Amazon finally embraces the USB - C port

[SansVarnic]

Amazon Kindle Fire gets updated design, new processor and the addition of the USB-C port.

 

Sources:

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/310490-amazon-unveils-new-fire-hd-8-tablet-with-faster-processor-usb-c

https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/amazon-fire-hd-8-2020-news/

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2020/5/13/21256674/amazon-fire-hd-8-plus-kids-edition-usb-c-wireless-specs

Quote

The display is, unfortunately, still the same, with an 8-inch 1280 x 800 panel, and battery life is still estimated at around 12 hours, although you’ll be able to charge it faster, thanks to the addition of USB-C. All told, it’s a similar set of upgrades to the improvements on last year’s Fire HD 10, which also was overhauled with better specs and USB-C charging.

Quote

The new Fire HD 8 has several notable upgrades. Perhaps the most important addition to a new 2GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM. According to Amazon, the new processor will bring a 30% faster performance lift compared to the last-generation Fire HD 8. That addresses a complaint we had with its aging predecessor.

Quote

The new Fire HD 8 has a 2GHz quad-core chip that Amazon says is 30 percent faster than the 1.3GHz processor in the previous version. That tablet also started at 16GB of storage, a truly anemic allotment these days. The new HD 8 comes with either 32GB or 64GB. RAM is also up to 2GB from 1.5GB last time. A Kids Edition HD 8 is also available — it’s identical to the HD 8 but comes with a large bumper case and an enhanced warranty. 

Charging is changing with the new Fire HD 8. Amazon has finally added a USB Type-C port to this tablet, matching the USB-C port on its recently refreshed 10-inch tablet. Amazon has long stuck with microUSB charging because it’s cheaper to implement and many households had a cache of those cables from other devices. USB-C is sufficiently common at this point that the change is warranted. 

 

 

I am happy to see that Amazon is listening to their user bas and making long awaited updates especially with the addition of the usb-c port. Now Amazon needs to the same with their Kindle E-Readers. The micro USB is fast falling to the way side and in a lot of ways wasn't well received due its weak design known to break or wear easily.

I look forward to these hitting the market and they are Already available on Amazons website.

[maartendc]

I dont really understand people clamoring for USB-c.

 

Sure, it is reversible which is nice. But it wouldnt make me choose one product over another. Half my products have micro USB at this point, and a handful have USB-C, but I don't really care.

 

Also: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets have a "user base"?

[SansVarnic]

3 minutes ago, maartendc said:

I dont really understand people clamoring for USB-c.

 

Sure, it is reversible which is nice. But it wouldnt make me choose one product over another. Half my products have micro USB at this point, and a handful have USB-C, but I don't really care.

Improved design overall but mostly the port is a stronger and lasting design over the mcro usb port. Lasts longer and doesnt break as easily, as I mentioned in my op.

[minibois]

7 minutes ago, maartendc said:

I dont really understand people clamoring for USB-c.

Sure, it is reversible which is nice. But it wouldnt make me choose one product over another. Half my products have micro USB at this point, and a handful have USB-C, but I don't really care.

Also: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets have a "user base"?

It's mainly a 'convenience' thing for people who mostly have USB Type C devices, so you only have to carry one cable.

I guess it makes sense from that standpoint, since most new smartphones have USB Type C (or lightning).

 

Although the one thing that does make me kind of facepalm is the fact that people automatically assume "USB Type C = fast", while in many cases it's still USB 2.0.

Like the new Fire tablets, it's USB 2.0:

Now I guess that is not a big deal, but still kinda sucks. It makes USB Type C seem kind of like a buzzword at this point.

[Dabombinable]

9 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

Improved design overall but mostly the port is a stronger and lasting design over the mcro usb port. Lasts longer and doesnt break as easily, as I mentioned in my op.

It's a shame the micro usb port didn't inherit being "Nokia tough" from Nokia.

[SansVarnic]

Just now, Dabombinable said:

It's a shame the micro usb port didn't inherit being "Nokia tough" from Nokia.

Sadly true.

[Dabombinable]

Just FYI on the port reliability - I had a phone which decided to lose it's micro USB port when I was answering a call. As in it fell out of the phone. Yeah it was only a very cheap phone, but still - cheap USB-C ports are inherently more reliable. It's better if cables break rather than devices.

[LAwLz]

9 minutes ago, Benji said:

Maybe it's the fact that USB Micro-B is an incredibly unstable and not long-lasting connector. I had almost 10 smartphones, almost all of them had their USB ports so unstable that they constantly cut the connection when you even slightly move them after about 1-1.5 years. My Moto Z (Type-C) on the other hand is 3 years old, no problem whatsoever. The fact that it's reversible is not the major factor for me (although it's obviously nice, still), but the reliability of that port is worlds better than the Micro-B standard. I even go so far to never buy a Micro-B powered device again, Type-C or nothing.

I have no idea how you people can break your USB so often.

I have never had a USB port break on me. Not USB-C, not USB and not even micro USB.

