Dirt-Cheap Showdown: Amazon Fire HD 8 vs. Walmart Onn 8 – Which Budget Tablet Reigns Supreme?

The Fire HD 8 clearly reflects its affordable price point. It primarily consists of a rigid textured plastic, with slightly thicker but more rounded edges, bulkier bezels, and less sturdy buttons. The front-facing camera and dual speakers are positioned on the longer edge, promoting a design that favors a horizontal grip for video streaming or gaming. In contrast, the Onn adopts a conventional arrangement, with its selfie camera located at the top and dual speakers at the bottom edge, making it less optimal for watching media or taking video calls.

Even though the Fire HD 8 is crafted from more budget-friendly materials, I personally find it more comfortable for prolonged usage. Its gently rounded edges don’t press into your hands as the Onn’s sharper sides do. Although the larger bezels may not be visually appealing, they provide a better grip for your thumbs. On the other hand, the design of the Onn can lead to unintentional taps, a problem worsened by its narrower bezels. Nonetheless, the Onn is still usable and doesn’t feel uncomfortable, merely more generic. In fact, it is half an inch narrower than the Fire HD 8. Both tablets weigh around 0.8 pounds — lightweight and easy to manage with one hand.

The unique challenges of inexpensive tablet displays

Neither of these tablets boasts an exceptional 8-inch IPS LCD display; however, when compared side-by-side, the Onn’s display stands out as the better option. The colors are notably more vibrant, blacks appear deeper, and it can achieve higher brightness levels. While I wouldn’t claim the screen is perfectly accurate due to the white tones leaning too blue, the Fire HD 8 has its own issues, displaying warmer tones that give an orange-ish effect. This makes it easier on the eyes in dim lighting, yet leads to muted colors, less vibrant blacks, and an overall dim appearance.

Both displays share some common downsides. Each comes with a modest resolution of 1,280 x 800, which is just adequate for screens this size, but still renders text and images less sharp compared to higher-end tablets like the iPad. They both operate at a basic refresh rate of 60Hz and lack full lamination, resulting in an air gap between the LCD and the cover, creating an unnatural scrolling experience — particularly noted with the Fire HD 8. (Apple’s base iPad suffers from a similar problem, although it remains an issue.) Furthermore, Amazon’s tablet tends to attract smudges and fingerprints, which makes outdoor reading more challenging. The Onn doesn’t excel in these areas either, but performs better overall.

However, much of the advantage presented by the Onn is undermined by its lack of Widevine L1 support. Android Authority provides a clear explanation, but put simply, Widevine is the Google-owned digital rights management system utilized by many of the most significant video streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount+, and Max. It offers two security compliance levels for Android devices: L1 (the highest level) and L3 (the lowest). If a device supports only L3 like the Onn, video resolution from these services is limited to 480p. Consequently, content from these platforms appears significantly less sharp on the Onn compared to the Fire HD 8, which supports Widevine L1 and can stream in 720p without issue.

This limitation is unfortunate. Platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are the applications many users seek in a tablet. While the Onn’s display is more vibrant overall, that advantage cannot compensate for the inferior streaming resolution. A dimmer, warmer image is preferable if it means full HD support. Notably, Google does not charge for the implementation of its DRM technology, so there’s little justification for Walmart—a $700 billion company—to release a tablet that lacks full certification, even for a budget model. Nevertheless, the Onn is not the sole affordable Android tablet missing complete Widevine support; it’s another instance of how budget-conscious buyers are let down by a lack of effort from corporations.

Anticipated compromises

Diving into the lower-end market often means sacrificing several features, many of which are frustrating but not entirely surprising. First off, the cameras on both tablets underperform, resulting in blurred details and washed-out colors even in bright daylight. Neither device includes a fingerprint sensor for faster unlocking, nor do they come with official water-resistance ratings, so proceed carefully around liquids.

Both devices feature a standard USB-C 2.0 port, and neither supports true fast charging. The Fire HD 8 does charge slightly faster, with a maximum support of 15W compared to the Onn’s 10W, but Amazon only includes a 5W charger in the package.

