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- The Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) tablet is a cheap device that's best suited for video streaming.
- Its performance is sluggish, but the screen is good enough to watch videos.
- If you want to do anything else at all with it, you're better off with Apple's iPad.
Amazon's Fire HD 10 (2021) tablet has a very tempting $149.99 price for a 10-inch tablet, and it's even more appealing when the price drops to $74.99 on occasion.
However, this is a case where you get what you pay for. When you buy a budget-priced tablet, you shouldn't expect an experience that's close in quality to an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab.
That's not necessarily a bad thing, as a basic tablet is exactly what some people want, especially if all they do on tablets is stream video. If that's the case, you technically don't need anything more expensive. That is, unless you really want YouTube or Apple TV Plus, which this tablet does not support.
Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) specifications
| Specifications | Amazon Fire HD 10 |
| Display | 10.1-inch (1920 x 1200) LCD |
| Processor | Mediatek MT8183 Helio P60T |
| Memory (RAM) and storage | 3GB RAM, 32GB storage |
| Battery and charging | 6,500mAh; six hours 42 minutes in battery test; 9W charger included. |
| Cameras | 5-megapixel (MP) rear camera, 2MP front camera |
| Audio | Two top-firing speakers |
| Authentication | PIN |
| Price | $149.99 (currently on sale for $99.99) |
What does "lockscreen ad-supported" mean?
You can buy the Fire HD 10 with the "lockscreen ad-supported" option or the slightly more expensive "without lockscreen ads" option. The "lockscreen ad supported" version displays an ad on the lockscreen when you wake the tablet. The ad doesn't stay on the screen all the time.
We recommend you buy the ad-supported version because you can disable the ads yourself later for a $15 fee if you find them obnoxious.
Design
Amazon's Fire HD 10 is utilitarian with its plastic back and a fairly average front with uniform display borders.
Compared to pricier tablets from Apple and Samsung with flat edges, the Fire HD 10 has rounded edges that feel more comfortable and easier to hold.
The speakers are found on the top edge when you're holding the Fire HD 10 in the horizontal position, like when you're watching a video. That's a thoughtful design decision, as your hands don't block the speakers when you hold the tablet while watching a video.
Display
The 10.1-inch display is a simple, unpretentious 1080p (FHD) LCD panel to display video and content. There are no fancy frills or features like HDR or high refresh rates here.
As such, the Fire HD 10's display is totally fine for anything you do on the tablet, and it does its job admirably — especially for such a low price.
Performance
It's clear the Fire HD 10 isn't a powerhouse. It feels like using an older tablet, like the 2017, 5th-gen iPad. But lower performance is to be expected on a cheaper tablet.
The Fire HD 10 runs apps and casual games decently well, but not as quickly and smoothly as the iPad. Graphically demanding games, like "Asphalt 9," run at a sluggish pace. But, if you plan to use the Fire HD 10 exclusively to stream video, the Fire HD 10's performance won't be an issue.
In benchmarking with the Geekbench 5 app, the Fire HD 10's processor scored 301 for single-core performance, and 997 for multi-core. Those are much lower scores than the 9th-gen iPad's 1,330 single-core and 3,470 multi-core scores, which makes sense considering its $329 starting price.
Amazon's operating system and apps
Amazon's operating system (OS) on its Fire HD tablets is a highly modified version of Google's Android OS, but you don't get access to a huge range of popular apps and games. We found that even some common, popular apps — like Reddit or LastPass — aren't available.
Most notable is the lack of any Google apps. That means no YouTube, no Gmail, no Google Maps, and more.
It's possible to use the web versions of these apps in Amazon's Silk web browser, but it's far from an ideal solution to the problem of missing common apps.
With that said, Amazon's App Store has a decent showing for popular video streaming apps, including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Disney Plus, Peacock, HBO Max, Starz, Showtime, and Sling. Apple TV Plus, however, is missing.
You can check out if Amazon's App Store has the apps you want on its Fire tablet apps listings.
Battery life
The Fire HD 10 has great battery life for a 10-inch tablet. In our battery test, which involves streaming a YouTube video at the display's resolution (1080p, in this case) at full brightness, the Fire HD 10 lasted six hours and 42 minutes.
In the same test, the 9th-generation iPad lasted five hours and 25 minutes, though it has a sharper resolution and more power-hungry processor.
To note, since the YouTube app isn't available for the Fire HD 10, we streamed a YouTube video from YouTube's website.
What are your alternatives?
If you're looking at the Fire HD 10, we're assuming you're looking for the cheapest tablet that's still viable. With that in mind, your best alternative to the Fire HD 10 is Apple's 9th-generation iPad.
The bottom line
It's hard to recommend the $149.99 Fire HD 10 when Apple's standard 10.2-inch 9th-generation iPad offers so much more — even if it starts at $329. If you catch the Fire HD 10 at its $99.99 discounted price, the standard iPad is still a significantly better tablet that's worth the extra cost.
Not only does the iPad have every app you could possibly want, it runs those apps significantly faster than the Fire HD 10.
With that said, the Fire HD 10 is technically all you need if you use tablets exclusively to stream video.
The Kids edition of any Fire HD tablet, including the Fire HD 10 Kids edition, is also a great inexpensive option for kids to stream appropriate videos. Amazon also has some of the best parental controls and kids content on any platform.