 

What do you do with your devices? Do you put pressure on the connector while it's plugged in? Do you connect it to stuff like power banks and then throw it into a backpack? I just don't get it.

[Dabombinable]

2 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I have no idea how you people can break your USB so often.

I have never had a USB port break on me. Not USB-C, not USB and not even micro USB.

 

What do you do with your devices? Do you put pressure on the connector while it's plugged in? Do you connect it to stuff like power banks and then throw it into a backpack? I just don't get it.

For me, I just left it on the bench plugged in. TBH though cables are hit and miss. My mum is still using the cable that came with her moto G (the first one) to charge all of her non C devices, while all the newer Samsung and Apple lightning cables barely lasted a month (30pin FTW).

[Curious Pineapple]

Can we just have the DC barrel jack back?

[Dabombinable]

4 minutes ago, Curious Pineapple said:

Can we just have the DC barrel jack back?

We'd have to use the smaller, more fragile jacks. And they are too easy to bend (much like the majority of micro b).

[Dabombinable]

2 minutes ago, Escanor said:

I just got usb type c recently i have 0 devices using it so far may order a usb stick with usb type c eventually

Some of them are dual USB C/A, so it's not much of a PITA when you buy them.

[RejZoR]

30 minutes ago, Benji said:

Maybe it's the fact that USB Micro-B is an incredibly unstable and not long-lasting connector. I had almost 10 smartphones, almost all of them had their USB ports so unstable that they constantly cut the connection when you even slightly move them after about 1-1.5 years. My Moto Z (Type-C) on the other hand is 3 years old, no problem whatsoever. The fact that it's reversible is not the major factor for me (although it's obviously nice, still), but the reliability of that port is worlds better than the Micro-B standard. I even go so far to never buy a Micro-B powered device again, Type-C or nothing.

 

The new CPUs are nice, but what I think really killed the old Fire Tablets was the incredibly small amount of RAM. So I am glad that they offer the HD8/Plus with 2/3GB instead of this measly 1.5GB (the Fire 7 is even still stuck at 1GB, a device from 2019...).

Haven't had such problems since vendors ditched the stupid proprietary connectors like those stupid big plastic ones on Ericsson phones.

[suicidalfranco]

i would have grabbed one even if it didn't come with USB-C

I always carry as many cable as devices i have around with anyway. The last thing i need is time how long a device as to charge just so i can swap them to charge the next device because i did something as stupid as only carry one cable because reasons

[Dabombinable]

18 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Haven't had such problems since vendors ditched the stupid proprietary connectors like those stupid big plastic ones on Ericsson phones.

I still have the chargers for mine, never actually had them break - the main issue was corrosion on the phone's connector.

[BuckGup]

2 hours ago, maartendc said:

I dont really understand people clamoring for USB-c.

 

Sure, it is reversible which is nice. But it wouldnt make me choose one product over another. Half my products have micro USB at this point, and a handful have USB-C, but I don't really care.

 

Also: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets have a "user base"?

It's not the deciding factor it's just showing the industry progressing. It's very nice carrying one brick and cable that can charge my laptop, phone, switch, and other devices.

[paddy-stone]

Have never had a problem with any of my devices using micro-b USB, but my sister had her mid-range tablet's port have that horrible situation where it would only charge if the cable had pressure applying to the port on one side (yes we checked different cables ofc). Basically the port was pretty loose inside, luckily it wasn't an expensive tablet, but was ordered from China, so no warranty to speak of, it lasted another 6-12 months before she got tired of it not charging sometimes cos someone walked too near it, or farted loudly and the charging stopped

 

I still will only buy USB type C devices now, and eventually I won't have any micro-b as they reach EOL. I will be happier when more devices aren't USB 2 type-c though for faster data transfer when needed.

[maartendc]

21 minutes ago, BuckGup said:

It's not the deciding factor it's just showing the industry progressing. It's very nice carrying one brick and cable that can charge my laptop, phone, switch, and other devices.

 

2 hours ago, minibois said:

It's mainly a 'convenience' thing for people who mostly have USB Type C devices, so you only have to carry one cable.

I guess it makes sense from that standpoint, since most new smartphones have USB Type C (or lightning).

 

Although the one thing that does make me kind of facepalm is the fact that people automatically assume "USB Type C = fast", while in many cases it's still USB 2.0.

Like the new Fire tablets, it's USB 2.0:

Now I guess that is not a big deal, but still kinda sucks. It makes USB Type C seem kind of like a buzzword at this point.

Well Ironically, most people have 100% micro USB devices, and like one USB C, so in fact it is making it so you are carrying MORE cables. In fact I consider micro USB has had pretty much universal adoption across all devices for years now. Any connectable or chargeable device of the last 5-10 years has been Micro USB.

 

2 hours ago, SansVarnic said:

Improved design overall but mostly the port is a stronger and lasting design over the mcro usb port. Lasts longer and doesnt break as easily, as I mentioned in my op.

