[stumped]

i have ordered the 2019 and I am expecting it to fit into the case I saved from the 2017 version which I sold on ebay.

so I for one am glad that it "looks just the same"

i accept that there's a risk that auto sleep may not work properly as amazon seem to reposition the magnets in each generation, but I am cautiously optimistic this time around

its good that they are tough anyway but a case helps keep the actual tablet pristine and thus better suited for an eventual sale / upgrade.

also I can prop it open in landscape mode, with the amazon case, for hands free streaming

PS not sure about the 2nd screen thing. In the other direction amazon firstly restricted casting from fire tablets so that it only worked to other amazon devices like fire TV sticks, then I think they dropped it altogether to lower the cost.
but with google services installed, it may be possible to get an play store app that will let you 2nd screen your PC onto it. That's mostly a function of the PC video card. I did discover, when playing around with Geforce game streaming from NVIdia cards, that you need a GTX card to cast the PC game screen onto something else. The GT1030 that I have in one PC ( for silent operation) does not support it, but the GTX1050ti in my other PC can put a picture onto a big TV across the room, after some faffing about.
Be aware though, that some services block all casting attempts by design e.g. anything that streams Sky TV has casting so locked down that no one on reddit has found any workaround. Sky will not output through any HDMi tablet port either.