offers the 13th Gen Fire HD 10 2023 tablet at $10 cheaper than the previous generation. Apparently, it reversed the price hike in the 12th Gen Fire tablets.

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) now starts at $139.99 ($10 cheaper than Fire HD 10 2021).

Now, let's quickly review the specs unchanged in Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021.

What's Unchanged: Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021

The following remain unchanged:

• Screen size and resolution.
• 3GB RAM.
• 32GB/64GB storage.
• Build quality and materials.
• No Wi-Fi 6.
• Micro SD card support up to 1TB.
• USB-C 2.0
• USB-C charging.
• Headphone jack. Fire Max 11 is the only Fire tablet without the 3.5mm jack.
• Kids editions (Kids and Kids Pro) are available.
• The official keyboard case is available.

Please note that Fintie also makes the official keyboard case for Fire HD 10 2023. But it is NOT compatible with Fire HD 10 2021 due to the size difference. Similarly, the keyboard case for Fire HD 10 2021 does not fit with Fire HD 10 2023. The functions (e.g., special keys and shortcuts), layout, and usage of the two keyboards are identical.

Also, you cannot use the Fire Max 11 keyboard case on Fire HD 10 2023.

Do you have any questions about Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021?

If you have any questions about the differences between Fire HD 10 2023 vs. Fire HD 10 2021, please let us know in the comment box below.

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