When it comes to audio, the Fire HD 8 also takes the lead. Its quality is far from stellar: it lacks volume and struggles to cleanly reproduce the different elements in a track. However, it is noticeably fuller, warmer, and better balanced than the Onn’s overly sharp speakers, which make vocalists sound as if they are yelling through a tin can. Additionally, the Fire HD 8 can at least hint at some bass, while the Onn lacks this entirely. Moreover, the Onn does not have a headphone jack, leaving you without options if you prefer wired headphones (like me).

Adequate speed — just barely

The Onn and the Fire HD 8 sit at the bottom tier of Android tablets, and their performance mirrors this reality. On paper, the Onn has a slight edge: Both come equipped with 3GB of RAM, yet Walmart’s tablet utilizes a 2 GHz eight-core processor (Mediatek MT8786), while Amazon’s runs on a 2 GHz six-core chip (MediaTek MT8169). Consequently, in the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Onn outperforms the Fire HD 8 in both single- and multi-core tests (331 vs 194 and 1317 vs 950, respectively).

In practical application, however, the differences are minimal. Both processors represent the most basic tier available in 2025, and 3GB of RAM is the bare minimum needed for acceptable performance. While Geekbench 5 is an older benchmark, it was utilized because the latest Geekbench 6 is incompatible with devices having less than 4GB of RAM.

With either tablet, expect decent performance for light media consumption. Apps, videos, and eBooks open quickly enough to avoid irritation. Web browsing is reasonable as long as you keep your open tabs limited. Casual gaming such as card and match-three games runs adequately, and you can play more demanding titles like Diablo Immortal and PUBG Mobile at lower graphical settings. Game streaming through services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna performs comparably to other devices. (However, some games were observed to have lower resolution limits on Walmart’s tablet than on the Fire HD 8.) These tablets are crafted for these types of tasks, so they can handle them.

Nonetheless, expect some lag. Accessing the app drawer on the Onn sometimes takes longer than anticipated. The Fire HD 8 shows a slight, noticeable delay when scrolling down the homepage. Neither device can adequately handle multitasking or intensive tasks. Many graphics-heavy mobile games either don’t launch at all or run poorly, and some websites can load slowly since the modern web is often designed for more powerful devices — filled with resource-heavy ads, images, and auto-playing videos.

If we are keeping track, the Fire HD 8 generally boots up in about 25 seconds. While that is slow, it is still around eight to ten seconds faster than the average startup time for the Onn. (For comparison, an iPad Air M2 I tested takes roughly 12 seconds to boot.) Load times for applications varied: Some launched a split-second faster on the Fire HD 8, others on the Onn, while many were virtually identical in speed. Ultimately, both devices can perform basic tasks with minimal hassle, but they consistently seem to be on the brink of slowing down. I wouldn’t expect either to last well in two to three years.

The advantage of opting for a low-tier device is its battery life. Walmart claims the Onn can last for up to 15 hours, while Amazon estimates the Fire HD 8 can go for around 13 hours. These figures are generous, but under typical mixed-use scenarios, both devices should easily last over 10 or 11 hours. The Onn has a slight edge in longevity, but the differences are negligible. Both have sufficient battery life to get through a long flight.

Both tablets also come with a meager 32GB of storage, and what you can actually use is even lower: only 25GB for the Fire HD 8 and merely 18GB for the Onn. This means you are unlikely to install more than a handful of games on either device at any time. Fortunately, you can expand storage by up to 1TB using a microSD card — a capability that no iPad offers — which is highly advantageous if you wish to download several movies or songs for offline playback.

One exception is that Amazon markets an upgraded version of the Fire HD 8 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $129. While this exceeds our $100 budget for this review, the additional RAM could lead to more efficient performance.

Good Android vs Bad Android

The primary difference between the Onn and the Fire HD 8 lies in their interpretations of Android. The former operates on a nearly stock version of the OS, running Android 14 — two major versions behind. Walmart only pre-installs its own app, leaving everything else up to the user, allowing access to all of Google’s core services. Swiping left on the home screen reveals the Discover news feed, and you can install almost any app from the Play Store you desire. If you’re familiar with Android devices, navigating this one should be a breeze.

