Guides for Fire Tablet

Fire HD 10 2019

How to use the 15 special keys and 11 keyboard shortcuts on the official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus)?

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use the 15 special keys and 11 keyboard shortcuts on the official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus)

The official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus) is one of the most useful accessories if you need to type a lot on the Fire HD 10 tablet. But some owners are confused about the 15 special keys and are not aware of the keyboard shortcuts that can improve their productivity greatly.

This Fire tablet how-to guide explains the meaning and usage of the 15 special keys on the official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus). The available keyboard shortcuts are also explained to help you improve your productivity.

If you want to know how to pair or configure the keyboard, please check this guide.

You may check Fire Tablet Buyers' Guide to see whether you should buy the Bluetooth keyboard as a productivity bundle.

Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) also has a similar official keyboard cover, which works identically to the one for Fire HD 10 2021. However, due to the differences in dimensions, you cannot fit the keyboard case for Fire HD 10 2021 with Fire HD 10 2023. And vice versa. So, this guide also works for Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen).

What are the 15 special keys on the official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus)?

There are 15 special keys on the official wireless keyboard for Amazon Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus). 13 of them are located in the top row, and the other two are left to the space bar, as illustrated below.

These special keys offer a few unique features and functions for Fire HD 10 2021 (and Fire HD 10 Plus).… Read the rest

Fire HD 10 Plus vs. Fire HD 10 2021 vs. Fire HD 10 2019

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Fire HD 10 Plus vs Fire HD 10 2021 vs Fire HD 10 2019As a refreshed version of the Fire HD 10 tablet, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen) offers a moderate update over Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen). 

Fire HD 10 Plus is the first “Plus” version of the Fire HD 10 series, apparently inspired by the moderate success of the Fire HD 8 Plus.

This Fire tablet guide explains the new features of Fire HD 10 2021 (11th gen) compared to Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen) and the difference between Fire HD 10 Plus vs. Fire HD 10 2021 to help you decide whether you should get the new Fire HD 10, or the new Fire HD10 Plus. The productivity bundle for the 11th Gen Fire HD 10, Fire HD 10 Kids,  and Fire HD 10 Kids Pro are also explained.

Update: Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen) was released. Please check this guide on the new features(e.g., Fire OS 8 and active stylus support)  and improvements in the 13th-generation Fire HD 10.

Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen) vs Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen): what's not changed?

The 11th Gen of Fire HD 10 is not a significant upgrade to the 9th Gen. A lot of key features and specs (and the price) still remain unchanged.

Chipset (CPU/GPU)

The tablet is still powered by the same MediaTek MT8183 (64-bit octa-core). It is a decent entry-level mobile chip and is probably still the fastest processor for a tablet under $150.

Anyway, for most Fire HD 10 tablet owners, the chipset should be sufficient.  You may get a bit frustrated if you play heavy games or render videos on the tablet.

Fire OS 7

Both Fire HD 2021 (11th Gen) and  Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen) were released with Fire OS 7, which is based on Android Pie (Android 9).… Read the rest

The ultimate guide of USB-C fast charging on Fire HD 10 2019, Fire HD 8 2020, and later devcies

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USB-C fast charging on Fire HD 10 2019, Fire HD 8 2020, and Fire HD 8 PlusThe addition of a USB-C port on Fire HD 2021 (11th  Gen), Fire HD 10 Plus, Fire HD10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), and Fire HD 8 Plus makes these Fire tablets support 15W USB-C fast charging and be compatible with more USB accessories. This Fire tablet how-to guide explains what USB-C fast charging  (PD) is, how to use it to charge your Fire HD tablets faster, and known problems and caveats of using fast charging on Fire HD tablets. Please note, that this guide only applies to Fire HD tablets with a USB-C port.  Currently, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), Fire HD 10 Plus, Fire HD10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), and Fire HD 8 Plus, Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen), Fire HD 8 Plus (2022), Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen) have the USB-C Port. Older generations and Fire 7 only have a micro USB port. Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen) has now also switched to the USB-C port, and therefore, this guide also applies to the 12th Gen Fire 7 (2022)

What is USB-C fast charging (USB PD)?

For the 10th gen Fire HD 8 (Fire HD 2020), Amazon stated:

Fully charge in under 5 hours using the USB-C cable and 5W power adapter included in the box. Fully charge in under 4 hours with 9W adapter (sold separately), and under 3 hours with 15W adapter and USB type C to C cable (adapter and cable sold separately).

