Price Wars: Amazon Fire HD 8 vs. Walmart Onn 8 — Which Budget Tablet Reigns Supreme?

Apple’s iPads dominate the headlines, and it’s easy to see why: they have consistently been regarded as the top tablets for a wide audience. However, they don’t come at a low price. For those who are budget-conscious, I’ve dedicated the past few weeks to testing a couple of affordable 8-inch tablets: the $100 (often on sale) Amazon Fire HD 8 and the $79 Walmart Onn 8”. These aren’t the only options in this price bracket, but they are prominently promoted by the two largest retailers in the world, making it likely that casual buyers may opt for them without fully understanding their capabilities. We compared these two tablets directly to determine not only which one is superior but also to examine the current market for ultra-budget tablets in general.

Balancing affordability and functionality

When shopping within this price category, it’s unrealistic to expect truly “premium” features, yet the Onn makes a more favorable initial impression compared to Amazon’s Fire tablet. If you squint, it vaguely resembles a budget-friendly iPad mini, boasting a cool aluminum back, squared edges, and sturdy side controls. Those who handled it during the course of this review were often pleasantly surprised at how solid it felt for its low price.

The Fire HD 8 clearly conveys its cost. Its construction primarily consists of a rigid textured plastic, featuring slightly bulkier yet more rounded edges, larger bezels, and less sturdy buttons. The camera and dual speakers are located on the long edge, making it mainly suitable for horizontal use when streaming videos or gaming. The Onn adopts a more conventional arrangement, placing the front camera at the top and the speakers at the bottom, which is less accommodating for media viewing or video calls.

Even with the more basic materials, I find the Fire HD 8 more comfortable for prolonged use. The smoothly curved sides don’t dig into your hands like the Onn’s flat edges do, and while the bigger bezels may not be aesthetically pleasing, they offer a more natural grip for your thumbs. The Onn, on the other hand, can sometimes lead to mistaken touches, partly due to its smaller bezels. However, the Onn remains comfortable, just a bit more generic. Notably, it’s also half an inch narrower than Amazon’s tablet. In both cases, you’re dealing with a device that’s just under 0.8 pounds — lightweight, portable, and easy to hold with one hand.

The issues with budget tablet displays

Neither tablet’s 8-inch IPS LCD display will make you swoon, yet the Onn’s screen impressively outperforms its counterpart when compared directly. Colors are visibly more vibrant, blacks are richer, and it can achieve higher brightness levels at its peak. The white tones could lean more blue for my taste, but the Fire HD 8 trends even more toward warm tones — giving everything an orange tint. This can be easier on the eyes at night, but it dulls the colors, lightens blacks, and generally appears dimmer in comparison.

In terms of specifications, both displays share common limitations. They both utilize a low 1,280 x 800 resolution, which is adequately sharp for this size but remains less clear than what you’d find on an iPad or more expensive Android tablet. They both also operate at a straightforward 60Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, neither is fully laminated, resulting in an air gap between the display and cover that affects scrolling experiences, especially noticeable on the Fire HD 8. (The base iPad experiences this same issue, although it’s still a concern.) Additionally, Amazon’s tablet tends to attract smudges and fingerprints and is less readable in bright outdoor conditions. The Onn does better in these respects, although it’s not without its faults.

A significant drawback of the Onn is its lack of support for Widevine L1. Android Authority has a helpful explanation, but in brief, Widevine is a Google-owned DRM system utilized by various prominent video streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount+, and Max. Devices can support two levels of security using Widevine: L1 (the highest) and L3 (the lowest). If a device only meets L3 criteria, like the Onn, streaming services will restrict video quality to a maximum of 480p resolution. Consequently, shows and movies viewed on the Onn are noticeably less defined compared to the Fire HD 8, which meets Widevine L1 standards and plays seamlessly at 720p.

This is disappointing. Netflix, Disney+, and similar services are often the primary reasons people purchase a tablet, and while the Onn display is typically richer, this advantage isn’t substantial enough to justify streaming content that appears antiquated. A dimmer, warmer image is preferable if it allows full HD playback across all platforms. Google doesn’t impose a fee for using its DRM technology, so there’s no reason for Walmart—a $700 billion retailer—to release a tablet lacking proper certification, even if it’s a budget model. However, the Onn isn’t the only low-cost Android tablet lacking complete Widevine compliance. This represents yet another way that budget-conscious consumers are let down by corporate negligence.