Google Assistant is set as the default assistant, though you can opt for the Gemini AI app if you wish. Although the app is not as thoroughly integrated as it is on Pixel devices, you can use it for various tasks such as responding to queries, summarizing information, and generating content.

In contrast, Amazon continues to utilize Fire OS for its tablets, which is a heavily modified version of Android 11 featuring a custom app store and a heavy focus on Amazon services. This heavily-tweaked system remains cumbersome and irritating to navigate. Since the Play Store is absent, there is no support for any Google applications, including Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Maps. (The “YouTube app” available is merely a shortcut to the website.)

Amazon’s alternatives for email and calendar functionality fall significantly short. Although numerous major streaming and social media apps are supported, many well-known applications are absent, including Reddit, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Slack, and any browser other than Amazon’s simplistic Silk browser.

It is still feasible to install the Play Store and sideload additional applications, but this process can be cumbersome, and not all apps function optimally. More importantly, this isn’t the experience Amazon intends for its users. Fire OS operates best when you circumvent its restrictions, a claim I cannot make regarding stock Android.

Fire OS appears designed to repeatedly nudge users towards purchasing more from Amazon. To illustrate, the first icon you see when unlocking the device is labeled “Shop Amazon,” and there’s a prominent shortcut to the store on the home page of the Silk browser. Many pre-installed Amazon apps offer subscription services—such as Kindle, Amazon Music, and Audible—and most cannot be uninstalled. Swiping left from the home screen directs you to a “For You” page filled with suggestions that constantly promote Amazon offerings, alongside a row of sponsored applications. Additionally, the home screen cannot remove a “Discover” tab inundated with paid promotions.

One of the most frustrating aspects is the lock screen advertisements. Each time you activate the Fire HD 8, a full-screen advertisement for BetMGM, Verizon, or an Amazon promotion is displayed. I often feel as though this devalues the device experience. Although $100 isn’t exorbitant for a tablet, it’s still not insignificant. When I am repeatedly confronted with the same ads throughout the day, it raises questions about who exactly is the consumer here. You can disable these ads, but only if you agree to pay an additional $15.

Even if you do turn these ads off, it’s hard to shake the impression that Fire OS is primarily about getting users to spend more on Amazon products. While Google promotes its services, many of them are already established and well-received. In contrast, Fire OS is more invasive and restrictive in its self-promotion. Thus, it lacks consumer-friendliness. If someone thoroughly enjoys Amazon apps, they would find it more advantageous to download them from the Play Store on a different Android tablet.

No matter which platform you choose, you will encounter the typical limitation of Android on tablets: a significant number of applications appear as enlarged phone versions rather than being specifically optimized for larger screens. This is less prominent on an 8-inch tablet than on an 11-inch one, but any iPad will outperform it in terms of optimization.

I have criticized Fire OS extensively, but it does possess some redeemable attributes. The inclusion of the Alexa voice assistant is notable and operates promptly; if you have compatible smart home devices, you can control them through voice commands. (Eventually, it should also work with the enhanced Alexa+, although right now, the Onn presents better AI capabilities.)

This aspect can be particularly beneficial if purchasing for a child. It allows the creation of distinct profiles for kids, filled with age-appropriate content, apps, and videos. The Onn offers a similar feature through Google’s Kids Space mode, and both enable parental controls for managing screen time and app availability. However, the Fire HD 8 makes these controls more accessible and actively enforces device restrictions. Furthermore, it can be set up so that children must engage with educational material for a certain duration before they can access games.

Looking ahead, Amazon guarantees that the Fire HD 8 will receive security updates through 2029. While there’s no mention of OS upgrades, this represents a reasonable level of support for its cost. Conversely, Walmart has not released any software update plans for its Onn tablets, though we were able to apply a March security update recently. We have reached out to Walmart for additional details and will revise this review if any information comes through.

Conclusion

After closely examining both the Fire HD 8 and the Onn 8 over the last few weeks, it’s become clear: if possible, invest in something superior. Opt