Guides for Fire Tablet

Fire OS 8

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

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

How to enable and access developer options on Amazon Fire tablet (Fire, Fire HD, Fire HDX and Kindle Fire HDX), and how to hide developer options again?

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Android developer options give app developers a lot of options to test the app under various simulated conditions. You can also enable developer options on Amazon Fire tablets.

But for normal users, sometimes, you may also need some features that are under developer options. For example, when you need to run an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) command to backup the phone, or take lots of screenshots of Amazon Fire tablet from your PC (if you just want to take a few, you can do this on the tablet with Power and volume up button as illustrated in this guide), you need turn on USB Debugging (enable ADB).

By default, the developer options on Amazon Fire tablet is hidden with the recent Fire OS. This is consistent with other Android devices which hide developer options since Android Jelly Bean 4.2,

But it is very easy to enable and access developer options on Amazon Fire tablet. In this guide, Fire tablet refers to Fire, Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD, Fire HDX and Kindle Fire HDX.

This Fire tablet how-to guide will show you how to enable and access developer options on an Amazon Fire tablet, and how to disable and hide the developer options on an Amazon Fire tablet (after you enable them).

How to enable and access developer options on Amazon Fire tablet?

Step 1: Go to Settings–Device Options

In your Amazon Fire tablet, go to Settings by swiping down from the status bar (top of the screen) or tap Settings app in the app drawer.

Then tap Device Options as shown below.

Fire tablet settings to enable developer options

Step 2: Tap Serial Number Field  7 times

In the Device Options page, tap the serial number field 7 times.… Read the rest