The newest Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet is on sale at its best-ever price

Sometimes it’s worth splurging on something like an expensive iPad. Other times you just need a practical and affordable device that gets stuff done and serves you well, one that you don’t have to worry about, one that you can happily pass over to the kids as needed.

That’s what the Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet is all about, and right now it’s on sale for just $55 — that’s a whopping 45 percent off its original price of $100, making it one of the best-value tablet buys this year.

This 8-inch tablet is small enough to stash into your bag wherever you go, but still large enough for comfortable video streaming, web browsing, tablet gaming, and setting aside as an always-on display. With up to 13 hours of battery life, it’s great for all-day entertainment.

This is the 2024 model, which has 3GB of RAM for much speedier performance compared to the previous release, and 32GB of internal storage for all your photos, ebooks, and more. Need more space? You can always pop in a microSD card for expansion, and it supports microSD cards up to 1TB in capacity.

And it’s easy to turn it into a smart screen thanks to built-in Alexa integration. Use it to control other Alexa-compatible smart home devices around the house, make video calls, or even just get answers to quick questions like “How long should I air fry potato wedges?”

One caveat is that this is the version that has lockscreen ads, which are basically like sponsored screensavers. That’s partly why it can be bought so cheaply. (The ads-free version is $70 instead.)

But if you don’t mind lockscreen ads, this is a fantastic price for a tablet that performs well enough. Grab the 8-inch Amazon Fire HD for just $55 while you can and enjoy an extra screen around your house.