The Amazon Fire HD 10 version 2021 offers the performance you need for web browsing, content consumption, and smart home management. Amazon’s limited app selection keeps it from competing with general-purpose tablets like Apple’s iPad, but if you don’t mind the Fire’s limitations, you’ll find the new model very satisfying.
The Fire tablets have always been about consuming Amazon content. They started out as the Kindle Fire, which was meant for reading color books and streaming videos. The mission has expanded, but only slightly. You can certainly play games and participate in Zoom calls on these tablets, but Amazon will keep directing you to the videos and books it wants you to buy.
As with any bundle of features and accessories, it depends on whether it makes sense to buy one of the variant models if you want everything it comes with. The Plus model is great if you need both an Alexa smart display and a tablet, and are willing to spend money on a wireless docking station. And for most purposes, the Fire HD 10 offers the best combination of price and performance – no frills, no need.
Luna consists of a physical product, the Luna controller, and multiple channels of premium subscriptions to a collection of games. At the bottom, there’s Prime Gaming, which lets people with an Amazon Prime membership play a limited selection of rotating games for free. Amazon Luna Plus gives you access to many more games for an additional monthly fee. In addition, there are other curated collections of categorized games, each with its own monthly fee.
At the top of the list, you’ll find Ubisoft Plus, which gives you access to a number of Ubisoft games. Whichever channel you choose, you’ll get instant access to the entire collection. So it’s not an offer like Google Stadia Pro, where you can get some games for free and then buy others a la carte. Instead, it’s more similar to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, where you pay a fee and get access to all the games within your assigned collection.
Although setting up the official Luna controller was a breeze, actually using the Luna service is incredibly cumbersome. First, there is no Android or iOS app for gameplay. There are apps for the controller, but not for actual gameplay. To play on a mobile device, you have to use your Android/iOS browser. What’s worse is that the controller app doesn’t give any indication, so once you set up the controller, you’re just left sitting there dumbly wondering what to do next.