Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) Review: Great budget tablet
Need a 10-inch Android tablet but don’t wish to break the piggy bank? Need a tablet so that your child can attend online classes? Perhaps the Amazon Fire HD (2021, 11th Generation) would be a good fit as Amazon recently refreshed the Fire HD 10 tablet back in May 2021. It runs Fire OS 7 (Android 9.0) and is decently spec-ed with octa-core 2.0GHz CPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage for the base model. At US$149.99, it is definitely a value-for-money tablet that is good enough for many. I got it at S$145 (after applying the shop and platform coupons) during the recent Lazada 9.9 sale.
Unboxing
The front of the Fire HD 10 (2021) packaging. The back of the Fire HD 10 (2021) packaging. The technical specifications of the Fire HD 10 (2021) tablet. The Fire HD 10 (2021) tablet along with the USB charger, USB-C charging cable and documentations.
Within the small orangey packaging, you will find:
- The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021, 11th Generation) tablet (black, denim, olive or lavender)
- 9W USB charger
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Documentations
Technical Specifications
Along with the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), Amazon also released a slightly souped up model called the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) Plus that has wireless charging and 4GB of RAM (1GB more than the non-plus model).
| Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) | Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 10.1-inch IPS LCD 1920 x 1200 pixels (~224 PPI density) | |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB, Expandable via MicroSD (up to 1TB) | |
| CPU | Octa-core (4 x 2.0GHz Cortex-A73 & 4 x 2.0GHz Cortex-A53) | |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB |
| Camera | Front: 2MP (720p), Rear: 5MP (720p) | |
| Sound | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm audio output jack | |
| Connectivity | Dual-Band AC WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 2.0 | |
| Colours | Black, Denim, Olive, Lavender | |
| Size | 247 x 166 x 9.2 mm | |
| Weight | 465g | 468g |
| SRP | US$149.99 (32GB) | US$179.99 (32GB) |
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
The Fire HD 10 (2021) comes with a 10.1-inch IPS screen. Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) The plastic back in Olive colour. The Fire HD 10 (2021) and Fire HD 8 (2020) side by side
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) has a matte plastic back in black, denim, olive or lavender colour. I chose olive as I fell in love with the colour ever since my Google Pixel 5 phone.
Being matte and plastic, it certainly does not attract as much fingerprints but all the rubbings against the bag or table tops will certainly smooth out the matte finishing around the corner and edges. I recommend getting a cover for the Amazon Fire HD 10.
The connectivity ports and controls at the sides. The microSD slot to expand its storage. 
The two speaker grills at the top edge of the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet.
The buttons and ports are all located and sufficiently spaced on the right edge. The speaker grills are located on the top edge so that the sounds will not be muffled by the table top. The front camera is centered on bezel on top of the display while the rear camera is tucked into the corner.
Using the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)
The Operating System
The Amazon Fire HD tablet runs on Fire OS (based on Android 9.0). As a result, you will be using Amazon’s app store instead of Google Play. The Amazon app ecosystem is not as lively as Google Play but video conferencing software like Zoom and Skype can still be found. If you prefer Google Play, you can proceed at your own risk and install the Google service frameworks and Google Play via the Fire Toolbox tool. I used the tool to add Google Play and apps installed without issues.
Battery Life
Like the Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020), I am totally impressed with the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) battery endurance. I still got a good 40% remaining after half a day (approximately 9am until 5.30pm) of YouTube and web surfing. The standby is impressive too, I barely see the battery dip after leaving it on the desk for the past five days.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) charges via its USB-C port and this is great news as most modern devices (e.g. laptop, mobile phone) charges via USB-C too. This way you can reduce the wires and charger clutter. A 9W (5V, 1.8A) charger is included and you can charge the tablet faster with a 15W (5V, 3A) charger.
Performance
In terms of performance, it is definitely not going to be as great as the top of the line tablets like the Google Pixel Slate, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 or Apple iPad (2021). However, it does get its job done for daily tasks like surfing web, watching video streams, reading ebooks, etc. That being said, you will notice the lack in horsepower when gaming.
Audio
In the audio department, the speakers sound good and loud when streaming videos. However, it does not sound as loud during a Zoom call (even when it is at max volume). I am not saying that it sounds soft. In fact, it is still acceptable. For video steams, I can hear the audio in the next room at max volume but I could barely hear the audio in the next room for Zoom calls. If it is an issue for you, you can still use a headphone, earpiece or Bluetooth speakers to address this.
Display
I would say the display is crisp at ~224 PPI density. At 10.1-inch, the size is great for reading journals and comic books without the constant zooming-in-and-out-action on devices with smaller display. Personally, I find that 8-inch displays are not big enough for reading without causing eye strains.
Closing Remarks
The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) is a value-for-money tablet with acceptable performance, large enough display and excellent battery life. Definitely you can find a similar spec-ed tablet at a lower price but you will be forgoing the software support from a software giant (i.e. Amazon).
If you need a little more performance boost, perhaps you can go for the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) Plus.
