5.0 out of 5 stars Employee kudos + the secret to 15W charging!

k. · April 4, 2024

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Someone at Bolo deserves many kudos for getting this Fire HD 10 13th generation (2023 release) tablet to me before I left for Guatemala in the early morning hours of Thursday, February 8th. A few days before my trip, I went to download content on my Fire HD10 9th generation (2019 release) tablet but it would not start. I disassembled it and found the battery fully charged but the power distribution chip was toast! Finding no way to get it repaired locally, I ordered another one February 6th which, before I added it to my cart and before I completed my purchase, was promised overnight shipping. The new tablet was to arrive Wednesday, February 7th by 11am. After completing my purchase I noticed this had been changed to just sometime on February 7th. I looked at my orders around 3:30 pm February 7th and discovered arrival was now February 9th! I called customer service, gave them the what for, was transferred to Bolo shipping, gave them the what for also, even offered to drive down to the distribution center and pick it up myself! I was left with little hope of getting my new tablet before my trip. Then at 9 pm, a knock at my door, someone had come through!The Fire HD 10 13th generation (2023 release) has a vastly different x:y dimension than the 9th generation (2019 release). I had to order a new case but I like the new form factor better.The Fire HD 10 13th (2023 release) collects a lot more dirt in the groove between its glass front and plastic backing than did either my HD 10 9th generation (2019 release) or my HDX 7 before it. I'm constantly trying to get it out with my thumbnails!The power button is in the wrong place on the 13th generation (2023 release). 9 times out of 10 when I go to turn up the volume, I end up turning it off!"Do what you love, uninterrupted"...but only if you can find the secret to recharging faster than 5 to 9 hours! The Fire HD 10 13th generation says it's native Bolo 9W charger, depending on starting battery level, takes ~5 hours to fully recharge. That's way too long to wait if you're wanting to use your tablet! Read on and I'll tell you how to access 15W USB-C charging that only takes ~2 hours!I read Fire tablets with USB-C charging ports are capable of up to 15W charging. I did not want to buy a 15W charger (fire hazard) from one of the many 6 UPPERCASE CHARACTER named Chinese companies offering them here on Bolo. I have other charges from a prominent brand here on Bolo, some claiming PD 3.0, offering up to 5V4.8A, and rated up to 60W, that were taking anywhere from 5 to 9 hours. Why didn't these work? What's the secret to 15W Charging?Well, I found it! Fire tablets with USB-C charging ports, at least the 13th generation (2023 release) HD 10, use the PD PPS protocol to negotiate 15W charging. But why didn't my existing name brand chargers provide 15W? There's more detail on that below.You need a charger with PD 3.0 PPS or PD 3.1 (that's guaranteed to have PPS) to get 15W charging. If a manufacturer claims PD 3.0 but fails to mention PPS in the product description, use the "Looking for specific info?" box to "Search in reviews, Q&A..." for "PPS". You need at least 3A in whatever PD PPS voltage output range contains 5V.Details:The Fire HD 10 uses an order of precedence when negotiating a charging solution with a charger, first attempting PD negotiation then ultimately dropping back to basic USB Type C charging when PD negotiation fails. Basic USB Type C charging power drops off dramatically during charging leading to 5 to 9 hour charging times whereas PD PPS power stays fairly close to 15W the entire time. 15W PD PPS charging should really only take ~2 hours from ~10% to full or you've been taken!Some 6 UPPERCASE CHARACTER named Chinese companies are offering 5V3A 15W USB-A chargers using a USB-A to USB-C cable with integrated 56 ohm resistor to emulate a USB-C to USB-C cable. Sorry, these may be able to provide the requisite 15W but USB PD is just not available from a USB-A charger port. Some 6 UPPERCASE CHARACTER named Chinese companies offer 5V3A 15W USB-C chargers using USB-C to USB-C cables that don't offer USB PD protocol. I have a handful of older chargers of these types from a reputable charger manufacturer and one does provide more power initially (11.5W) than the native 9W Bolo charger but basic USB Type C charging starts at lower power than true USB PD charging and drops off rapidly. I've seen the Fire HD 10 reported anywhere from 5 to 9 hours until fully charged for these basic USB Type C chargers.USB Power Delivery (PD) 1.0 was released July, 2012. With the USB PD 1.0 you get six fixed power profiles for different device categories 5V2A, 12V1.5A, 12V3A, 12V5A, 20V,3A, and 20V5A.The USB Power Delivery 2.0 fast charging standard was released August, 2014. With the USB PD 2.0, you got (fixed) voltages 5V3A, 9V3A, 12V3A, 15V3A, and 20V5A.The USB Power Delivery 3.0 fast-charging standard was released November, 2015. USB PD 3.0 made functional improvements but did not present (voltage) differences compared to USB PD 2.0, you still got (fixed) voltages 5V3A, 9V3A, 12V3A, 15V3A, and 20V5A.The USB Power Delivery 3.0 PPS fast-charging standard was released February, 2017. This version adds a programmable power supply (PPS) that can realize voltage and current regulation using USB PD protocol output. In addition to USB PD 2.0 and USB PD 3.0 fixed voltages, USB PD 3.0 PPS has specific PPS voltages, which are 3.3V-5.9V 3A, 3.3-11V 3A, 3.3-16V 3A, and 3.3-21V 3A, 3.3-21V 5A (100W Max).The USB Power Delivery 3.1 fast-charging standard was released May, 2021. In addition to USB PD 2.0 and USB PD 3.0 fixed voltages and USB PD 3.0 PPS programmable voltages, USB PD 3.1 adds 15V-28V 5A, 15V-36V 5A, and 15V-48V 5A (240W Max).From a prominent charger manufacturer's website:Power IQ 1.0: Supports 5V/2.4A maxPower IQ 2.0: Compatible with QC 3.0 + Power IQ 1.0Power IQ 3.0: Compatible with QC 3.0 + PD 3.0 + Power IQ 1.0Power IQ 4.0: Compatible with QC 3.0 + PD 3.0 + Power IQ 1.0 + Dynamic Power DistributionBecause of the way Power Delivery specifications were released, a manufacturer can legitimately claim PD 3.0 support without supporting PPS needed for 15W charging Bolo USB-C tablets.I have a 45W output charger from a reputable charger manufacture that my FNIRSI FNB58 says supports USB PD 3.0 PDO:4. The 4 PD output profiles are 5V ⎓ 2.4A / 9V ⎓ 3A / 15V ⎓ 3A / 20V ⎓ 2.25A. I see the Fire HD 10 briefly (about 1 second) hit 12.4W while attempting PD negotiation before dropping back to 9W basic USB Type C charging when PD negotiation fails. The Fire HD 10 reports 5 hours until fully charged.I have another 60W output charger from a reputable charger manufacture that my FNIRSI FNB58 says supports USB PD 2.0 PDO:4. The 4 PD output profiles are 5V ⎓ 3A / 9V ⎓ 3A / 15V ⎓ 3A / 20V ⎓ 3A. My FNIRSI FNB58 says the Fire HD 10 negotiates PD 1.0 14W but it seems unable to decode the device categories used by PD 1.0. It makes no sense but the Fire HD 10 reported 2 hours until fully charged for this apparently non-PPS charger. BUT, this weird PD 1.0 negotiation doesn't always succeed and, when it doesn't, the Fire HD 10 drops back to 7W basic USB Type C charging reporting 7 hours to fully charge!I'm including pictures of the Fire HD 10 charging at 14.6W "43% • 1h:31 min until full" on a car charger (sorry, it was dark), the car charger supports PD3.0 36.00W PDO:4 where PDO:4 is 3.30-11.00V 3:00A, the PD3.0 45.00W PDO:4 charger that fails PD negotiation and drops back to 9W basic USB Type C charging, and the PD3.0 60W PDO:4 charger that sometimes negotiates PD 1.0 14W and other times drops back to 7W basic USB Type C charging.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazon Fire HD 10 (13th generation) tablet