Essentially, you can fully charge Fire HD 8 2020 or Fire HD 8 Plus (and Fire HD 10 2019 and Fire HD 10 2021) within 3 hours with fast charging.… Read the rest

Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen)

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Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen)Amazon announced two models for the 10th generation of Fire HD 8: Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus, instead of the traditional one, as the successor of Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen).

So, what are the differences between Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen) vs Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen)?

This Fire tablet guide explains the significant differences among Fire HD 8 Plus (2020), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th gen), and Fire HD 2018 (8th Gen) to help you understand the benefits of the improvements.

Update: there is a newer version of Fire HD 8: Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen).

Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) vs Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen)

Fire HD 8 Plus and Fire HD 8 2020 share identical dimensions and ports. So, the cases for these two tablets are interchangeable. The hardware inside these two tablets is almost identical, with two exceptions (read on). 

Both tablets also run identical software with almost identical Fire OS 7.3 (which is based on Android Pie/9.0). This also means it is very easy to add Google Play Store to both tablets.

You can also use the micro SD card as internal storage on both devices as well.

There are two major differences between Fire HD 8 Plus (2020) and Fire HD 8 2020.

Difference 1. Fire HD 8 Plus has a 3GB RAM

Amazon increased the RAM in Fire HD 8 (10 gen)to 2GB (from 1.5GB in previous generations). And Fire HD 8 Plus further increases the RAM to 3GB.

So, Fire HD 8 Plus is the Fire HD tablet with the largest RAM currently. Remember, the latest Fire HD  10 (Fire HD 10 2019) only has 2GB RAM.… Read the rest

How to use the micro SD card on the Fire tablet?

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use micro SD cardWith the release of Fire OS 6 on Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen) and Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen), Fire OS 7 on Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2020 (10th gen), Fire HD 8 Plus (2020), and Fire OS 8 on Fire 7 2022, Fire HD 8 2022 (12th Gen), and Fire HD 10 2023 (13th Gen), you have the new option of using the micro SD card as the tablet (internal) storage (adoptable storage) to expand the internal storage on these 3 5 devices.

This Fire tablet how-to guide explains the new option and the pros and cons of using the micro SD card as adoptable storage on Fire HD 10 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 (8th Gen), and Fire 7 (9th Gen). Fire HD 8 2020 (10th Gen), Fire HD 8 Plus 2020, Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), and Fire HD 10 Plus.  It also explains when you need to use the adoptable storage option.

The guide also shows you how to use the micro SD card as internal storage, and how to manage the SD card on Fire HD 10 (9th,11th Gen), Fire HD 8 (8th,10th, 12th Gen), Fire 7 (9th,12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen).

What is the new option of using the Micro SD card on the Fire tablet?

In addition to using the SD card as external storage, you can now use a micro SD card as internal storage (adoptable storage) on Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen), Fire HD 10 Plus, Fire 7 2019 (9th Gen), Fire HD 8 2018 (8th Gen), Fire HD 2020 (10th Gen),  Fire HD 8 Plus (2020),  Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen), and Fire Max 11 (13th Gen).… Read the rest

Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen): everything you need to know

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Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen): everything you need to knowFire HD10 2019 (Fire HD 9th Gen) is an updated model for Fire HD 10 2017 (7th Gen). It is a significant update with some new features and improvements and at the same affordable price.

As Amazon stopped the Fire HDX series of tablets, Fire HD 10 is the “flagship” tablet from Amazon. And Amazon now refreshes the tablet every two years.  Fire HD 10 and Fire 7 were updated from 7th Gen to the 9th Gen in 2019.

This Fire tablet buying guide explains everything you need to know about Fire HD 10 9th Gen: the new features, pros and cons (review) of Fire HD 10 2019, alternatives to this tablet, and answers to questions you may have about this tablet.

Please note, the successor of Fire HD 10 2019 is Fire HD 10 2021 (11th Gen). You can find the updated features here.

Top 9 new  features of Fire HD 10 2019 (9th Gen)

The 9th Gen of Fire HD 10 looks similar to the previous 7th gen Fire HD 10. Actually, the ports, buttons, cameras, and speakers are located almost in identical locations. The dimensions are also almost identical.

But don't be fooled by the look. There are some excellent new features. Here are the top 9 new features (compared to Fire HD 10 2017).

USB-C port

Finally, Amazon ditched the vintage micro USB port with the future-proof  USB-C port on Fire HD 10 9th Gen.

The USB-C port offers numerous advantages. For example:

  • The connector is symmetric. You can easily insert the cable into the port without turning on the light.
  • More protocols can be supported.
  • You can use more USB accessories without needing USB-OTG.
… Read the rest