Guides for Fire Tablet

dark theme

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

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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.

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.… Read the rest

How to Use Dark Theme on Fire Tablets with Fire OS 8?

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Use Dark Theme on Fire Tablets with Fire OS 8

With the release of Fire OS 8 on the 12th Gen Fire 7 (Fire 7 2022), Fire HD 8 (Fire HD 8 2022), and Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen), Dark theme on Fire tablets is now available in these devices, and the Fire Max 11 (13th Gen).

This Fire tablet how-to guide explains the advantages of the Dark Theme on Fire tablets, the difference between the Night Mode, Blue Shed, and Dark Theme, how to turn on/off the Dark Theme on Fire tablets with Fire OS 8, and how to schedule Dark theme on Fire tablets.

Dark Theme was introduced in Fire OS 8. So, this guide applies to Amazon Fire tablets with Fire OS 8.

Why do you need the Dark Theme on Fire tablets?

Dark Theme, aka system-wide dark theme, was officially introduced in Android 10. It allows you to show content in a dark background on the screen.

Fire OS 8, which is based on Android 10, implemented the Dark Theme on Fire tablets without messing it up.

The advantages of using the Dark Theme include the following:

  • Reduce eye strain, especially in a low-light environment.
  • Make the screen more comfortable (arguable) for most users in most situations.
  • Improve visibility for users with low vision and those who are sensitive to bright light.
  • Reduce battery usage (therefore, increase battery life) if adaptive brightness is available and enabled.

Fire 7 (all generations) does not have a light sensor. Therefore, it will not benefit from the longer battery life when enabling the Dark Theme. Fire HD 8 (including Fire HD 8 Plus) and Fire HD 10 (including Fire HD 10 Plus) support adaptable brightness.… Read the rest

How to use Quick Settings on Fire tablets?

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use Quick Settings on Fire tablets

Quick Settings on Fire tablets lets you enable or disable some features instantly without going through the Settings app.

This Fire tablet how-to guide explains what the Quick Settings on Fire tablets is, how to access the Quick Settings panel on a Fire tablet, the differences in Quick Settings among Fire OS 5, Fire OS 7, and Fire OS 8, and how to use and customize the Quick Setting buttons.

Although the illustration and screenshots are based on Fire OS 8, this guide applies to most Fire tablets, including Fire 7 (12th Gen), Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8+ (12th Gen), Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen), and Fire Max 11(13th Gen).

What is Quick Settings on Fire tablets?

Quick Settings on Fire tablets is simply a special panel that lets you turn on/off some frequently used features without fiddling around the Settings.

For example, if you want to turn on (or off) Bluetooth on a Fire tablet without Quick Settings, you need 5 steps.

  1. Navigate to the Home screen (you may have to leave the app you are using).
  2. Locate the Settings app.
  3. Open the Settings app.
  4. Tap Connected devices.
  5. Tap Bluetooth

With Quick Settings on Fire tablets, it will take you two steps to turn on/off Bluetooth:

  1. Without leaving the app you are using, swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers.
  2. Tap the Bluetooth button.

So, it is a matter of “efficiency” if you can use Quick Settings on Fire tablets. The Quick Settings is even available when you are on the lock screen.

Like all other Android devices (although Amazon tried hard to hide “Android” in Fire tablets), all Fire tablets offer the Quick Settings feature.… Read the rest

What’s new in Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen)?

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What's new in Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2022 (10th Gen)?

Amazon announced the Fire HD 8 2022, which is the 12th Gen of the Fire Tablet, on September 21, 2022. You can get your hands on it from October 19.

Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) shares a similar size and design, almost identical display, similar micro SD card support, and identical RAM, compared to the previous generation of Fire HD 8 (Fire HD 2020/10th Gen).

So, what is new in Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen)?

This Fire tablet buying guide explains the six changes or improvements in the Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), including Fire OS 8, a Hexa-core processor, 13-hour battery life, swapped locations for the power and volume buttons, 5MP rear camera for the Plus model, and $10 price hike.

1. Fire OS 8

Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen) is the second Fire tablet with the latest Fire OS: Fire OS 8.

As explained in this post, Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen) is the first Fire tablet shipped with Fire OS 8.

You can use all new features and improvements in Fire OS 8 with the new Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen), e.g.,

Please note Fire OS 8 does work with the Google Play store. You can sideload Google Play Store on the 12th Gen Fire HD 8, as you did for previous generations of Fire tablets.

You may refer to this guide on how to use the new features in Fire OS 8.… Read the rest

Fire 7 2022 vs Fire 7 2019: top 10 new features and improvements

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Fire 7 2022 vs Fire 7 2019: top 10 new features and improvements

After about 3 years, Amazon finally refreshed the most affordable Android tablet on the planet, Fire 7. The 12th Gen Fire 7 (2022) was announced in May and released in June. Many Fire tablet owners wonder about the difference between Fire 7 2022 and Fire 7 2019.

As a successor to the 9th Gen Fire 7 (2019), Fire 7 2022 offers some valuable upgrades and changes.

This Fire tablet guide explains the top 10 new features and improvements of Fire 7 2022 vs Fire 7 2019, including.

  1. Fire OS 8
  2. Faster CPU and GPU
  3. More (double) RAM
  4. USB-C
  5. WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
  6. Bluetooth 5.0
  7. Longer battery life
  8. VP9 codecs
  9. Widevine DRM L1 support
  10. Inflation tax (just to make it 10)

Some comparison was also extended to the current Fire HD 8 (10th Gen) and Fire HD 10 (11th Gen) to help you decide whether Fire 7 2022 is the right tablet for you.

Fire OS 8

Fire 7 2022 is the first Amazon device that ships with Fire OS 8, which is based on Android 11.

As a comparison, Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen) was updated to Fire OS 7, which is based on Android 9. The latest Fire HD 8 (2020, 10th gen) and Fire HD 10 (2021, 11th gen) are also running on Fire OS 7.

Although the latest version of Android is Android 12, Android 11 is still a major leap from Android 9 (Android Pie).

Some of the Android 10 and Android 11 features will benefit all users. For example,

You may check this guide on using new features in Fire OS 8.… Read the rest