Hmm interesting, I never really knew micro USB is known to be a non long lasting design. I mean, sure I have had some phones refuse to charge. I chalked it up to bad phone manufacturing.

 

 

[BuckGup]

8 minutes ago, maartendc said:

 

Well Ironically, most people have 100% micro USB devices

 

 

I have one and it's for my water bottle to charge lol. I carry more mini than I do micro 

[3rrant]

3 hours ago, maartendc said:

I dont really understand people clamoring for USB-c.

 

Sure, it is reversible which is nice. But it wouldnt make me choose one product over another. Half my products have micro USB at this point, and a handful have USB-C, but I don't really care.

 

Also: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets have a "user base"?

It's more durable, it's more usable, it supports many more standards than mini/micro USB (thunderbolt, power delivery, usb 4.0, hdmi, dp, etc) and it has been selected by Europe to be a "standard", which means that going forward most if not all devices will use it => only one type of connector for general usage/charging.

 

If the same product would cost a bit more to have USB-C today than it's other counterpart, I'd pay the extra.

 

Also yes. Small, probably not too techy, but yes.

[RejZoR]

2 hours ago, Dabombinable said:

I still have the chargers for mine, never actually had them break - the main issue was corrosion on the phone's connector.

The problem with those weren't even connectors. It was the plastic pins that held it in place that got loose so you had to plug it in and lean the connector on a thin book or carpet edge just so it was pushing it up. Good old times owning Ericsson phone lol. Nokia's jack type was far better, but I think they weren't using them since the beginning. But I'm not sure.

[cj09beira]

3 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I have no idea how you people can break your USB so often.

I have never had a USB port break on me. Not USB-C, not USB and not even micro USB.

 

What do you do with your devices? Do you put pressure on the connector while it's plugged in? Do you connect it to stuff like power banks and then throw it into a backpack? I just don't get it.

the connector it self is usually fine but the male side stops making good connections over time, after some time it only connects when crooked, other times it connects power but data lines dont, its a mess, i hate it soo much i would prefer to use mini usb 

[Zodiark1593]

4 hours ago, Benji said:

Maybe it's the fact that USB Micro-B is an incredibly unstable and not long-lasting connector. I had almost 10 smartphones, almost all of them had their USB ports so unstable that they constantly cut the connection when you even slightly move them after about 1-1.5 years. My Moto Z (Type-C) on the other hand is 3 years old, no problem whatsoever. The fact that it's reversible is not the major factor for me (although it's obviously nice, still), but the reliability of that port is worlds better than the Micro-B standard. I even go so far to never buy a Micro-B powered device again, Type-C or nothing.

 

The new CPUs are nice, but what I think really killed the old Fire Tablets was the incredibly small amount of RAM. So I am glad that they offer the HD8/Plus with 2/3GB instead of this measly 1.5GB (the Fire 7 is even still stuck at 1GB, a device from 2019...).

Don’t think I’ve ever had a Micro USB connector fail on me. I’d seen them fail for other people on a repeat basis, but not one of my devices ever had a failure of the port. For that matter, I’ve had Micro USB cables in heavier usages last longer than two years as well before eventually giving up the ghost. My Dad and sister went through cables at a pretty alarming rate though. 

[imreloadin]

4 hours ago, minibois said:

Although the one thing that does make me kind of facepalm is the fact that people automatically assume "USB Type C = fast", while in many cases it's still USB 2.0.

Like the new Fire tablets, it's USB 2.0:

Now I guess that is not a big deal, but still kinda sucks. It makes USB Type C seem kind of like a buzzword at this point.

That's just because people don't understand that USB-C is just the physical connector and not the underlying protocol. Unfortunately this means that the general public will never understand it

[SpaceGhostC2C]

11 hours ago, maartendc said:

Sure, it is reversible which is nice.

That's possible with micro-USB too. I have one of these and it works fine for charging and data:

Spoiler

 

 

11 hours ago, minibois said:

It's mainly a 'convenience' thing for people who mostly have USB Type C devices, so you only have to carry one cable.

Ah, but then again:

8 hours ago, maartendc said:

Well Ironically, most people have 100% micro USB devices, and like one USB C, so in fact it is making it so you are carrying MORE cables. In fact I consider micro USB has had pretty much universal adoption across all devices for years now. Any connectable or chargeable device of the last 5-10 years has been Micro USB.

plus all the other forms of USB around, plus the fact that USB-C also aims at replacing the USB-A at the other end, but since we're getting C+A cables, not C+C,USB- A ports can't go anywhere for the time being...

 

The "single cable" argument is just another case of:

Spoiler

If you're waiting for one-cable days, make sure you're sitting comfortably.

 

11 hours ago, Benji said:

Maybe it's the fact that USB Micro-B is an incredibly unstable and not long-lasting connector.

This I can definitely relate too. It's a shame that this particular connector made it further in terms of becoming "universal", as they tend to be rather fragile, and so heterogeneous when it comes to tightness of the fit, contact, etc...