Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So far I'm really enjoying the new Fire HD 8". This is my first Fire tablet since the HDX 7" so being on the latest Fire OS is really nice. Finally I no longer have to use the carousal UI that I always found bothersome. And I can change the wallpaper! Simple things but nice to finally have. Of course, this comes with some trade-offs. First up - the screen. For an $80 tablet this screen is really nice. The colors on it are great and watching videos is very pleasant. Having said that, if you're coming from an HDX or an iPad, you'll notice a difference. The resolution isn't as high as those screens, but for me personally this isn't a deal breaker. I still find the screen very nice and reading books on it is still great. Though I do wish Amazon opted for at least 1080p to make video watching even more enjoyable. I also have some light bleed along one of the edges of the screen. Nothing too horrible, and it's a characteristic of LCD technology. But my HDX did not suffer from that. *UPDATE* - I originally listed the speakers/sound as great, but the more I use the Fire HD 8" the more I wish that the volume went higher. The sound quality itself isn't bad, but the volume is low even at the highest setting. Even with headphones on it doesn't seem to go very high. I still feel the tablet earns 4 stars so I'm not changing that. Build quality - very solid. If I had to choose one thing I'd change it would be the grip on the back. It's a bit slippery to me but that's probably because I'm so used to the rubbery feel of the HDX. If you've had a new Fire you won't notice a difference. Battery - I can't say much on this yet. When I opened the packaging it was at 60% and it dropped to 23% before I gave it a full charge. This morning, with a full charge, I watched a show that lasted 53 minutes and it only dropped down to 97%. So that was very nice. My HDX was definitely showing some age when it came to battery life. Overall - I'm very happy with my decision to get the new Fire HD 8". The HDX served me well over the years, and it will continue to stay in the family, but it was time for an updated experience. The new Fire HD 8" delivers and the price can't be beaten.