#Cnet fire hd 10 review android

While there are plenty of games to choose from, they’re largely of the basic Candy Crush / Hungry Shark / Clash Of The Clans type. There’s no access to Apple services, no Deezer and no Now or Sky Store, although Sky customers can stream via the Sky Go app. Netflix, Disney+, BT TV, Plex, VLC, DAZN, ExpressVPN, UKTV Play, Spotify, Tidal, Twitch and both Prime Video and Amazon Music all feature, and all of the UK catch-up apps are present and correct.

#Cnet fire hd 10 review android

However, despite the lack of Google services, the current build of Fire OS is based on Android 11 and we hope to see it updated to Android 13 in the near future.įortunately, most of the streaming services are there, though. Other big utility apps such as WhatsApp or Duolingo don’t feature either, but there are third-party equivalents for most things. There are workarounds, most of which aren’t very complicated, but it doesn’t come with Android staples such as Google Maps, Gmail, Chrome, Docs and the other Drive apps. That means that you don’t get out-of-the-box access to the usual Android apps from the Google Play Store. It’s based on Android, but Android it isn’t quite. Amazon uses Fire OS for its tablet range.

This is not an Android tablet, just in case you were mistaken. Storage 32Gb / 64Gb (microSD-expandable by up to 1TB)Ĭameras 2MP front-facing, 5MP rear-facing It worked well before, and it works even better now. The volume controls stay put and there’s now a dual mic system to pick up the Alexa wake word instead of just the one. The covered microSD slot remains on the bottom side corner, although now it can take a 1TB card (up from the previous maximum of 512GB).Įverything else is on the same short side of the frame but the 3.5mm audio-out, the USB-C charge port and the power switch have all swapped places. Amazon has gone for a landscape-first look and feel, shifting the front-facing camera to the centre of the long edge (something Apple should have done with its latest iPads). There are no new additions to the ports and buttons but there’s been a bit of a reshuffle. Not only does that make it more manageable but the 16:10 screen now fits more evenly into the frame, with a uniform 15mm bezel running all the way around, winning points for neatness if nothing else.Īs for the choice of colour for the rim and plastic rear, that, once again, is unchanged: Denim, Lavender, Olive or Black.

It's also 15mm shorter on its longest edge and 8mm thinner. That might not sound like much but it makes one-handed use notably less of a strain on the wrist. It’s shed about 40g from the previous half-kilo weight. The most obvious differences between this 2021 Fire Tab 10 and the 2019 model are the size and weight.