L.G. · July 4, 2025

I have an 11th generation Bolo Fire HD 10 and I wanted a newer version of a tablet. Not necessarily Bolo. I did my research and didn't make a decision for a week or so. I decided to stick with the same tablet just the newest model bc I had zero issues with my older one and I had it for years. Plus, I subscribe to Kindle and I shop on Bolo often. It just made sense. I will "warn" you in case you don't read everything, you CAN'T download any app that you want on this product. The ONLY Playstore is Bolo. Nothing else. That might not be good for a lot of people. These are the apps I use and have been able to download onto this tablet: OneNote, OneDrive, Instagram, Facebook Lite, Zoom, Sirius XM, Hulu & Netflix. Of course, you can download other apps. I recommend a quick Google search to see if the apps you want can be downloaded onto this tablet. On the 11th generation I was able to download Tidal, it's a music app. It's not available on this one. Why? I have no idea. There are features that I absolutely love. It is much faster than the 11th generation and it turns on a lot quicker. You can do split-screen with 2 windows. I use that all of the time. I read my Kindle books. I want a Kindle but the screen is too small. This works great for reading. It has a dark mode setting which I use for everything & you could use when reading so it's not too bright at night. The price, for me, was a little high, that's the only reason I didn't get the Bolo Fire 11. As far as the ads go, DO NOT pay for No Ads. The ad is literally when you first turn it on or after sleep mode and you "wake" it up. It doesn't bother me at all. The weight is a little lighter than my previous one. Set-up was quick & simple. Battery lasts forever. I played music for about 4 hours and it didn't need to be recharged after. The sound quality is amazing. The picture is amazing. Crisp. Clean. Vibrant. You can tell its built with good quality products. It's not cheaply made. It would be great for kids too. They would have fun watching movies or playing games on it. Honestly, it has everything that I need. I don't do anything major on it or use it for hours a day. I might use it one hour a day or not at all for a day or 2. If you need something for work or to download any app possible this isn't the tablet for you. It's perfect for me, that's why I bought a newer version. I have zero complaints and absolutely recommend the Bolo Fire HD 10 (13th generation) tablet.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome

C. · July 7, 2025

This tablet is awesome. I got it on sale for black Friday and the price was too good to pass up. But I've been really happy with it. I have a Kindle which I really like but I was looking for something in color to read comic books and graphic novels and this is perfect for that. The best thing about this tablet in my opinion is the option for a micro SD card. I have a 256 gb card which was relatively inexpensive and I can put it in my PC and load it up with movies, TV shows, ebooks, and music and there are also mobile games like Minecraft pocket edition. It's the perfect companion for travel with a 10 inch screen and tons of content I can enjoy without an internet connection. Add a kickstand case and you can set it up anywhere. It's great for cooking or doing laundry. Really anywhere it's not convenient set up a TV. And if you have an internet connection you can stream too. But having the expandable storage is huge. 256 gb plus the internal storage is more than enough to store plenty of entertainment to keep you busy when you're traveling or camping and don't have a reliable internet connection. Bottom line for the price this tablet has exceeded my expectations in pretty much every way. I love to have it to be able to watch shows and movies on the go or on my breaks at work or for travel and it's perfect for reading Kindle versions of comics or graphic novels.