Other anticipated compromises

Purchasing from the lower end often means sacrificing a range of hardware offerings, which, while somewhat bothersome, are not unexpected. For example, the cameras on both devices are dreadful, blurring details and washing out colors even in good light. Neither tablet includes a fingerprint scanner for quicker unlocking or a formal water-resistance rating, so caution is advisable when using either around water.

Both tablets feature basic USB-C 2.0 ports and lack true fast charging capabilities. While the Fire HD 8 can charge slightly faster with a maximum of 15W compared to the Onn’s 10W, Amazon only includes a 5W charger in the packaging.

When it comes to audio, the Fire HD 8 holds a slight advantage. Though far from exceptional, it provides better sound quality than Walmart’s sharp speakers, which often make vocals sound tinny. The Fire HD 8 manages to impart some semblance of bass, whereas the Onn struggles in that area. Additionally, the Onn does not have a headphone jack, which can be inconvenient for those who prefer wired headphones (as I do).

Sufficiently fast — just barely

Both the Onn and Fire HD 8 represent some of the most economical Android tablet options available, and their performance reflects that reality. On paper, the Onn edges out slightly: both come with 3GB of RAM, yet Walmart’s model is powered by a 2 GHz octa-core chip (Mediatek MT8786), while Amazon’s runs on a 2 GHz hexa-core processor (MediaTek MT8169). Consequently, the Onn achieves higher single- and multi-core performance according to the Geekbench 5 benchmarks (331 vs 194 and 1317 vs 950, respectively).

However, in real-world use, the performance difference is minimal. Both processors are the most basic options available in 2025, and having 3GB of RAM is just barely adequate for decent performance. Geekbench 5 is somewhat outdated, but we resorted to it because the current Geekbench 6 is incompatible with devices having less than 4GB of memory.

With either device, you’re primarily looking at light media consumption and little else. Applications, videos, and eBooks open quickly enough to avoid severe frustration. Surfing the web is manageable as long as you don’t overload your tabs. Casual games, such as card or match-three types, function well, and you can run some more demanding titles like Diablo Immortal and PUBG Mobile if you reduce their graphical settings to low. Streaming games through services like Xbox Cloud Gaming or Amazon Luna perform adequately, though we noticed that some games were limited to lower resolutions on the Onn compared to the Fire HD 8. Such tasks are the primary focus of ultra-affordable tablets, and they handle them sufficiently well.

That said, you will encounter some hiccups. Opening the app drawer on the Onn occasionally lags a second longer than expected. Scrolling through the home screen on the Fire HD 8 can also present slight lag. Multitasking or using either device for intensive work is not feasible, and various graphically demanding mobile games may not launch at all. Several websites take frustratingly long to load, as the current web infrastructure is not designed for low-cost devices like these, filled with resource-intensive advertisements, images, and automatic videos that hinder performance.

In terms of performance, the Fire HD 8 generally boots up in a little over 25 seconds, which is slow, but still faster by around 8 to 10 seconds than the Onn on average. (For comparison, an iPad Air M2 I tested took about 12 seconds to boot.) Load times for specific apps vary: some launch one to two seconds quicker on the Fire HD 8, while others perform better on the Onn, with many loading at a similar pace. Ultimately, both devices can manage basic tasks with a degree of comfort, but they often feel as though they are on the brink of struggling. I wouldn’t expect either device to remain effective in two to three years.

A silver lining to owning a lower-spec device is that you won’t drain battery life quickly. According to Walmart, the Onn is capable of lasting up to 15 hours, while Amazon markets the Fire HD 8 with a maximum of 13 hours. While these estimates are rather ambitious, both devices should provide over 10 or 11 hours of usage under regular conditions. The Onn may last a little longer, but the gap is minimal. Both options have sufficient battery life to last through a lengthy flight.

Both tablets come equipped with a mere 32GB of storage, with even less space available right from the start: 25GB on the Fire HD 8 and only 18GB on the Onn. This limitation suggests that installing more than a handful of games on either device at once will be unfeasible. Fortunately, both devices support the addition of up to 1TB through a microSD card—a feature that isn’t offered by any iPad—but this becomes essential if you want to download plenty of content for offline access.

