Fire HD 10 Tested: Amazon's Best Screen Ever

Amazon's rolled out the latest version of its Fire HD 10 (available now, starting at $149), and it's a tablet to talk about. In our early tests in the Laptop Mag lab, we've discovered that this 10-inch tablet doesn't just pack a true Full HD (1920 x 1200-pixel) panel, but also the brightest and most colorful screen in any tablet Amazon sells today.

Our colorimeter measured the Fire HD 10's display as producing 104.2 percent of the sRGB gamut, which is much higher than the ratings from the Fire 7 (78.4 percent) and Fire HD 8 (79.4 percent). That means you'll see much more vivid hues in the TV shows and movies you watch on the 10-inch tablet, which we're glad to hear since we saw muted and dull colors in those smaller devices.

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Row 0 - Cell 0 Fire HD 10Fire HD 8Fire 7
Starting price$149$79$49
Screen size (resolution)10.1 inches (1920 x 1200)8 inches (1280 x 800)7 inches (1,024 x 600)
Weight17.7 ounces13 ounces10.4 ounces
Battery Life9:0410:596:53
Brightness405 nits380 nits335 nits
sRGB gamut rating104.2 percent79.4 percent78.4 percent
Dimensions10.3 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches8.4 x 5.0 x 0.4 inches7.6 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
Storage options32GB; 64GB16GB; 32GB8GB; 16GB

The Fire HD 10 is also brighter, emitting up to 405 nits, out-shining the Fire 7 (335 nits) and Fire HD 8 (380 nits). This will hopefully go beyond a bolder experience, and enable a wider array of viewing angles, which we look forward to testing. 

MORE: Amazon Fire 7 vs HD 8: What Should You Buy?

Compared to the Fire 7 (1,024 x 600 pixels) and the Fire HD 8 (1280 x 800 pixels), this new slate's 1920 x 1200-pixel panel will enable crisper streaming of Amazon Video's best titles, as well as clips from other apps. Also, the HD 10's pixel-per-inch resolution is higher, measuring 221 ppi, which is more than you get from the HD 8 (189 ppi) and Fire 7 (171 ppi).

Buy Amazon Fire HD 10 on Amazon.com

But how does the Fire HD 10's battery stack up to Amazon's other offerings? Lasting 9 hours and 4 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test (web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits), it made it much longer than the Fire 7 (6:53), but not as long as the HD 8 (10:58).

But do all these improvements make the Fire HD 10 worth three times the price of the $49 Fire 7? How does the Fire HD 10 sound? Can Fire OS provide enough apps even without letting any from Google through the front door? Stay tuned to Laptop Mag for our in-depth review of Amazon's largest tablet to find out.

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