Amazon updated its flagship Fire tablet lineup in 2021, offering welcome improvements over previous iterations here and there. On that note, the Fire HD 10 11th generation lineup consists of the standard Fire HD 10 and the slightly beefier Fire HD 10 Plus.
We compare the two to help you make a more informed buying decision. Particularly, whether the Plus variant and its extra features are worth the higher price tag or not.
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Fire HD 10 vs Fire HD 10 Plus Comparison Chart
| Model | Fire HD 10 | Fire HD 10 Plus |
 |  | |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
| Display | 10.1-inch IPS LCD, 1920 x 1200, 224 PPI | 10.1-inch IPS LCD, 1920 x 1200, 224 PPI |
| Processor | MediaTek MT8183 | MediaTek MT8183 |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 32GB, 64GB | 32GB, 64GB |
| Camera | Rear: 5MP Front: 2MP | Rear: 5MP Front: 2MP |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE | Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Wireless Charging | No | Yes |
| Dimensions | 9.73” x 6.53” x 0.36” | 9.73” x 6.53” x 0.36” |
| Weight | 1.02 lbs | 1.02 lbs |
| Colors | Black, Denim, Olive, Lavender | Slate |
Display and Build
The Fire HD 10 Plus has a soft-touch finish, making it feel less cheap and easier to hold compared to the Fire HD 10.
Right off the bat, the Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus have the same 10.1-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. That works out to 224 PPI, for the record. While there’s no difference between the two here, it should be mentioned that their screens are 10 percent brighter compared to the prior model.
In terms of build quality, they’re more or less on the same level. However, the Fire HD 10 Plus has the added bonus of sporting what Amazon calls a “soft-touch” finish. If nothing else, it makes the tablet somewhat more comfortable to hold and feel more premium.
Oddly enough, the Fire HD 10 Plus comes only in Slate. On the other hand, the Fire HD 10 is available in Black, Denim, Olive and Lavender, beating its pricier sibling in providing more options for personalization.
Click here for our Fire HD 10 review.
Performance and Battery
The Fire HD 10 Plus has 4GB of RAM, making it faster than the Fire HD 10 and its 3GB of RAM.
When it comes to the Fire HD 10 2019 vs 2021, the main differences include 3GB of RAM and Bluetooth 5.0 on the newer version as opposed to 2GB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.2. But the Fire HD 10 Plus takes things up a notch with 4GB of RAM, which should translate to a smoother user experience overall. In other words, it’s the best-performing tablet in Amazon’s selection to date.
Now both the Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus have the same battery life that’s rated to last for up to 12 hours of mixed usage. That could be anything from browsing and reading to watching TV shows and movies and listening to music. But what makes the latter stand out is its wireless charging capability. In fact, there’s even a Fire HD 10 Plus bundle that comes with a wireless charger, which also doubles as a stand, out of the box.
Storage and Cameras
The Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus are similar across the board in storage and camera quality.
The Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus come with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. And choosing between Fire HD 10 32GB vs 64GB is simple: get the bigger capacity if you plan on installing a ton of apps. Regardless of which you pick, though, their storage space can be expanded by up to 1TB via a microSD card.
As for their cameras, they both have the same 5-megapixel snapper on the back and 2-megapixel camera on the front. Sure, neither one will win any awards on this front, but it’s good to know the front-facing camera is decent—or at the very least, serviceable—for video calls.
Verdict
The Fire HD 10 Plus is definitely better, but the more affordable Fire HD 10 can already go a long way.
The winner here is clear enough as it is. The Fire HD 10 Plus beats the Fire HD 10 no matter how you slice it, thanks to its higher 4GB RAM, wireless charging feature and nifty wireless charger. Not to mention that its soft-touch finish is nice to have. However, it doesn’t exactly blow the latter out of the water, and if its advantages aren’t important to you, then the standard model is more than enough. After all, it’s still pretty snappy despite its lower RAM.
FAQs
Yes. Besides having more RAM, the Fire HD 10 Plus has a more premium look with its soft-touch finish and wireless charging support, features that the Fire HD 10 doesn’t have.
The Fire HD 10 has 3GB RAM and only supports wired charging, while the Fire HD 10 Plus has 4GB RAM and wireless charging. However, the Fire HD 10 has more color options, including Black, Denim, Olive and Lavender.
The Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus are limited to the Amazon Appstore, which doesn’t include YouTube for Fire tablets.
No, the Fire HD 10 doesn’t support wireless charging, but the pricier Fire HD 10 Plus does.
Last update on 2021-07-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API