As a caveat, Amazon does offer an upgraded version of the Fire HD 8 featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage priced at $129. While this exceeds our $100 limit for this discussion, the additional GB of RAM should enhance overall performance slightly.

Good Android vs. Bad Android

The most significant difference between the Onn and Fire HD 8 lies in their vastly different implementations of Android. The Onn features a nearly stock version of the OS, specifically Android 14, which is set to be two major updates behind. The only app pre-installed by Walmart is its own, which is removable; otherwise, Google’s core services are readily available, swiping left on the home screen grants access to the Discover news feed, and nearly any app can be downloaded from the Play Store. If you’ve recently used an Android device, navigating should feel intuitive.

The tablet comes preloaded with Google Assistant but allows downloading of the company’s Gemini AI app to set as your default assistant. Although the integration isn’t as comprehensive as it is on Pixel devices, it remains functional for answering queries, summarizing emails, and generating content. The Gemini 2.0 Flash model effectively captures voices without delays.

Conversely, Amazon continues to utilize Fire OS for its tablets, which is a heavily modified version of Android 11 featuring a proprietary app store and a strong focus on Amazon services. Even after several years, it remains frustratingly convoluted. The absence of the Play Store means there’s no support for any Google applications, as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Maps, etc., are unavailable. (The “YouTube app” merely directs one to the mobile web interface.)

Amazon’s email and calendar software can’t compare favorably. While most major platforms in streaming and social media are still accessible, numerous popular apps are not included, such as Reddit, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Slack, and any web browser besides Amazon’s rudimentary Silk browser.

Although it is possible to install the Play Store on a Fire tablet and sideload many desired apps, the setup process is complicated and not every app will function smoothly. More crucially, this isn’t the experience Amazon intends to provide. Fire OS excels when you bypass many of its restrictions, unlike stock Android.

Much of Fire OS appears to be crafted to extract extra dollars from users and push its own services. I’m not exaggerating: the first app that greets you when you unlock the device is “Shop Amazon,” and there’s a persistent shortcut to the company’s storefront on the Silk browser homepage. Many of the pre-installed Amazon apps revolve around subscriptions—such as Kindle, Amazon Music, Amazon Photos, Audible, and Freevee (which has been discontinued)—and most cannot be removed. Swiping left from the main screen reveals a “For You” section full of content promotions aimed at Amazon’s services, along with a selection of sponsored apps at the top. Additionally, the home screen features a non-removable “Discover” tab brimming with distracting suggestions and paid advertisements.

Perhaps most annoying are the ads displayed on the lock screen. Each time you activate the Fire HD 8, a full-screen advertisement from BetMGM, Verizon, or a personalized Amazon listing greets you. I can’t think of any gadget that feels less respectful than this. While $100 isn’t excessively costly for a tablet, it is still a reasonable amount to spend. Seeing the same ad for a nearby Tri Honda Dealer twelve times in one day makes me question who the true customer is. You can disable these ads, but only if you pay an additional $15.

Even after opting out from ads, the overwhelming feeling remains that Fire OS is primarily about nudging you to funnel more money into Amazon’s ecosystem. Google does promote its own services, but many of them are widely regarded and utilized. Amazon’s system is even more aggressive with its self-promotion while being much more restricted. In that sense, it lacks consumer-friendliness. Those who enjoy Amazon’s apps can choose to download them from the Play Store on any other Android device.

enhanced Alexa+, but for now, the Onn boasts superior AI support.)

It’s also an excellent option for children, as it allows you to create distinct profiles filled with age-appropriate apps, websites, and videos. The Onn provides similar functionalities through Google’s Kids Space mode, and both tablets permit management of screen time and app libraries. However, Fire HD 8’s parental controls are easier to access and it generally takes a more hands-on approach to securing the rest of the device. Furthermore, you can set it to require your child to engage with educational content for a fixed time before playing games.

Looking ahead, Amazon asserts it will provide security updates for the Fire HD 8 through 2029. While it doesn’t mention whether there will be OS upgrades, this assurance offers a reasonable level of support for the price. On the other hand, Walmart hasn’t released any software update schedule for the Onn tablets, although we did manage to apply a March security patch recently. We’ve reached out to the company for additional details and will update this review if we receive a response.